Video of the Week --Don’t Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
RSSFrom SLJ March 2005
Dwain Thomas, Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL -- School Library Journal, 02/28/2005
videocassette or DVD. color. 29:55 min. Transit Media (800/343-5540). 2004. $195 (+ $15 s/h).
Gr 7 Up–Most students are unaware of yet another instance of ethnic warfare continuing in Southeast Asia. The military government of Burma is pursing the Karen people both inside the country and into the refugees’ camps in neighboring Thailand. This documentary traces the history of the ongoing struggle between the two groups, including poignant video footage and interviews with the expatriates who have suffered atrocities at the hands of the Burmese troops. Both amateur and professional video footage was smuggled out of the region and highlight the work of the charismatic Major Mary who is attempting to shine the light of world opinion into the dark corners where her people are still being persecuted. The program begins with amateur footage of a Karen village being burned by the nationals as the innocents flee for their lives. Major Mary, who has an excellent command of the English language and also treats us to a guitar-backed version of the appropriately-selected “Don’t Fence Me In,” interviews these refugees who recount the deaths of innocent children and the carnage brought by land mines. English subtitles are used as the Karen illustrate their attempts at security and self-protection and their ultimate desire to return to their homeland. Although costly, this moving program will be useful in a variety of classroom settings as well as for individual research. It’s hoped that this and other instances of ethnic conflict will one day be viewed as “history,” and this stirring chronicle may play a part in that process.
