Award-winning photographer Geoffrey Hiller first visited Myanmar in 1987; and he was ‘haunted’ by what he saw in the country:
“After a frenetic trip, it wasn’t so much the monks and pagodas that haunted me, but the faces of the Burmese, painted in white, often smiling. I wanted to find out more about who they really were, plagued by a corrupt government and international sanctions.”
He has since then returned to Myanmar several times and he witnessed the changes that have taken place in the country in recent years:
“I returned yet again in 2013. My camera focused on capturing daily life, from the cramped streets of the colonial capital of Yangon, to dusty markets in Mandalay, to Muslims in Meikhtila, and river life in Pathein.”
The face of Yangon has already changed, with new building construction and imported cars.
He plans to publish a book through a Kickstarter project that would include his photographs documenting life inside Myanmar from 1987 through the recent historic transition. The book, Burma in Transition, would also feature photos of Meiktila which Hiller visited before riots erupted in the town:
“After my experience in this peaceful town, the news reports about the fighting and killing and burning of homes is unbelievable to me. I had talked with dozens of residents of Meiktila, both Buddhists and Muslims, and I never would have guessed such violence would erupt”
College graduates leaving a beauty salon. Meiktila, 2013. Image Credit: Geoffrey Hiller.
Women workers in Meiktila, 2013. Image Credit: Geoffrey Hiller.
A young man holding a photograph of Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her father, General Aung San. Yangon Ferry, 2012. Image Credit: Geoffrey Hiller.
A building in Yangon, 2012. Image Credit: Geoffrey Hiller.
Woman smoking cheroot, Mandalay, 1987. Image Credit: Geoffrey Hiller.
Dalah, 2011. Image Credit: Geoffrey Hiller.
A pledge to the book project can be made through Kickstarter until October 9.
Originally published on Global Voices.
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