Why does the exhibition focus on the country’s creative past?
In times of conflict, it is important that people understand that there is more to a country. It is also important to understand how the twists and turns of history have led to the current situation. The exhibition covers about 1,500 years in four sections: Myanmar’s location along major trade routes and abundance of natural resources like jadeite, gems, oil, cotton and teak; cross-cultural interactions of the five main regions of Myanmar; the British colonisation of Burma, which caused radical cultural, religious, social, political, and artistic changes until independence in 1948; and finally the period of the military putting the country on the ‘Burmese path to socialism,’ which entailed severe isolation and extreme repression in an effort to prevent foreign meddling.