Where Were You When... ?

Neil Armstrong made a small step?

The Berlin Wall came down?

Princess Diana died?

The first plane crashed into the twin towers?

The Tsunami hit Bali?


Aung San Suu Kyi was released?

I was in the gym when the breaking news took over all TV stations: Aung San Suu Kyi, who spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest (I think you are not allowed to say her name without adding this), was released by the Burmese military junta and allowed to leave her house!

I am not hugely up to date with Burmese politics, but seeing Aung walk out of her house gave me goose bumps. The way in which she dedicates her life to the fight for democracy; sacrifices her happiness for her ideals; and brings hope to thousands of people truly makes her an outstanding and inspirational leader.

As I was watching Aung San Suu Kyi make her way through the crowds, my mind drifted away to another one of those “Where were you when...?” moments.

The one when Nelson Mandela was released from prison.

And even though I did not want to compare their achievements and sufferings, I couldn’t quite help it...

Aung’s imprisonment is symbolic for the oppression of democracy in Burma. Nelson Mandela’s sentence has become the symbol for the struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa. Aung San Suu Kyi was not allowed to say goodbye to her husband, when he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. Mandela lost a son in a car crash and was refused permission to attend the funeral. High ranking international politicians demanded the release of the two Nobel Peace Prize Laureates...

But there is one major, striking and (actually quite) sad difference between the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela:

Regardless of her amazing fight and dedication, Aung’s release from house arrest is unlikely to lead to real political changes in Burma. In contrast, when Mandela walked out of prison the world knew that this meant the end of Apartheid, the end of suppression of Blacks in South Africa, and the birth of a new nation.


Despite temperatures of 35⁰C and cycling at 150rpm, I had gotten goose bumps watching Aung’s release - a release which, while deeply touching and highly symbolic, may sadly not change much. Just imagine what Mandela’s release must have felt like...


PS: It seems that as of today we need to add a new “Where were you when..?” to the list: “Where were you when Prince William’s engagement was announced?”