Ma Thida, a renowned Myanmar writer, human rights activist, and former political prisoner, will hold a series of literary talks in Japan’s Nagoya on Jan. 11, the capital Tokyo on Jan. 18, and Osaka on Jan. 25, organizers told DVB.
One of the organizers in Japan, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the Ma Thida literary talks were organized to allow people interested in her work to engage directly with the author, and to create space for discussion around her books, ideas, and experiences of Myanmar people living in Japan.
Ma Thida, 59, will speak on the theme “Today for Tomorrow,” exploring the intersection of politics, human rights and literature. It will be open to the public and free of charge, organizers added.
Japan has become an increasingly important destination for Myanmar migrant workers and students since the 2021 military coup, as more people seek safety, education, and employment opportunities abroad.
This is Ma Thida’s first literary tour in Asia since she left Myanmar following the 2021 coup, organizers told DVB. She is currently living in Berlin, Germany.
Ma Thida founded PEN Myanmar, a freedom of expression organization fostering a literary culture around the world. She served as the president of PEN Myanmar, hosting several literary events in Yangon, from 2013-16.
Widely known by her pen name Ma Thida (Sanchaung)—a reference to Yangon’s Sanchaung Township, where she was born in 1966, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1993 by a previous military regime for “endangering public peace” and distributing “unlawful literature.”
Ma Thida served nearly six years at Yangon’s Insein Prison, much of it in solitary confinement, before being released in 1999 due to international pressure and a deteriorating health condition.
Her memoir, Prisoner of Conscience: My Steps Through Insein, was published in 2016. It is an English translation of her original work in Burmese, which translates as Sanchaung, Insein, Harvard, released in 2012. The memoir is highly acclaimed both locally and internationally.
Her latest book, A-Maze: Myanmar’s Struggle for Democracy, 2011–2023, examines the 2021 coup in Myanmar and the civil resistance against it being led by the people. In a recent interview with DVB, Ma Thida shared why she named her new book A-Maze.
