The Mirror Art Group, an NGO working in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai. We operate a number of projects and programs to help the hilltribe peoples of Mae Yao sub-district to combat their everyday struggles with unemployment, poverty, drug addiction and lack of Thai citizenship. We also try to give the hilltribes of Mae Yao the skills, education and support required to adapt to a co-existence with lowland Thais without sacrificing their cultural identity.
We have sixteen core members and a rotating staff of volunteer teachers and workers, all striving towards the common goal of rebuilding strong, active hilltribe communities.
History In 1991 Sun Thon Kong Pong led a successful military coup against the Thai government, instigating the dawn of a new military regime. Alarmed by this threat to Thailand’s fledgling democratic system a young group of political activists and artists held an underground meeting to discuss the best way to voice their fears and protests against Sun Thon Kong Pong’s illegal government. Thus, the Mirror Art Group was born.
The Mirror Art Group’s aim was to promote social change, human rights and universal equality through mutual co-operation, self-education and an active community . Sombat Boonngamanong, founding member and visionary, together with his colleagues, decided that art and drama performances were the safest ways to communicate these ideals to the widest number of people. Working beneath the broad, protective umbrella of entertainment they could address such potentially controversial issues as democracy, human rights, HIV and sex education without placing themselves at undue risk in a dangerous political environment.
After the deposition of Sun Thon Kong Pong and the institution of a more democratic government, the Mirror Art Group redirected their focus and resolved to ride the digital wave, establishing www.thebangkok.com in 1996. The website served as a forum for political discussion, a solicitation for books and other donations, and an advertisement for the volunteer teachers to help with the program of youth and community based activities.
Current Work Much has since changed since those early days. Despite doing over one hundred performances per year the Mirror Art Group became disillusioned by the small amount of time spent with rural target audiences. In 1998, the Group decided again to redirect their focus and moved from Bangkok with the goal of establishing a grassroots, multimedia NGO center in Chiang Rai. A change in venue brought a change in nameto www.bannok.com -- bannok in Thai means "rural" but is often used in a derogatory sense, equivalent to www.redneck.com
Like the majority of Thailand, before moving to Chiang Rai, the Mirror Art Group had never considered the difficulties faced by Thailand's highland ethnic minority people. Upon arrival, however, they were confronted with the shocking levels of poverty, unemployment, malnutrition and drug abuse in the adjacent village as its villagers coped with the complete upheaval in their way of life brought on by having been relocated from the mountaintops to the foothills. They also realized that they were seeing the Akha culture slowly slip away, demoralized and swallowed by the modern world. The Mirror Art Group had found their new mission literally on their doorstep.
The Mirror Art Group soon made friendships with the many neighboring Akha, Lahu and Karen communities scattered throughout Mae Yao sub-district and learned the problems from the villagers' point of view. The work done by the Mirror Art Group stems from the problems the villagers themselves have identified. In all phases of our projects, we work with our neighbors to help them rebuild their strong communities and ensure a promising tomorrow.
In March 2003, The Mirror Art Group returned to its Bangkok roots by opening the Bannok Charity branch office on Tong Lo Road. Bannok Charity serves as base of operation for the backtohome.org project and as a meeting place for volunteer teachers and other interested people who are not lucky enough to be able to come to the mountains. .