A SPECIAL tribute concert in the National Concert Hall marking the 65th birthday of Burma’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was attended by some 300 people on Saturday night.
Some of Ireland’s leading music, literary and media personalities performed songs and recited birthday messages honouring the imprisoned activist.
Musician Christy Moore, broadcaster Eamon Dunphy and author Deirdre Purcell were among the performers at the event, hosted by RTÉ’s Marian Finucane.
Ms Suu Kyi has spent the last 15 years under house arrest because the ruling military junta see her overwhelming popularity as a threat to their regime, said Ms Finucane in her opening address.
Irish musician and activist Keith Donald used Ms Suu Kyi’s symbolic birthday as a theme for the concert when assembling its line-up, which also included the Dublin Gospel Choir, Niall Toner and Fiachra Trench.
Mr Donald said a birthday song composed by Paul Brady called The World is Watchingwas played on Saturday morning by the BBC World Service, the only radio station to which Ms Suu Kyi is permitted to listen.
The Democratic Voice of Burma, a non-profit organisation, travelled from their office in Norway to film the concert, having made arrangements with the Burmese junta to show the footage to Ms Suu Kyi. In a message to the event, Bob Geldof said: “It is not enough to remember Aung San Suu Kyi . . . we insist she be remembered and acted upon on a daily basis.”
In 1990 Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won Burma’s national elections but the result was never recognised by the ruling military junta.