Self-Immolation in Protest (Untitled) by Thích Quảng Đức (1963)

Vietnam Monk

I do not think that Art deserves to claim this particular action, but it was one hell of an intervention.

Đức set fire to himself  in protest of Vietnam’s Diệm government and its oppression of Buddhists. The actions is something remembered to this day, metaphorically burned into Vietnam’s and the entire region’s history. The above photo was Time Photo of the Year, and Đức’s suicide prompted enough of a reaction that the US put more pressure on Diệm in response

Interestingly, his heart did not burn. It is now a holy relic in Xa Loi Pagoda.

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