Photographic Exhibition: Yangon - A City to Rescue

Yangon (Rangoon) in Myanmar, described as ‘the last intact city in Asia’, is on the threshold of democracy, free trade – and development. With foresight, the Yangon Heritage Trust invited independent photo reporters Jacques Maudy and Jimi Casaccia to document up to 200 heritage buildings while they lobbied for legislation to protect architectural heritage. The Brisbane Powerhouse hosted the recent book launch and will exhibit the vibrant photographs until September 15. The locals’ joy at being on camera is evident. There are beautiful, intimate portraits of an old woman and a young boy, their faces marked with thanaka (grounded tree bark) to express their personalities. Women lead a colourful procession to the Shwedagon Pagoda, the world’s oldest historical pagoda. We look up from the ground - in homage to the dragon (dagon) – to the golden hues and minarets dominating Yangon’s skyline. In 1946, General Aung San protested there against British colonial rule and in 1988, his peace-activist daughter Aung San Suu Kyi protested against the military junta, Maudy said. Surprisingly, Maudy and Casaccia gained access to the Secretariat Building - to the room where General Aung San was assassinated in 1947. Maudy said the almost 120-year-old imposing red-brick building, “the centre of power in Burma and in the centre of the city”, had been abandoned for about 60 years. Photographs show the neglect and shabby chic of buildings from the Victorian-style Pegu Club, built for British army officers, to the blue stylings of Pan Soe Dan Street and City Hall. At the launch, Senator Bob Carr referenced his maiden parliamentary speech and pledged Australia’s support: “… because … in a corner of Rangoon you can find … a synagogue created by Jews from Iraq in the 1890s, sitting next to a 1914 Sunni madrasa, which in turn faces a Hindu temple not far from a Hokkien temple and not far from Methodist, Catholic and Anglican churches.” Pictures can speak louder than words. Maudy and Cassacia’s early photographs convinced the Myanmar government to cancel building permits and delay development until the Yangon Heritage Trust’s recommendations were finalised.
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