2009 Annual Report

2009 Asia Grantee Spotlight:
Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB)


The 2009 film Burma VJ followed the work of NED grantee Democratic Voice of Burma in documenting the Saffron Revolution.

In 2009, the work of long-time NED grantee Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) was once again in the spotlight when Burma VJ, Anders Østergaard’s feature-length documentary about the group, began to win numerous awards.

The documentary introduced viewers to DVB’ s members, who gave the world the only footage available on the 2007 democratic protests in Burma. Now widely known as the Saffron Revolution, when over 100,000 people — including thousands of Buddhist monks — took to the streets to protest the repressive regime that has held them hostage for over 40 years, this uprising drew global attention back to the courage of the Burmese people and highlighted the endurance and resilience of their democratic aspirations.

In contrast to the 1988 prodemocracy protests in Burma, the world received a wealth of information and imagery on the 2007 Saffron Revolution. This was possible because, even though foreign news crews were banned and the internet shut down, DVB was instrumental in clandestinely securing information about protests, broadcasting it internationally, supplying mainstream media outlets with news and images from within Burma, and, most importantly, feeding the information back into the country through its website, satellite TV and short-wave radio stations.

“Freedom of expression is one of the most important elements in any democratic system. DVB is helping to provide freedom of information. We think that the standard of broadcasting in the DVB has improved systematically and incredibly over the last ten years.”

The DVB is the first independent Burmese-language TV station in the world. Although the DVB is headquartered in Oslo, it supports a network of individuals inside Burma who send news, photos and video to editors and writers working in DVB field offices in Thailand, India, and Norway. Through these networks, the DVB has access to first-hand information about developments in Burma and has been able to increase its on-air presence to ensure that viewers and listeners inside Burma know what is happening in their own country. With Endowment support, DVB’s satellite TV and radio program continue to be important and popular sources of credible information for Burmese viewers and listeners.

The DVB has conducted surveys inside Burma about its television broadcasts and the response has been overwhelming positive. Viewers especially appreciated the independent coverage of news in Burma and the documentaries outlining global experiences in non-violent political action. In addition, DVB has become a leading source of news and footage for international media outlets such as CNN.

Given the total lack of press freedom in Burma, the DVB continues to play an extremely important role in the struggle for democracy in Burma. As prodemocracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said in 2002, “Freedom of expression is one of the most important elements in any democratic system. DVB is helping to provide freedom of information. We think that the standard of broadcasting in the DVB has improved systematically and incredibly over the last ten years.”

Watch the Democracy Story about DVB :: MORE