When I asked Ishamudin, a street magician from Delhi, whether he would be willing to come to Yangon for the shooting of a series of episodes for a TV program on Indian street magic intended to promote friendly ties between India and Myanmar, he flatly refused.
"I don't want to die."
Ishamudin had seen enough videos of the brutalities being perpetuated on the Rohingyas – which are circulating on social media – to convince him that Myanmar was not safe for Muslims. I said I would be there to ensure he would not be harmed and he finally agreed.
The programme I was going to produce would be the first to come out of an agreement signed between Indian public broadcaster Prasar Bharati and Myanmar private broadcaster Mizzima TV in August 2018. Mizzima TV is part of the Mizzima Group which was founded in 1998 by three Burmese journalists in exile in New Delhi, including current CEO Soe Myint. Since Myint's return to Myanmar in 2012, the Mizzima Group has flourished and claims to reach 20 million people through content on a range of platforms, including programmes on the state-run Myanmar Radio and TV (MRTV).