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When land is the foundation of life, conflict and forced displacement strip indigenous peoples of their humanity. My long-term project, Pwa K’Nyaw: Seeds of Resilience, documents the cultural and environmental impacts of this disruption, chronicling the ongoing struggle of the Karen people to preserve their ancestral heritage in Myanmar. For over seventy years, Burmese military regimes have launched brutal campaigns to occupy Karen ancestral lands, subjecting communities to systematic human rights abuses. After a period of democratic reforms and ceasefires, the situation deteriorated dramatically once again with a military coup in 2021 that plunged the country into a severe humanitarian crisis. Since then, continuous airstrikes have forcibly displaced more than 90% of the local population. The project focuses on this aftermath, aiming to reveal how the unprecedented levels of violence are shattering the vital connection between communities and their territory – a connection that not only sustains their beliefs and livelihoods but also serves as a crucial source of resilience in the face of adversity. Land is much more than a physical resource; it is the thread that binds people to their past, present, and future.

Pwa K'Nyaw: Seeds of Resilience

2019 - 2023

“We ask the spirits to protect our country and indigenous culture,” says Saw Shan Nay Moo. “We pray for the heart of the Myanmar military to change.”

"The mother advised us to save the seed of the taro, 
The father advised us to save the seed of the yam.
If we save up to thirty kinds of seeds,
our lives will be sustained in times of crisis." 

- Traditional Karen poem

Media/Press

The Guardian

'Myanmar junta ‘bombing schools’, with 170 sites hit in past three years – report'

 

 

Zeke Magazine

'Seeds of Resilience'

 

The Guardian

'Amid Myanmar's longest war, a people struggle to surive in the forest'

 

Kranj Foto Fest - Upcoming Screening

'Pwa K'Nyaw: Seeds of Resilience'

 

Rencontres de la Photographie de Marrakech - Exhibition

'Pwa K'Nyaw: Seeds of Resilience'

 

National Geographic - Exhibition

'Salween, a living heritage'

 

 

Yangon Photo Festival - Exhibition

'Salween Peace Park'

 

Al Jazeera

'Karen minority urges 'respect' in Myanmar peace park initiative'

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