About this episode

Hitoshi Kameyama discusses his experiences and reflections on Myanmar's history and current situation through his photography.

Episode #533: “Before COVID-19 and before the Myanmar coup, I thought that ‘memory of war’ meant only World War Two inside Myanmar. But after 2021, I realized for local people the condition is like a war now.” Hitoshi Kameyama, a Japanese photographer, first came to Burma in 2005 on a photography tour. Expecting a repressive environment, he was instead struck by the warmth and friendliness of local people. This impression drew him back repeatedly, and he eventually made more than 25 trips before the pandemic, building close ties by photographing villagers and returning later with prints for them. Myanmar’s political opening after 2011 allowed greater freedom for photographers and journalists. While Japanese companies began investing, Kameyama focused on documenting memories of the Japanese occupation in World War Two. He was inspired by encounters with elderly villagers who recalled both suffering and small gestures of kindness from Japanese soldiers. In one case, a woman whose brother had been killed by soldiers still preserved a grenade and other wartime objects for decades, hoping they might be returned to Japan. Such stories led to his book Burma Myanmar Memories of War…

People in this episode

Guest: Hitoshi Kameyama

Topics covered

• Myanmar coup
• photography
• war memory
• Japanese occupation
• refugees
• displacement
• local stories

Keywords

• Myanmar
• photography
• war memory
• Japanese occupation
• refugees
• Hitoshi Kameyama
• 2021 coup
• Mae Sot
• displacement

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Burma Myanmar Memories of War 2019–2024

Places: Myanmar, Burma, Japan, India, Thailand, Mae Sot

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