Bangkok Post - Tuesday, February 22, 2005

On Tuesday’s Morning Talk, Dr. Valerie talks with DJ Marusha, a german DJ turned singer and musician. Marusha is in Thailand as part of the ‘Bridges for Peace’ dialogue. Through music and working with young people, Marusha became involved with the International Peace Foundation in Austria. The foundation then invited her to come to Bangkok and give a speech to young people, sharing her opinion on spirituality.

This is Marusha’s first visit to Thailand. She tells Valerie that Thais have been open and friendly. They also have their own opinions, and she thinks this is perhaps because Thailand has always been a free country. When she gave her talk, the students were very attentive. Afterwards, they had many questions and weren’t afraid to criticise her views. This led to interesting dialogue and there were many interesting questions. Marusha says the young people gave her many new angles to think about.

Marusha has also been very vocal about media manipulation. She tells Dr. Valerie that people can be brainwashed and made to think certain ways. Marusha enjoys techno music, and she feels the American media prevented it from being popular in the states because they wanted their own national music to be successful. Finally, Dr Valerie asks Marusha what motivates her. She talks of how thankful she is, and how lucky she feels, to earn a living from her hobby. She loves meeting new people and experiencing new cultures.