Video: Families across Myanmar sing 1988 pro-democracy anthem
A woman clatters pans to make noise after calls for protest went out on social media in Yangon on February 3, 2021, as Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi was formally charged on Wednesday two days after she was detained in a military coup. (STR / AFP)

Choruses of a famous revolutionary song echoed from balconies across Myanmar tonight after another, longer clatter of pots and pans in protest of the military coup.

“Kabar makyay bu” – or “We won’t be satisfied till the end of the world” – was the anthem for millions of people who opposed the military during the 1988 pro-democracy uprisings.

Set to “Dust in the wind” by Kansas, it will be a bittersweet listen for those who have battled the military for decades, a reminder of solidarity, encouragement and military dictatorship.

The din of clashing metal – intended to drive away evil – and the verses of “they did it, dead bodies on the street” were heard not only in Yangon but in cities throughout the country, including Naypyidaw where Aung San Suu Kyi remains detained and now charged with possession of illegally-imported walkie-talkies.

More civil disobedience and similar protests are expected for tomorrow.