Feminists Around the World: Wai Wai Nu

Today we're talking about an activist and advocate who has been working to empower people all over the world, Wai Wai Nu.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Annie and Samantha. I know what come
to stafmon. I never told you a prorection, but iHeart radio.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
And welcome to another feminist around the world. We are
still doing the AAPI History Month. Of course, we're going
a little bit outside of the US because that's what
we typically like to do, and today we are focusing
on Me and Mar slash Burma and an activist from there.
We were talking about way Way new who is an activist,
an advocate who's been working to empower people all over

(00:39):
the world and her story is pretty amazing. Yeah. So
Nu was born in me and Mar where she grew
up with her family who are part of the Rowhinja community.
And if you look up this community, it's pretty in
depth and there's a lot of conversations, so you have
to read a lot. I decided this is one of
those regions are like, if I'm not a real expert,
I'm not going to go into it because I'm afraid

(01:02):
of all of the mistakes I'm about to make. But
here's what we do know. The Rowhinja people are considered
one of the most persecuted ethnic minorities according to a
National Geographic article, and are primarily a Muslim community, with
a small group identifying as Hindu, and at one point
in time there were an estimated one point four million
Rowhinja people who were residents of Me and Mar, But

(01:25):
in twenty seventeen, after at least one hundred thousand were
imprisoned in camps for quote internally displaced persons, many others
fled to two surrounded countries at that point. So in
nineteen eighty two, after the passing of the new citizenship
law through Rohinjas were stripped of their citizenships and no
longer recognized as an ethnic group in Me and Mars.
So that means they had no rise and it's still

(01:46):
that way today and though many have left Me and
Mar due to this type of persecution, there are still
an estimated six hundred thousand Rowhinja people.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
And a news father fought against the government and as
a political activist had to run for parts as a
National League of Democracy or a n LD party member
in the nineteen ninety general election. He was an advocate
for the people of Myanmar and fought for labor and
human rights, and though he was elected as a member
of parliament, the Military Hunter or the military group who
took control of the country by force, much like what

(02:17):
is happening now, would not allow for the voted officials
to take their roles. Instead, many of the elected officials
were immediately arrested after the results of the election. However,
news father was not one of those who were immediately arrested.
It wasn't until two thousand and five that he and
the rest of the family, including Knew, would be arrested.
Knew had already started school and was in her second

(02:39):
year of law school when she was arrested.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, right, and at that time, she nor her family
had any representation and were all sentenced to prison. She
was sentenced to seventeen years along with the rest of
our family, except for her father, who was sentenced to
forty four years. There was not a clear reason for
the sentencings. Some reported it was due to imtegrate violations,
while others reported sedition. She and her family were in

(03:04):
prison until twenty twelve when they were finally given amnesty
by the President of b and Mar. At that time,
and it was during her time of incarceration she and
her family went through severe mistreatment, causing health problems for
several of the family members. For the rest of their lives,
and while she was in prison, she was able to
hear the stories of many of the women with her
and learned of the different types of hardships that those

(03:26):
women's face living under that regime. In an interview with
Time magazine, she said, after meeting so many people in
prison who were not guilty of crimes, I realized I
wanted to do something that could really change the country's
political and economic system, and went on to say in
another interview with Reuters, I didn't want to wallow in
self pity after meeting them. Insane prison was my university

(03:49):
about life.

Speaker 1 (03:50):
After being released, Nu went on to earn her law
degree at the Young Gun East University and would go
on to start several nonprofits for her community. She started
Women's Peace Network are Ken, where she worked for Peace
for the People of meandmar and Justice for Women, which
is a network of women who are lawyers to provide
legal assistance for women in need. And she has used

(04:11):
her advocacy all over the world, speaking and educating people
on the issue of domestic violence and on sexual harassment,
and part of her work has included working for diversity
and tolerance using the power of social media, and new
launched a Twitter campaign to that end with hashtag my
friend to show diversity through friendships all over the world.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Right and as the situation and mean mare continues to
be dangerous, she's been working to bring attention to what
is happening in her country. She's been outspoken about the
world's lack of response to the situation with the row
Hingja people. She wrote recently in the Jerusalem Post quote
the international response to these atrocities has been frustratingly inadequate.
Though the same military that stage decup in February twenty

(04:52):
twenty one has been terrorizing the hundred people for decades.
The US only recently determined in March that their actions
amounted to genocide, something we've been urging the US government
to do for years. And she's been using her platform
to implore the officials all around the world to step
up to help those who are being persecuted by the
Junta of man Maar. And just last year, she's been

(05:13):
able to publish articles all over the world to implore
the government officials to take measures against the oppress of
regime within her country today and her work has been noticed.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
Yes, she has been awarded the n Peace Award in
twenty fourteen, named one of the top one hundred Global
thinkers by Foreign Policy Magazine, also named one of Salt
and Dago's one hundred Inspiring Women by Salt Magazine, and
named one of the Next Generation Leaders by Time Magazine.
She received the Hillary Clinton Award from Georgetown University in

(05:42):
twenty eighteen. Twenty nineteen, she was selected as an Obama
Foundation Scholar at Columbia University. In twenty twenty, she was
elected as a Genocide Prevention Fellow by the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum, and she received the City of Athens
Democracy Award from the Democracy and Culture Foundation in twenty
two Anyone.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
Right, so she's doing a lot of work, and of
course we do want to hear what is happening because
we know the situation and me and Mars still ongoing.
There's not a lot coming out. They've definitely taken out
all of any kind of social media. A lot of
journalists are not able to get into there or out
of there. So there's a lot of conversation about what
is happening today and how dangerous that situation really is,

(06:22):
and the fact that we have not heard too much
outside of some of the horsors that are able to
reach out outside of the titan knit government and closed
off government of me and mar. So if anybody knows
updates that they can share with us, please.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
Do Yes, yes, as always, and you can send those
two us at our email which is stephaniamomsteffantiheartmedia dot com.
You can find us on Twitter at most of a podcast,
or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff I've Never told You.
We're also on YouTube and we have a book coming
out that you can pre order at stuff you should
read Books dot com. Thanks as always to our super

(06:57):
producer Christina, our executive producer Maya, our contributor Joey, Thank
you all, yes, and thank you all for listening. Steffan
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