Meet Yunnan-based reggae band Kawa and their lead singer, Laohan, whom young fans look up to as their own Bob Marley.
Kawa is composed of Wa people, an indigenous group that’s considered a minority in China. Their claimed ancestral home is a territory that straddles the border between China and Myanmar.
The Wa people were split in 1960 when the two countries defined their borders, and the majority of Wa now live in Myanmar. An estimated 30 percent are in southwestern China.
Laohan and Kawa have found a connection to their indigenous roots through reggae, taking inspiration from Jamaican rhythms and the Rastafarian philosophy of ethnic unity. By combining reggae with their native Wa language and music, they’ve cultivated a devout audience among young Wa people and other ethnic minorities.
**NEW VIDEOS EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY
**FOLLOW US ON IG, TWITTER, AND FACEBOOK:
http://instagram.com/goldthread2
http://twitter.com/goldthread2
http://facebook.com/goldthread2
Written by: Dolly Li
Featuring: Kawa
Produced by: Dolly Li and Venus Wu
Shot by: Beimeng Fu and Venus Wu
Edited by: Beimeng Fu and Joel Roche
Mastered by: Joel Roche
Music: Audio Network
Additional Music Provided by Kawa
Resources:
Kawa’s Latest Album: https://open.spotify.com/album/0F9ko1wFdEq0zzDRYxUFks
“Article” by Dolly Li, Goldthread:
“The Burma-China Boundary Settlement” by Maung Maung, Asian Survey: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3023665.pdf?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
“‘We Are All Part of the Same Family’: China’s Ethnic Propaganda” by Anne-Marie Brady, Journal of Current Chinese Affairs: https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jcca/article/viewFile/578/576
“Shaping of the Yunnan-Burma Frontier by Secret Societies since the End of the 17th Century” by Jianxiong Ma, Moussons: https://journals.openedition.org/moussons/538?lang=en
Kawa is composed of Wa people, an indigenous group that’s considered a minority in China. Their claimed ancestral home is a territory that straddles the border between China and Myanmar.
The Wa people were split in 1960 when the two countries defined their borders, and the majority of Wa now live in Myanmar. An estimated 30 percent are in southwestern China.
Laohan and Kawa have found a connection to their indigenous roots through reggae, taking inspiration from Jamaican rhythms and the Rastafarian philosophy of ethnic unity. By combining reggae with their native Wa language and music, they’ve cultivated a devout audience among young Wa people and other ethnic minorities.
**NEW VIDEOS EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY
**FOLLOW US ON IG, TWITTER, AND FACEBOOK:
http://instagram.com/goldthread2
http://twitter.com/goldthread2
http://facebook.com/goldthread2
Written by: Dolly Li
Featuring: Kawa
Produced by: Dolly Li and Venus Wu
Shot by: Beimeng Fu and Venus Wu
Edited by: Beimeng Fu and Joel Roche
Mastered by: Joel Roche
Music: Audio Network
Additional Music Provided by Kawa
Resources:
Kawa’s Latest Album: https://open.spotify.com/album/0F9ko1wFdEq0zzDRYxUFks
“Article” by Dolly Li, Goldthread:
“The Burma-China Boundary Settlement” by Maung Maung, Asian Survey: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3023665.pdf?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
“‘We Are All Part of the Same Family’: China’s Ethnic Propaganda” by Anne-Marie Brady, Journal of Current Chinese Affairs: https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jcca/article/viewFile/578/576
“Shaping of the Yunnan-Burma Frontier by Secret Societies since the End of the 17th Century” by Jianxiong Ma, Moussons: https://journals.openedition.org/moussons/538?lang=en
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