Through my time here at Hmoodle I have met lots of interesting people. People who make music, people who make plays on the field, people who make you laugh, and then there are people who make an impact on the world around them. Tou Saiko Lee is one of the latter.

I met Tou Saiko about six months ago when I was invited to CHAT & I.C.E.’s Open Mic night at Metro State University. I got to know Tou as we continued to work together at various functions throughout the Twin Cities area. Through that time it became obvious to me that Tou was meant to do big things.

You may recognize the name of Tou Saiko Lee, as he is an outspoken activist, as well as a on great musical artist. He is a member of the hip hop duo Delicious Venom and lead MC of the group PosNoSys (Post Nomadic Syndrome). In the past, I’ve compared PosNoSys to Lauryn Hill and The Refuees as both groups spit rhymes about justice and equality. On special occasions he teams up with his Grandmother Youa Chang to form the group “Fresh Traditions” as they perform traditional Hmong poetry chanting of kwv Txhiaj ( koo tia).

When not performing in front of crowd, Tou is usually speaking out about human rights violations, diversity in America, racism in the media, gang violence, and arts for a social change. He is co-founder of “The H Project”, which has produced a compilation CD to raise awareness about the human rights violations of the Hmong people in the jungles of Laos. Just another one of Tou’s many projects.

On December 15th of this year, Tou will be heading back home to Thailand. His trip was scheduled to leave earlier, but due to political protests in Thailand, his flight had to be delayed. Tou is making his way back to a home he hasn’t seen since he left there over twenty plus years ago (he left when he just two months old). Tou looks forward to taking the opportunity to get reacquainted with his homeland. It’s going to be extra special as he will be sharing this experience with his Grandmother. While there his Grandmother will be reuniting with her eldest daughter, whom she hasn’t seen in over thirty years. Obviously, this is more than just a vacation for the “Fresh Traditions” duo.

He calls this project “Travel in Spirals”. The spirals are in reference to the snail symbols from the reverse

appliqué patterns used by Hmong women in making traditional Hmong needlework called paj ntaub. Tou goes on to say, “Hence, I am traveling in spiral back to the source of myself and my heritage.”

All the credit for this trip has to go to Tou’s Grandmother Youa, as it was her that inspired Tou to learn more about traditional Hmong poetry. “I was amazed by how she created poetry and how she would improvise her poetry considering she wasn’t an educated woman. It was the improv that really connected me to her because I do that in my work as well. This connection made me want to learn more about Hmong poetry and how to create it.”, said Tou Saiko on speaking of his Grandmother.

While in Thailand Tou plans to learn more about the traditional Hmong poetry (kwv txhiaj and paj haum). He plans to find inspiration in the people who live in the villages and immerse himself in the Hmong way of life in the old country. At the local schools, universities, and youth orphanages, Tou will offer workshops similar to the ones he does with the local schools here in the Twin Cities area.

This trip isn’t just about poetry. I know Tou is going there to get first hand knowledge of how the Hmong are being mistreated there and in the jungles of Laos. With that knowledge, he can further educate us on what we can do, to help those in need over there. Everyone deserves human rights. As famed author Elie Wiesel once said, “This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century — solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others.”

When talking with Tou about this journey he is about to take, I can tell there is such excitement and anticipation in his voice. He was meant for this mission and this mission was meant for him. If you thought he had a voice now, just imagine the voice he’ll have when he returns.

Check back here on Hmoodle.com as Tou is going to send us updates on his journey by blogging and sending us pictures for all to see. You can leave comments or send us questions for Tou, by sending them to my e-mail address listed below.

I look forward to meeting with Tou and his Grandmother after they return and discuss their trip and share their experiences with our readers. I want to wish them good luck and to have a safe journey. This trip will be something they’ll never forget.

If you have any questions or comments about this article, you can contact me at ryanm@hmoodle.com