ENGLISH DEYEA NEWS

By THE IRRAWADDY | In the 20 years since Aung San Suu Kyi first emerged as the leader of Burma’s pro-democracy movement, she has inspired admiration in people around the world. She has also captured the imagination of artists, filmmakers and songwriters, making her not only a political but also a cultural icon.

In 1994, she even made it into the world of manga, the book-length comics that are a ubiquitous feature of Japanese pop culture.

Aung San Suu Kyi: Tatakau Kujaku (“Aung San Suu Kyi: The Fighting Peacock”), by cartoonist Akazu Mizuha, was first released by publisher Oakla Shuppan as part of a series of manga on Nobel Prize winners. It depicts Suu Kyi’s early life, examining the impact of the political legacy of her father, assassinated independence leader Aung San, and ends with her receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

Although it has been mentioned in scholarly works as a reflection of Suu Kyi’s international appeal, it has rarely been seen, even in Japan, where it has long been out of print.

Then, earlier this year, a publisher who specializes in Thai translations of Japanese comic books discovered the manga, and decided to make it available to readers outside Japan.

“I wanted to do something for the Burmese people,” said Hidekazu Kondo, president of the Bangkok-based Negibose Thailand Co., Ltd., which occasionally produces translations of comics on political topics that have cross-cultural significance, such as North Korea’s abduction of foreign nationals in the late 1970s.

To reach a wider audience, Kondo decided to publish the comic on Aung San Suu Kyi in English, and The Irrawaddy agreed to host an electronic version on its Web site.

“It seemed like an interesting project, and it may be helpful for people who want to use it for educational purposes,” said Irrawaddy staffer Neil Lawrence, who translated the manga.

In a book on Japan-Burma relations published last year, Burma specialist Donald M. Seekins refers to the comic’s “detailed depiction of the events of Democracy Summer, including [Suu Kyi’s] speech at the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, and her 1989 house arrest.”

Although it was originally scheduled for release on June 19, Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday, production delays forced a one-week postponement of the planned launch. The book is now available on The Irrawaddy Web site for a fee of US $3/download for individuals or $30 for institutional customers.

The fee will cover production, licensing and hosting costs. Profits from the sale of the comic will be used to support Burmese relief activities.