A famous Mon singer and actor who worked for a cause

Kaysaha Mon
Independent Mon News Agency

“I requested my wife to allow me to make a new album for the last time. I know now it is my daughter's era,” Nai Hongsar-marn a famous Mon Singer, who has been named Zawl-lat the Mon Video film actor, said while explaining how he made his new album.

Zaw-lat, (45) who started the Mon Song Album two decades ago, has not benefited from producing the song album and video films. But he was a famous Singer and actor in Mon and released the Mon album with “Lyi

Hongsar,” the first Music Band in modern Mon without a stereo room.

Zaw-lat's first album was recorded in “Sar-sanar-2005-temple” in the capital of Mon State . The second album was recorded in Nai Lyi-Hong-Sar house and the third in Kyar-ink-siek-kyi town, Karen State . The Zaw-lat group recorded the album with its own arrangement, which was a normal recorder.

“We don't have a stereo room. But to produce a Mon music album, we just played on the ground and recorded. It was accepted by the Mon people,” Zaw-lat said explaining how he started the Mon album when he was 18 years old. About ten albums of “Lyi Hongsar” have been accepted by modern Mon people. Even the new Mon generation is taking a liking to these albums.

The ten albums contain songs about Mon culture, politics, economics and songs about the changing Mon community. These albums helped the Mon people change their life and join the Mon Community Movement.

“Rae Mon Nya Pa Nyien,” was very famous and Zaw-lat's song “A Jar-Saw”” meaning “Doctor” criticizing Mon leaders for changing their movement was also very famous.

“We don't benefit from producing albums. We do it with our pocket money or take the money from our homes. We have no producers. Till now we did not have a market. We made albums just for our people,” said Zaw-lat who wrote and composed many songs.

Zaw-lat, a native of Kaw-kha-bay village, Mawlamyine Township , who was living in Rangoon , has produced more than ten albums and his album “Shork Kong Kwarn” meaning “People's Home” was loved by the Mon people.

“Sometimes I have no money to come back home when our band goes on stage shows in rural areas where villagers cannot support us. I have to ask for money from my family. And I feel bad about it,” Zaw-lat says in a thick emotion laced voice.

Zaw-lat, who did not help his family and only spent his time with the Mon music band, also became a video actor.

“One day, I went to Rangoon and met Nai Kor-Tar, another famous Mon singer and decided to make a video film. I was the actor. It was also the first video film in Mon and that was the time when video filming had just started in Burma with Burmese actress Khin-Zar-Chee-Kyaw and actor Ye-Ko-Ko,” he explained.

The first film he acted in and produced was, “Ta-coi-Mi-Za-Harn-Htop-Toi” meaning “The day my girl married another.” He produced and acted in more than six video films such “A-Par”, “Bi-Lay,” Chan_Morng-Lay-Lort-Ra among others. But he made no profit.

“How can I profit from it? There was no video machine in the Mon community like now. Just a few villages had that machine. The films did not have a market. We just carried the video machine and showed them in one village after another. We received enough money. But in some village we showed it free. We did it just to tell the Mon people that we had a video film,” he said. He talked about how he searched the market.

It was about 15 years ago. The Mon community did not have enough video machines even thought Burmese video films were in the market. A Mon village had only one TV or video machine. Some villages even did not have that. Most Mon people watched Burmese videos. Mon video producers like him could not put their films in the market.

Although, Zaw-lat and other producers made more than 10 Mon video films, without profit, Mon video films have stopped for more than 10 years now.

“My Zaw_lat, My Zaw-lat, is something I have heard repeatedly from my audience who support me, but I had to stop making video films because I spent a huge amount of family money without earning anything,” Zaw_lat explains softly.

“People thought I had become rich from making videos. In reality, I cannot afford to buy a motorcycle like other people. Because it is my hobby, I spend a lot of money for song albums and video films.”

“My wife supported me because I became famous. But we cannot continue to do it anymore. Money in the house is in short supply. That's why I stopped. I did nothing for about 10 years. I just worked with my wife,” Zaw-lat added.

Although Zaw-lat has tried to retire, many Mon singers are still asking for him. Modern Mon singers are asking him to compose songs in a modern style.

He blessed a new Mon singer Htar-Wara who has started distributing a album named “Money” in the Mon community.