StreetZine: A Fanzine from Burma

Picture of contents from StreetZine

Some individuals from the Rebel Riot Band, a Burmese punk rock band which is popular for its street sub-culture and anarchist theme has announced a publication of fanzine called StreetZine. The fanzine will cover the knowledge vacuum within the Burmese community by serving its role of spreading rebellious idea.

Submitted by heinhtetkyaw on September 25, 2023

StreetZine is a fanzine that supports an art movement and was started by a group of individuals in Burma, a nation that recently went through a coup. Street culture, the arts, political beliefs like anarchist, and general information about underground music genres like punk and metal are all covered in the magazine. StreetZine is a non-hierarchical publication platform where a small community of enthusiasts may freely and independently share their experiences and viewpoints. Since they are not for profit, non-commercial periodicals can only be created and distributed in very small quantities.

The magazine is reported to be printed in black and white because it is a non-commercial periodical with minimal funding and resources. In some instances, colour printing will be limited to the covers.
Political, economic, and sociological issues, including "isms", satirical material, information on underground subcultures and musical genres, as well as cutting-edge issues, are said to be be covered in StreetZine. StreetZine occasionally also advertises interviews, news, and events of underground musical bands. StreetZine will employ a little bit of chaotic template in the fanzine to disassociate readers from the alienating culture of the capitalist economy. There will be isometric and upside-down writing in some of the pieces. Such a template's principal goal is to challenge the singularity and uniformity of popular culture. The fanzine asserts that it is doing everything possible to spread the DIY culture within the Burmese community.

Being non-commercial, the price will be set at a modest level to only cover the costs and the worth of the labour that was put in. The participants in each volume will receive an equal share of the profit and surplus value. This strategy aims to get rid of the wage-labor mode of production according to them. The intended audience is broader than only punks, anarchists, and individualists. StreetZine focuses on the rebellious aspects of people from all social classes, from labourers to students.

A punk rock band from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Rebel Riot Band, volunteers to help distribute StreetZine in part. They were established in 2007 as a result of the military junta's repression of the pro-democracy Saffron Revolution. The band is known for their outspoken lyrics, which often criticize the government and social injustice.

The Rebel Riot Band has travelled widely throughout Myanmar and South-east Asia and has published a number of albums and releases. Additionally, they have performed at international gatherings.

Both the music and the activism of the band have received accolades. Major media including Aljazeera have featured them. The Rebel Riot Band is an influential force in Burmese musical society. Through their music, they are bringing attention to the social and political problems that exist in their nation.

Comments

Reddebrek

6 months 3 weeks ago

Submitted by Reddebrek on October 7, 2023

I discovered Rebel Riot two years ago, they're really interesting and there songs can be found online https://www.youtube.com/@therebelriotbandofficial6227/videos

I wish this zine success, but would strongly advise atleast some scanning of issues to distribute and archive online given the small print runs and difficulties in delivery and sharing in Myanmar at this time. I'd be more than willing to help with hosting them here on libcom.org and the internet archive.