Compendium of Burma Political Jokes, compiled by Dr Kyaw Nyunt
Introduction by Dr. Law
It has been an honor to be asked by Dr. Kyaw Nyunt to write the Introduction to his Compendium of Burma Jokes on this Thingyan Akha Thamaya (Auspicious day of the Thingyan Water Festival).
Foreign observers have marveled over how people in Burma have been able to laugh and smile despite the many hardships they suffer. Why and how is it that people are still able to have a sense of humor in the face of adversity?
The answer is simple. Those who cannot laugh do not survive, and thus, by process of elimination, the remaining survivors are ones who have learned to laugh and cope with stress. And indeed, laughter is good medicine. Years ago, as a kid in Burma, I treasured copies of the hard-to-get Reader’s Digest and other Western publications. In Reader’s Digest there was a regular feature called, “Laughter, the Best Medicine.” Likewise, in Burmese, there is an equivalent called “Living happily makes it harder to die” or “Pyaw-pyaw nay thay gair”.
So you could say that it is part of the national culture to laugh and be happy. Since we are now having Thingyan Water Festival (13 – 16 April) one of the common slogans is
“Pyoot soakkalay net pet tet yay,
“Yee dar pawt, Yee dar pawt!
It means “We laugh at the water squirted at us with your broken little squirt gun.” This sort of humor is carried on even when faced with a big fire-fighter’s water hose that is gushing out in powerful torrents.
“Paik soakkyi net pet tet yay
“Yee dar pawt, Yee dar pawt!
(“We laugh at the water hosed at us with your big broken water hose.”)
Thingyan is also a time of Thangyat, or the Burmese equivalent of Rap Music where a lot of funny satire is performed in the style of present-day Rap singers. But Burmese Thangyat has been the vogue for decades if not centuries and it is just by coincidence that the Western rap singers happen to sound like Thangyat. But ever since the ascent of the military government to power in 1962, Thangyat singers have been under heavy censure, getting arrested whenever their humor offends the authorities.
This begs the question, what does it take to appreciate humor? Well, there is another Burmese proverb, “Kywair par saung tee,” or “Buffalo ting-tong”. It really means playing a harp beside a buffalo, or offering a civilized entertainment to a brutish creature that does not appreciate it.
To apply this proverb to the present-day dictatorship in Burma, we need to change it to :”Khway Nar Saung Tee,” meaning playing a harp near a dog. In this case, a very vicious and irritable dog that is easily provoked into attacking anyone that offends it.
To appreciate humor, one needs the intelligence and insight to understand the joke, as well as the ability to empathize inner feelings. Vicious vile-tempered dogs have neither and so all they know is to attack anyone deemed to be provocative. Which is why brave comedians like Zarganar, U Pa Pa Lay, U Pa Pa Gyi, and many others have time and again landed in jail even for innocuous jokes that would seem harmless by Western standards.
But the Burmese Spirit lives on in Humor and it is unstoppable. No matter what happens, we will continue to laugh on.
Although Burmese Water Festival is over since April 16, in the Western nations, overseas Burmese celebrate it in July when the weather is hottest and splashing water is most enjoyable. So this Compendium of Jokes compiled by Dr. Kyaw Nyunt is still in time for the Overseas Burmese New Year.
While we cannot win against the guns of the dicatorship, but they will never break our indominable spirit of defiance. Let us continue to laugh at these vicious dogs for this is a realm they can never win. Our National Struggle will be a long one and we need to maintain our humor for the Day of Final Victory. Please savor and enjoy the jokes collected by Dr. Kyaw Nyunt.
“Pyoot soak kalay net pettet yay,
“Yee dar pawt, Yee dar pawt!
“The water you squirt at us with your broken little squirt gun,
“We laugh at you, laugh at you!
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