RESTORING RANGOON !

Myanmar’s former capital, Yangon or Rangoon, boasts one of the most spectacular early-20th century urban landscapes in Asia. A century ago the country’s former capital was one of the world's great trading cities and the legacy of that cosmopolitan past remains today.  Saved from the fate of other Asian cities due to the country's isolation under military rule, Yangon’s downtown area is a unique blend of cultural and imperial architecture, considered to be the last surviving "colonial core" in Asia.

But as the country opens up, this unique heritage is under threat. Decades of neglect have left once grand buildings a crumbling mess and they are at grave risk of being demolished in favour of hastily built towers and condominiums. Some of the damage has already been done as developers race to cash in on the country’s rapid pace of change.  Myanmar historian and scholar, Thant Myint U, is leading the charge to preserve Yangon’s heritage and return many buildings to their former glory.  He has founded the Yangon Heritage Trust, a group pushing for a cohesive urban plan for the city. The stories of the buildings and the people who lived - and still live in them today, are truly unique in the world. 

The Secretariat, built in the late 19th century, is the grande dame of all Yangon’s historic buildings. It sits at the heart of the city, the former seat of British colonial power, but is more commonly associated with the assassination of Myanmar’s national hero, General Aung San. Yangon residents once spent warm evenings in the shade of its gardens, but when the military took control of the country in 1962 it was declared off limits.  

For generations it lay decaying behind razor wire, a source of mystery and majesty, still imposing in height and grandeur despite losing its domes during bombing by the Japanese in World War II, and sections of its roof in cyclone Nargis in 2008.

Their plan to turn the grand building into museums, galleries and a cultural centre no doubt caught the attention and imagination of the Myanmar Investment Commission, which hands out leases on government properties. Faced with rising public concern over plans to make it into a hotel, it put the Secretariat into the hands of the Anawmar Art Group.  The couple who greeted us were in their 20s, Singapore educated and well spoken. The elegant Le Yee Soe and her husband Soe Thwin Tun did not imagine they would become managing directors of what is potentially one of the largest historic restoration projects in the world right now.

The Anawmar group says it will contribute $30m in restoration costs, as well as intangible assets such as paintings for a future museum and memorial to General Aung San. But a recent technical study estimated the total cost to bring back the building to be at least $100m.

It is my belief that the young couple at the core of the Anawmar group have genuine intentions to make the building public, and that this sincere intention won them the lease. Now, a key challenge for them will be creating an organizational structure that can best steer the building through the challenging period ahead and galvanise popular support for their project.

As with the transition that Myanmar as a nation has embarked upon, the past is dark, but there is potential for a bright future. The Secretariat may be in better hands right now than with one of the usual crony developers who want to turn it into the next hotel chain with identical coffee shops downstairs. Despite their lack of experience and clarity, this young couple may yet return the Secretariat to the nation as a source of pride. After all, it is the place where Myanmar, once Burma, began its transformation from a British colony to an independent and hopeful country.

The Al Jazeera documentary (25 minutes) posted below explores the challenges faced in restoring Rangoon.

Article courtesy : Aella Callan, Al Jazeera.

Photo courtesy : Valerio Berdini