Lost Footsteps
Lost Footsteps

About this project

This website is a project of U Thant House, a museum and leading centre for research, learning and dialogue in Yangon dedicated to former Secretary-General of the United Nations U Thant and the issues he cared about most, including peace, sustainable development, the environment, and human rights.

Originating from over 4,000 posts on the Facebook page of the historian and chair of U Thant House, Thant Myint-U, this website is a repository for the original posts (written between 2012-2018 and mostly concerned with aspects of Myanmar's history) together with an ever-expanding collection of new material. The original English-language posts have been translated into the Burmese language so that lostfootsteps.org can serve as a bilingual portal for people in Myanmar to learn more about their own past as well as for people around the world to discover the country's history and global connections.

We endeavour to:

  • Re-examine key periods in Myanmar's past in order to challenge the often two-dimensional and uncritical views of history as it is taught in the country.
  • Reveal the rich multicultural nature of Myanmar's past and its deep and ongoing ties to global events and trends.
  • Promote a better understanding of Myanmar's geopolitical context by delving into the history of neighbouring regions, such as Yunnan in China and northeast India.

Above all, we hope to generate an interest in and enthusiasm for Myanmar's history through the processes of investigation, discovery, and collaborative analysis.

* The development of this website was made possible by a generous grant from the Government of Denmark and the support of Phandeeyar, Myanmar's leading technology hub.

About Us

Dr. Thant Myint-U

Dr. Thant Myint-U

U Thant House Chairman and Project Head

Dr Thant Myint-U is an award-winning writer, historian, and former Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He has served on three United Nations peacekeeping operations and as the Chief of Policy Planning in the UN's Department of Political Affairs. His three books include the best-selling "Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia". He is also the Founder of the Yangon Heritage Trust and a Founding Partner of the Ava Advisory Group.

Li Jia Li

Li Jia Li

Website Developer

Jia Li is an experienced Web Developer and UI Designer. He is interested in Civic Tech and always looking for opportunities to use his technology and design skills for social changes. He is also very enthusiastic about open data and data visualization. He had worked with organizations such as Phandeeyar, Open Myanmar Initiative, The Ananda etc. and participated in hackathons which were focused on social changes and open data movements. Currently, he’s working with U Thant House as a Web Developer and Technology Consultant and UI Frontend Developer at Thibi.co, a data + design consultancy.

Su Nwe

Su Nwe

Website Adviser and Translator

Su Nwe (Luna) is a program coordinator at U Thant House and manages www.lostfootsteps.org website. She completed her Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Yangon University of Economics. Previously she has worked with various businesses and NGOs on translation, editing, event management and research. She also worked as a journalist and a writer, publishing over 100 articles and two article collection books on social issues. She also teaches business courses and gives motivational lectures to youths on a voluntary basis.

Christian Gilberti

Christian Gilberti

Website Editor and Consultant

Christian Gilberti is a historian, journalist, writer and PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley. He is an American and has a B.A. in History from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.St. in History from the University of Oxford. He lived in Myanmar for three years and has written on topics related to Myanmar history and culture for a number of periodicals including Myanmore Magazine, Southeast Asia Globe, Frontier Myanmar, and the Mekong Review.

Zin Mar Myint

Zin Mar Myint

Website Editor and Translator

Zin Mar Myint grew up in a middle-class family in Yangon. She identifies as Burmese (even though her not-too-far ancestors were Indian and Chinese). Zin Mar Myint has been a writer/translator/journalist ever since she found her passion for writing and her country 8 years ago. She has an undergraduate degree from University of Pharmacy, Yangon and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Kansas State University. She is currently working toward a PhD in peace journalism at Queensland University of Technology.