Arakan News Agency
The exhibition “Ek Khaale – Once Upon a Time” opened with an exceptional inauguration in the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand, last Wednesday evening. The event saw an unexpected large turnout that included journalists, activists, academics, civil society members, and a significant number of people from the Myanmar expatriate community.
The exhibition will continue until July 19, as part of the “Ek Khaale – Once Upon a Time” project, highlighting the cultural heritage of the Rohingya and issues of identity and belonging, especially at a time when there is an increasing need to tell the stories of oppressed peoples.
The project also aims to create a space for solidarity and shared memory, not only among the components of Burmese society but also with regional and international communities.
The opening was marked by impactful speeches, including one from the prominent Burmese activist Khin Ohmar, who emphasized the importance of documenting the shared struggle for justice in Burma. Poet and member of the Ek Khaale Archive team, Ro Anamul Hasan, recited a poem that reflected the depth of suffering and longing to return, which captivated the audience.
Yasmin Ullah from the Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network delivered a speech that was highly appreciated for its sincerity and deep-rootedness in the Rohingya issue.
In addition to the exhibition, the program includes visual presentations by photographer Greg Constantine on July 12, and an academic lecture at Chiang Mai University on July 14, organized by the Regional Center for Social Sciences and Sustainable Development.
“Ek Khaale” is not just an art exhibition; it is a platform for telling forgotten stories, reviving memory, and seeking belonging in an era of displacement.
The idea for the “Ek Khaale” project, a Rohingya term meaning “Once Upon a Time” in Arabic, came through the efforts of American photojournalist Greg Constantine, who adopted an entirely different approach to document the lives and history of the Rohingya in the region.
“Ek Khaale” is a collaborative initiative aimed at reclaiming and preserving the visual history and collective memory of the Rohingya community, which has been distorted and destroyed over decades of violence, forced displacement, and genocide. The project was launched in 2021.
The Muslim minority in Myanmar, the Rohingya, has suffered for decades from violence, persecution, forced displacement, and genocide. The previous ruling regimes in Burma, now Myanmar, tried to erase the identity of the Rohingya and deny their right to their homeland in Rakhine State, western Myanmar. These practices peaked with the Burmese government’s 1982 decision to strip the Rohingya of citizenship and classify them in 2008 as Bangladeshi immigrants. Despite everything, including the 2017 genocide that forced nearly a million to flee to Bangladesh, the Rohingya still cling to their right to their homeland in Arakan.
