"Shh! This is my relative..."
APK said that the figure quieting the dog represents the new government, and the shadow of the thief represents those who work with the government towards dishonest ends.
The Fake Race
This cartoon illustrates how the winner of the 2010 election in Burma was chosen even before "the race" began.
Irrawaddy River
In 2010 APK intended to show this cartoon at an art exhibition to protest the Irrawaddy River project, but he was not allowed to display it. China is now building a mega-dam for a hydropower plant at the top of the Irrawaddy River. All the electricity produced from the plant will be sold to China. The Burmese regime and Chinese businessmen have ignored the effects the dam will have on residents downstream who depend on the river.
Stick to the Chair
After Burma suffered the loss of more than 138,000 lives and damage estimated at $10 billion in Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, the Burmese military regime held a referendum to retain its power. The cartoon depicts a man in trousers (a symbol of a military person) carefully righting his chair (a symbol of power) while ignoring the plight of victims being blown about in the cyclone.
The Other Prison
APK explained that writers face such strict censorship that they live in a metaphorical prison.
Aw Pi Kyeh (APK) chose this pen name because it means ‘loudspeaker’ in Burmese. His cartoons dare to shout out loud about the military junta that rules Burma.
Photo courtesy of Aw Pi Kyeh
In 2007 he was banned from publishing inside Burma after he supported monks in their peaceful protests during the Saffron Revolution. Following that, colleagues who even mentioned his name in an article were suppressed. .
In June 2011, the Burmese site Mizzima.com, compiled the views of several well-known Burmese on the fighting between the national troops and the Kachin Independence Army, after both sides suffered heavy casualties. Aw Pi Kyeh commented, “The president said they would try to be a good government. What does good government mean? Is fighting good?”
After 30 years of cartooning, Aw Pi Kyeh says he will not quit. He continues to illustrate despite the ban on his work, and he has turned to new channels of distribution such as Facebook.
Read an interview with Aw Pi Kyeh and other persecuted cartoonists in Sampsonia Way.
