Jason Mraz Tops Bill At Myanmar Charity Concert

Jason Mraz Tops Bill At Myanmar Charity Concert

Jason Mraz has become the first world recognised artist to perform in the Asian nation of Myanmar in decades, after the 'I'm Yours' singer topped the bill at a charity concert to raise awareness of human trafficking in the city of Yangon.

The American singer closed the day-long concert today (Dec 16) in front of a crowd of approximately 50,000 people at the base of the famous hill and pilgrimage site of Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the country's biggest city (the capital city is Naypyidaw).

Mraz' performance in Myanmar, or Burma as it is otherwise known, was accompanied by a number of other artists throughout the day, the majority of whom hail from the South-East Asian nation. The event was organised by MTV, with contributions from the American and Australian government aid agencies and the anti-slavery organization Walk Free. The fundraising effort, the main purpose of which was to raise awareness of some of the plights that have dominated Burma over the past few decades, went all but seamlessly, and all parties involved have since said how well the event went.

Burma/Myanmar is currently recovering from over five decades of military rule, after the country elected its first democratic leadership last year. In the past, the country was a notorious hotbed of human rights violations, including human trafficking, forced slavery and child labour. Although the country's ills won't be fixed in a day, hopefully, with help like this, it can emerge from the shadow of its past in due time.