Being the center of civil war for 60 years, Myanmar’s Shan region has a rich culture that endured for hundreds of years. This richness is of course deeply tied to strong rituals and spirituality, a spirituality that inspires an understanding of birth, life, and death in Shan. Songs of Souls (2023) exposes the social, cultural, and political intricacies of the Shan conflict through intimate stories. The story focuses on the story of an indigenous singer who expresses his unrest and sorrow through songs and poems. Songs of Souls (2023) was screened at Gedung ex Bioskop Permata on Monday, December 4 at 17:00 WIB in the International Feature-Length Competition program. Director Sai Naw Kham was in attendance to share his story and answer questions from the audience.
Sai was asked about the filming process in the Shan conflict area, especially with the conditions in Myanmar that have escalated since Sai completed his film in 2023. Sai himself admitted that since the coup, he has seen first-hand the impact of war and violence around him. It was the feeling that moved him to then crafted Song of Souls (2023).
Initially, Sai wanted to make a historical ethnographic documentary focusing on indigenous songs that are now on the verge of extinction due to lack of interest in preservation. The female indigenous singer highlighted in Songs of Souls (2023) is unfortunately the last indigenous singer with a spontaneous poetic style characteristic of the Shan tradition. After learning more about the personal journeys and struggles of Shan indigenous singers, Sai was inspired to take on a theme that focuses more on the issue of conflict and its impact on Shan’s socio-culture and the individuals who keep it alive.
One of the themes that raised many questions from the audience was the departure of many Shan youth to Thailand, not only to escape the conflict, but also due to poor economic conditions. While this is something that is often encouraged by Shan parents, Sai commented that the documentary is also an expression of calling the nation’s children back home to meet their parents.
During the filming process, Sai went through a spiritual journey. As a Shan native, he believes that when a person is scared or sad, one of their 32 souls will leave their body and this soul must be called back to complete them. Sai states that this can be seen as a metaphor for Song of Souls (2023), that there is something worth exploring to reach an understanding of the loss and pain of people affected by the civil war.
Covered by Aradi Ghalizha on December 4, 2023.
