Chal Chal Chal Rohingya Begun Arakanot Chal (“Let’s Go Back to Arakan, with Preparations to Fight for Our Land”) is an original tarana by Osman.
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On their ancestral lands in Arakan, Myanmar (Burma), Rohingya musicians played an essential role in community life. Their music filled the air at celebrations—parties, picnics, coming-of-age ceremonies, graduations, and even ear-piercing rituals. They performed at commercial expos, drawing in crowds with their melodies, and at local gatherings where music brought people together. Some Rohingya musicians shared devotional music as part of Sufism, a spiritual tradition passed down through generations that combined song and dance as a form of worship. Yet, while music thrived in Rohingya communities, it was systematically excluded from official spaces. The Burmese government refused to hire Rohingya musicians for state events, reinforcing their marginalization.
Music was not only a source of entertainment but also a means of survival and communal support. In 1989, three performances featuring Rohingya music generated enough ticket sales to fund the construction of a school. But by 1991, the Burmese government banned public Rohingya arts events altogether. Further restrictions followed—by 2012, even microphones were forbidden, silencing not only musicians but also the calls to prayer that once rang through Rohingya communities. With no government-sanctioned music schools, instruction took place in private homes, musicians passing down their knowledge in secrecy to keep their traditions alive.