Once the capital and obligatory stop for any serious traveler on the way to any of the far east or south east asian countries, Burma has recently awaken from a deep seclusion, after over 40 years. Now Yangon is being heralded by some optimists, as the world’s new capita. Serious investors agglutinate at the entrance of paradise, all wanting to get their share of the pie while it is till time. Indeed, in this past year alone, more than 60 billions have been invested in the country. Word on the streets says that the first timer comes for holidays, but the second time around he is there for business. The evolution and change have been drastic in these last years. Starting with the telecom industry, which saw an exponential growth of cell phone usage, complemented by an exponential fall of sim card prices, just a little under a 1000 fold, dating back 10- 15 years. At that time, one SIM card could be bought for 500- 800 dollars, and now 95 cents will do it justice.
Foreign entrepreneurs on the beaches of the deep south, await for building permits. There the road access is at times inexistent, and one witnesses massive engineering feats, as bulldozers slice through deep jungle, to open access to new territories, that were previously deserved by narrow dusty roads.
The wealth is there, and the potential is great, but so is the sense of unequal distribution, with a great percentage of the goods that remains centralised in Yangon, in the hands of a few.
Yangon pulsates to the rhythm of a dynamic youth, with close to 35% of its population being under 25 years of age.
This series of photos attempts to contrast the Old and The New: the two extremes of a society that is already at a far extreme. The growing monticule, just like the Myth of Sisyphus will nee to be alimented eternally, or for as long as the call of a competitive economy, and eager development and modernisation will be heard. At the dawn of the next democratic elections, in November 2015… the hope is there
