Welcome to the Drum Publication Group Website
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Drum Publication Group is a small, independent, Karen community based organization dedicated to promoting education and preserving the cultures of the peoples of Burma.(see mission statement)

Established in 1998, the Group has published educational materials in Burmese, English and Sgaw Karen languages and distributed them free of charge to schools, libraries and centers of education within Burma and along the Thai / Burmese border. Our current catalogue includes over 200 titles and well over 500,000 copies of Drum materials have been distributed to the target group to date.

The Drum website aims to provide Karen people and all those interested in Karen language, access to Drum's educational materials and includes a collection of downloadable Karen language materials as well as the group's on line Drum Reference Of Karen Language Database. Hard copies of select Drum publications are also available to purchase on line with all proceeds going to support our work.

In addition to Karen language materials, this site is intended to help provide information and raise awareness of the richly diverse histories, cultures and backgrounds of the peoples of Burma and the plight they have suffered for far too long. To learn more about Drum, see the Drum donors page and any comments, esquires or offers of support would be most welcome. (see contact us)

Drum Activities

Educational materials
Drum publishes a wide variety of educational materials in Sgaw Karen and Burmese languages suitable for all ages from pre-school to vocational training level. Along with more general topics, special emphasis is placed on producing publications which include traditional knowledge and cultural aspects. The current catalogue contains over 200 publications.

Bilingual Dictionary Development
An English - Sgaw Karen Dictionary is continually being expanded which includes over 25,000 English head words with their translations and or definition in Sgaw Karen.

Mission Statement

The Drum Publication Group was founded in May 1998.  The goal of the Drum Publication Group is to promote literature in both Karen and Burmese languages with the overall objectives of developing education for Burmese people wherever they might reside.

The Group wishes to establish contact with as many other groups and individuals as possible who are involved in literature and education, and to be involved in all aspects of literacy development and the ensuing work of printing suitable books and teaching aids.  As well as translation and typesetting we would like to assist those NGOs involve in education work at all stages.  

The Group will promote, through its own practice, transparency and accountability, in all dealings.  The Group is not affiliated with any political or religious organization and stands for racial and sexual equality. The main aims and objectives of the Drum publication Group are:

To preserve and promote the linguistic forms of the Karen and other indigenous peoples of Burma while promoting national, second languages through publishing and disseminating educational materials.

  • To document traditional knowledge, practices and cultural forms of expression of the Karen people.
  • To promote the empowerment of the Karen people to contribute towards maintaining, protecting and developing manifestations of their culture, language and literature.
  • To assist organizations working for the benefit of the Karen people by providing translation and type-setting services.

A catalogue of our publications is available on this web site. Publications are distributed at cost price, or less, to groups and individuals involved in formal or non-formal education or training. Those ordering large numbers of books as well as overseas institutes are requested to pay the full cost of the order plus postage costs

Contact address:
P.O Box 11
  Lat Ya, Kanchanaburi 71190

Thailand
  E-mail: drum@drumpublications.org