Stories as Resistance: Feminist Voices for International Women’s Day
- kay88857
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Three women. Three stories. One powerful reminder that storytelling can challenge silence and build movements.
For generations, the voices of women and queer communities in Myanmar have often been silenced, misrepresented, or pushed to the margins. Yet despite conflict, displacement, and shrinking civic space, feminist storytellers continue to write, document, and create.
As a grassroots feminist organization, by centering and supporting the voices of human rights defenders who have been pushed to the margins, Exile Hub works to change attitudes, beliefs, and social norms by challenging oppressive systems and structures of power and privilege that sustain inequality.
What happens when women reclaim the power to tell their own stories?
Through the Feminist Storytelling Grant, Exile Hub supported 20 women and gender-diverse storytellers in 2025 to create narratives rooted in lived experience, courage, and community. To mark International Women’s Day, we are highlighting three storytellers whose work embodies the spirit of this initiative.
Watch the Stories Come to Life
To celebrate these storytellers, Exile Hub created a short video featuring Ei Ma Ma Mon, Liliane, and Poppy Jane. Their stories remind us that feminist storytelling can be transformational and an act of resistance.
Watch the video below to hear our fellows’ stories.
Stories That Push Back
Ei Ma Ma Mon, an assistant editor at Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), represents stories that challenge entrenched narratives. Her work sheds light on the often-overlooked discrimination faced by Buddhist nuns in Myanmar. Her story pushes back against silence by revealing the resilience and devotion of women whose voices are rarely centered.
Stories That Drive Change
Liliane, founder of Politics for Women Myanmar, represents stories that seek to transform systems and perspectives. As a feminist writer and author of the book “An Imbalanced World,” Liliane challenges patriarchal narratives and advocates for greater political participation and recognition of women’s voices.
Stories That Refuse Silence
Poppy James, a media development practitioner working in exile, represents the persistence of storytelling even in difficult circumstances. Her work highlights the experiences of women journalists and activists, particularly the barriers they face in leadership due to balancing care duties and social expectations with the precarities of life in exile.
This International Women’s Day, we invite you to stand with and amplify feminist storytellers who continue to surface women’s stories, despite the barriers.
Watch the video. Share their stories. Amplify their voices.
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