And the military junta continues to oppress the people of Myanmar.

41-year-old Phyo Zeya Thaw is a star in the Southeast Asian country. He was a rapper, a revolutionary and an opposition politician. 

The musician had an amazing career: he initially operated as part of the underground opposition movement, agitating for pacifism and democracy. At the age of just 31, he was elected to parliament. His diverse commitments made him a legend in his homeland. His death made him a universal icon of the struggle for freedom.

Zeya Thaw was an uncompromising activist who was willing to sacrifice everything for his cause. Tracing the life of this committed pacifist, there are inevitable overlaps with the life of Aung San Suu Kyi, his role model and mentor. Thaw's story embodies the hopes and bitter disappointments of a country whose military dictatorship repeatedly crushes any form of rebellion with bloodshed. 

French journalist and filmmaker Thomas Dandois knew Zeya Thaw personally. He accompanied the rapper with his camera to document the development of the Burmese Spring. "The Rapper and the Junta” shows personal footage and gives Zeya Thaw's companions in exile a chance to speak. It is a tribute to a man who sacrificed his life for his country, and the fight for democracy.

 

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