Vietnamese singer and activist Mai Khôi performs “Bad Activist: the Stage Show.” at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. They never gave us the answer why they let that company do to the country what they did.” “They said that the water is still safe to swim. All the fish died, and the government just lied to us,” she said. “Our beautiful beaches along the central part of the country, it’s like 400 kilometers long, along the beach had dead fish. The waste was later identified as containing phenol, cyanide and iron hydroxide, though the government initially denied any connection between the steel plant and the environmental disaster. Mai remembered in 2016 when Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, a steel plant located on the coast, dumped toxic waste into the ocean and caused a mass fish poisoning. “Every day we have problems happen, but the government never gave us the answer why, and we know there is a big corruption in the government.” “I lived in a country that has so many things wrong with it,” she said. She also felt uncomfortable with things such as the significant gaps between social classes, as well as the government’s secrecy. Her distaste for the country’s censorship was just one of the issues for which she felt passionately - she spoke out about LGBTQ rights, sexuality and violence against women. They have some concerns about how inviting my clothes were,” she laughed. “They always asked me to wear clothes that followed their idea. She said the Vietnamese government would even censor the clothes she wore during television performances. “I always had to give my songs to the culture department to have permission from them, and they always censored my lyrics.” “Things came easy, but I was really unhappy because I’d always feel uncomfortable writing songs or performing my songs,” Mai said. Looking back on her time in the mainstream spotlight, Mai said she remembers being unhappy with her fame. Yet, the woman sipping from a mug of coffee across from me seemed too humble and too human to have been a pop superstar who’s toured the world and whose discography boasts eight albums. The show featured songs and video elements to tell the story of Mai Khôi, who is an artist-in-residence at the City of Asylum. Vietnamese singer and activist Mai Khôi performs “Bad Activist : the Stage Show” at the Pittsburgh Playhouse on Thursday, Sept.
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