If you’re part of the small but growing podcast audience in Myanmar, finding a good broadcast about the Golden Land can be hard. But the multiple Covid-19 orders (to lock down or not to lock down) and general pandemic-ness has driven us on a quest to learn, be entertained and escape through some engaging audio.
After hours of sitting down and putting on headphones (hard work), we have compiled five of the best Myanmar-centric podcasts, from producers both local and overseas, for your listening pleasure.
Myanmar Musings
Myanmar Musings is an English-language podcast that explores Burmese cultural anthropology, human rights issues and politics in depth. If you’re into academia, this one’s for you.
The podcast has covered everything from teashop culture and capitalism to the Naga culture near Myanmar’s mountainous border with India. Presented by Australian National University’s Myanmar Research Centre, scholars, researchers, and journalists from all over the world (including Myanmar, of course) regularly feature on the shows.
You will find a new episode roughly every 10 days on Spotify, Radio Public or on the Myanmar Musings website.
G-Taw Zagar Wyne
While the word “G-taw” or “aunty” in Burmese is thick with negative connotations (particularly ‘prying’), Nandar, the founder of the Purple Feminists Group, has embraced the word with open arms.
In fact, she’s named her podcast “G-taw Zagar Wyne” (“Conversations With Aunties”), with episodes featuring women from across Myanmar. It provides glimpses of their life stories, communities and encounters with sexism among other struggles.
In one of her most popular episodes, “Menstruation Is Not Shameful,” Nandar and guest Dr Yadanar discuss the taboo and myths surrounding menstruation in Myanmar. They also offer some useful knowledge about the female body.
This podcast is updated fortnightly on SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple podcasts and more. An English version is also available on Anchor FM.
Doh Athan
Packed with time-sensitive news and long-form interviews that delve deep into humans rights issues, Doh Athan is arguably one of the most polished local news podcasts in Myanmar.
Presented by Frontier Myanmar and Fondation Hirondelle, it covers politics, Covid-19 developments and human rights issues such as domestic violence.
The most recent episode features an interview with the daughter of a farmer facing jail after land ownership disputes in Dawei, demonstrating that despite having a radio-like refinement, Doh Athan has an up-close and personal approach at its core.
It is updated weekly and is available on SoundCloud.
Insight Myanmar
Hosted by author and meditation guide Joah McGee, Insight Myanmar explores the “depth and breadth of the Dhamma practice in Myanmar” according to its description.
If you’re not Buddhist, don’t be turned off by the teaser—this podcast is also great for those who enjoy history, life stories and global issues. Insight Myanmar covers influences on the way Buddhism is practiced in Myanmar, its link to social justice and human rights issues, and the ethics of practicing spirituality.
On the episode “An Assault on Faith,” McGee and Yonie, an African American vipassana meditator, discuss the cultural conventions and racial implications linked to Yonie’s aggressive removal from a monastery during his visit to Myanmar.
You can listen to it on Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and many other platforms.
New Naratif’s Southeast Asia Dispatches
Southeast Asia Dispatches is a fortnightly podcast hosted by members of New Naratif, a long-form outlet for democracy, freedom of expression and freedom of information.
This podcast covers political analysis, human rights issues, conservation of traditional cultures and many other subjects on—you guessed it—Southeast Asia. Most of the episodes contain easy-to-understand analysis, engaging conversations and interviews.
Check out the episode “Freedom of Expression in Myanmar,” in which prominent Myanmar activists Thinzar Shunlei Yi and Maung Saungkha discuss free speech under the National League for Democracy government.
You can listen to Southeast Asia Dispatches on Apple podcasts or on the New Naratif website.
