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The Human Rights Documentation Initiative

Free Burma Rangers Collection of Documentary Videos, 2000-2010


Descriptive Summary

Creator Free Burma Rangers
Title Free Burma Rangers Collection of Documentary Videos
Dates: 2000-2010
Abstract The collection contains twelve videos that document relief efforts, the daily life and testimonies of internally displaced people, relief team training, individual FBR relief workers, and the history of Burma; the documentary videos were produced by the Free Burma Rangers, an organization that provides humanitarian aid to internally displaced people and documents human rights violations in Burma/Myanmar.
Accession No. 2009-01
OCLC Record No.
Extent 12 videos
Language English
Repository Human Rights Documentation Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin

Historical Note

Since gaining independence from Britain in 1948, Burma has been engaged in one of the longest-running civil wars in the world. From 1962 to 2011, Burma was ruled by a military junta, first under General Ne Win and the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) and then under the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), later renamed the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). The reign of the SLORC/SPDC was characterized by brutal repression of political dissent, persecution of ethnic minorities, extrajudicial killings and disappearances, absolute control over judicial and legislative powers, recruitment of child soldiers, rape, torture, and forced relocation and labor [1].

The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) was formed in 1997 in response to SPDC offensives in the Tanintharyi Region and Karen state of Burma, during which the Burma Army destroyed villages, killed civilians, and displaced over 100,000 people in order to secure land for business interests [2]. The mission of the FBR states that it aims “help, hope and love to people of all faiths and ethnicities in the war zones of Burma, to shine a light on the actions of the dictators' army, to stand with the oppressed, and to support leaders and organizations committed to liberty, justice and service.” The FBR conducts relief activities (providing medical assistance, shelter, food, clothing, educational materials, and other humanitarian aid); maintains an information network in Burma to report and disseminate accounts of human rights violations and provide an early warning system for attacks by the Burma Army; trains and equips indigenous humanitarian relief teams, advocates for the people of Burma; and provides prayer and counseling for victims of human rights abuses, particularly women and children [3].

The FBR reaches populations of internally displaced people in Burma by organizing relief teams, which are typically comprised of medical personnel, documentarians (videographers, photographers, and/or reporters), and other individuals (including missionaries, pastors, civil society workers, and opposition soldiers). These teams are trained and equipped by the FBR to provide humanitarian aid and document human rights abuses. Over 110 teams have been trained and have conducted over 400 relief missions, treating over 360,000 patients, helping over 700,000 people, and creating thousands of hours of video footage [4].

References

Scope and Contents Note

The Free Burma Rangers Collection of Documentary Videos is comprised of one series, Documentary Videos, which consists of twelve videos that document relief efforts, the daily life and testimonies of internally displaced people, relief team training, individual FBR relief workers, and the history of Burma. The videos were filmed, edited, and produced by the Free Burma Rangers between 2000 and 2010. These videos represent the small, public face of FBR’s much larger private collection of over 1,000 hours of video documentation created over the course of their operations in Burma.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Unrestricted.

Use Restrictions

Standard copyright restrictions apply.

Index Terms

The Free Burma Rangers Collection of Documentary Videos is classified under the following Subject Headings in the University of Texas Libraries catalog:
Subjects (Persons)
Free Burma Rangers
Subjects
Human Rights--Burma
Forced Migration--Burma
Migration, Internal--Burma
Places

Administrative Information

Provenance Note

The Free Burma Rangers Collection of Documentary Videos was donated by the Free Burma Rangers to the Human Rights Documentation Initiative in 2009.

Preferred Citation

Cite as: [Name of video], Free Burma Rangers Collection of Documentary Videos, Human Rights Documentation Initiative, University of Texas Libraries, the University of Texas at Austin, [link to video], (accessed [month, day, year].)

Box and Folder Inventory

 

Documentary Videos

Click on links to view documentary video.
folder
fbrx0011
The Cold Air [no date]
A short video montage of life in Burma and the work of the Free Burma Rangers.
folder
fbrx0006
The Enemy Came [no date]
[Contains Graphic Content] Depicts internally displaced people in hiding, with excerpts from IDP testimonies. The video details the conditions of a group of IDPs surviving in the jungle during the rainy season, and the help which FBR and its partners give them.
folder
fbrx0004
Fear and Hope: Responding to Burma's Internally Displaced [no date]
[Contains Graphic Content] A short documentary that provides a look at the history of the conflict in Burma and the plight of internally displaced people in the country. Includes personal accounts from IDPs and an overview of what the Free Burma Rangers are doing to help.
folder
fbrx0012
Good Life Club [no date]
A short video about the Good Life Club program, which provides practical ways to take action to help IDP woman and children in Burma.
folder
fbrx0002
In Hiding: A Year of Survival Under the Burma Army [no date]
[Contains Graphic Content] Ten minute documentary depicting the lives of internally displaced peoples in the Karen, Karenni, Shan and Arakan States of Burma over the course of one year, 2004-2005. The video depicts villagers fleeing into the jungle and living in hiding, victims of Burma Army landmines, and documentation of forced labor, and features firsthand accounts of life under the military regime.
folder
fbrx0007
Love In Action [no date]
[Contains Graphic Content] A ten-minute documentary introducing the conflict in Burma and outlining the training and operations of FBR relief teams, including testimonies from survivors of Burma Army attacks.
folder
fbrx0001
Prayer of Peace: Relief and Resistance in Burma's War Zones [2008]
A 30-minute documentary that follows FBR relief workers on the front lines of the conflict in Burma, as they aid internally displaced people suffering under the Burma Army. If follows Karen FBR teams as they provide IDPs with medical care and conduct testimony interviews, and is told through the personal stories of FBR team members including a medic and a videographer.
folder
fbrx0010
Raging Forest [no date]
[Contains Graphic Content] A short video outlining the history of Burma and the mission of the Free Burma Rangers.
folder
fbrx0003
Steps To Freedom [no date]
[Contains Graphic Content] This twenty minute documentary details FBR team preparations and operations. It follows relief teams through their extensive field training and as they separate on their missions into attack areas across Burma, and includes excerpts from testimonies from IDPs.
folder
fbrx0005
This Is Our Home: Standing For Freedom in Burma [no date]
[Contains Graphic Content] A short and concise look at the nature of the conflict in Burma, the persecution of ethnic minorities by the military regime, and the work done by relief organizations to help and protect internally displaced peoples.
folder
fbrx0008
White Monkey [no date]
The first of two short films about the life of White Monkey in Burma, following her as she takes part in a Good Life Club mission in Karen State.
folder
fbrx0009
White Monkey On A Mission [no date]
The second of two short films about the life of White Monkey in Burma, following her as she takes part in a Good Life Club mission in Karen State.