Jakarta Globe, November 28, 2012
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| Myanmar novelist Nu Nu Yi speaking during an interview at her home in Yangon. With easing censorship rules, Nu Nu Yi plans to republish her critically acclaimed fiction novel about two gay lovers, restoring sex-laced passages that the censors deemed too risque for publication. (AFP Photo/Khin Maung Win) |
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Yangon. As
Myanmar's censors loosen their grip, one of the country's most acclaimed
authors plans to republish her novel about two gay lovers, restoring sex-laced
passages once deemed too risque for readers.
Chunks of
paragraphs from Nu Nu Yi's 1994 novel "Smile as They Bow" were purged
by the all-powerful censorship office — seen as an Orwellian-style arbiter of
all that is fit for publication.
For decades
they vetted every article, book manuscript, photograph and illustration before
publication, eliminating anything considered inflammatory or damaging to the
nation's military dictators.
But the
quasi-civilian government that took office last year has effectively abolished
direct censorship, a totemic indicator of the reforms sweeping Myanmar as it
emerges from the shadows of outright military rule.
No one is
cheering that more than Nu Nu Yi, who in 2007 became the first living Burmese
to be nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize.
Her
accomplishment was tempered by the fact that the celebrated novel was heavily
censored at home, slammed as culturally insensitive in a society where
homosexuality is illegal, although the law is not strictly enforced.
"Smile
as They Bow" is set against the backdrop of Taung Pyone — a phantasmagoric
cultural festival that celebrates mythical "nat" spirits found in
Myanmar folklore.
Ceremonies
at the annual festival, seen as a stomping ground for Myanmar's marginalized
sexual minorities, are guided by spirit mediums — usually transvestites decked
up in glittering outfits and garish makeup.
The novel
describes the tumultuous romance between a transvestite spirit medium in his
fifties and his 20-something apprentice, with love leading to heartbreak as the
young man falls for a beggar girl.
In an
interview in her apartment in Yangon, Nu Nu Yi held out a copy of her original
manuscript returned by the censors — with several passages blotted out by
silver ink.
Among those
erased was a passage containing an intimate, invective-laced conversation which
one of the protagonists uses to express reservations that he may never have sex
with another woman.
It was a
classic sign of how the former military rulers for decades maintained one of
the world's tightest censorship nets in Myanmar, suppressing a generation of
writers and intellectuals.
But censor
officials — who occupy the decrepit Press Scrutiny and Registration Department
in Yangon — also invited parody.
In other
objections raised, they had a problem with one of the effeminate gay characters
adoringly referring to his partner as "husband." They demanded that
it be changed to "son."
"We
finally settled for 'adopted son' — in a desperate attempt to lend legitimacy
to their romance," she told AFP.
Even more
ludicrous, she said while trying to suppress fits of laughter, censor officials
complained the main characters were strikingly similar in demeanor to two top
generals.
"I
really didn't know if I should get angry or laugh. It's hard not to laugh at
the excesses of propaganda and control."
"Smile
as They Bow" just about made it past the censors, but the heavy-handed
cuts caused her much anguish.
"I
felt helpless," she said. "Writers have a social contract with
readers. We're meant to shed light on reality... not offer a 'sanitized'
version of reality."
But after
the government earlier this year abolished pre-publication censorship for
novels, Nu Nu Yi plans to self-publish the unabridged, uncensored version of
her novel in 2013.
The bold
move is symptomatic of changes afoot in Myanmar society, where ordinary
citizens are increasingly pushing the boundaries of newfound freedoms after the
government stunned the world with a series of reforms.
President
Thein Sein has won widespread praise for moving to release political prisoners
and overseeing the election of democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi to
parliament.
He has also
shown tolerance for candle light vigils to protest power outages, farmer
agitations against alleged land grabs, and lively parliament debates led by a
newly resurgent opposition — all unthinkable under military rule.
In a sign
of liberalizing social attitudes paralleling the political reforms, activists
held Myanmar's first ever gay pride celebrations in May.
Myanmar is
fast "becoming a normal democracy," said Aung Naing Oo of the
Bangkok-based Vahu Development Institute, who believes that the end of harsh
media restrictions is among the "top achievements" of the government.
But Nu Nu
Yi cautions that self-censorship is a bigger threat than enforced censorship.
"For a
vast majority, censorship exists in the head," she said.
She also
cautioned that Myanmar is still "a reforming state, not a reformed
state" and though the steps towards democracy are a welcome change, the
threat of backsliding exists.
"The
changes are not set in stone," Nu Nu Yi said.
"So
before the censors change their mind... let's change the 'adopted son' back to
'husband,' she laughed.
Agence France-Presse
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