Harpswell Foundation- "Where Elephants Weep"

As I mentioned previously, one of the things that struck me the most when I visited Cambodia was the extent to which Pol Pot tried to eradicate culture. While my experience confirms that culture is still alive in Cambodia, I was very excited to find Cambodian Living Arts, an NGO that actively promotes a fusion between Khmer traditional arts and contemporary culture.

Their most ambitious -and I think more exciting- project is "Where Elephants Weep," a Cambodian Rock Opera which was previewed in Lowell Massachusetts (very close to my university!!!), and will have its world premiere on November 28 in Phnom Pehn! The show tells the love story between a Cambodian-American refugee and a beautiful Cambodian pop-star by mixing traditional Cambodian music with Western rock and rap.

I have attached some pictures, but I also invite you to copy the following URL address to your browser window so you can see a video about the show. Enjoy!!

http://www.whereelephantsweep.net/inner/docs/promo-movie.mov

Harpswell Foundation- Sampot

Apsara dressed in Angkorian-style sampot cloth. (Source: Wikipedia)




Exhibit at National Palace, Phnom Penh



When I visited Cambodia for the first time this summer, all my knowledge about the country was limited to what I had read in my 2002 Lonely Planet Guidebook. Visiting 2008 Cambodia with a 2002 mindset was mind-boggling--I could see the devastation my book referenced, but I also saw healing, optimism, and a growing and vibrant culture. In my ignorance, I was amused by everything… I hope I can properly capture my enthusiasm and admiration for Cambodian culture with a series of travel photographs and blogposts, of which this is the first.

Pol Pot tried to eradicate culture. To a certain extent, he destroyed intellectuals and the fine arts. But he was not able to eliminate popular culture and customs. These profound expressions of identity were firmly engrained in people’s lives; they survived Pol Pot.

A clear example of this is the Cambodian national garment, the sampot. This item can be traced back to the Funan era and linked to the traditional dress of neighboring Laos and Thailand, which are derived from it. Sampots range from the every-day sarong to the elegant sampot chang kben. They are special because they can be worn by everyone: women, men, the poor, the rich, the traditional, and the more westernized.

There is a high degree of sophistication and historical continuity in the production of the silk employed in these garments. I knew this before coming to Cambodia, but I was still impressed by the luscious and rich heritage staring at me in the humblest stalls and city streets. I grew up admiring my uncle’s ikat collection, hung and illuminated like world-class works of art in his Lima home. Having listened to his explanations about the precision and diligence necessary to weave an ikat (the silk threads are dyed before they are woven,) I couldn’t believe they were all around me.

All of this reminded me of Peru, my home, where the traditionally underappreciated garments used by the Andean people now grace the pages of the most exclusive fashion magazines. There is something paradoxical about Cambodia--an exotic quality that fascinates me, but that somehow always connects to home.






(source, Vogue 2008)

Published on Thursday, October 16, 2008. http://www.harpswellfoundation.blogspot.com/

Harpswell Foundation- The importance of women's education in Cambodia

According to a paper published in 1999 by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute, girls in this country are under-represented in formal education at all levels. Boys and girls enroll in schools in equal numbers, but the gender gap increases as the level of schooling rises. This phenomenon is related to direct costs, opportunity costs, and social attitudes towards gender roles. Especially among poor and rural households, the labor of all members of the household can be crucial for survival. Nonetheless, traditional gender stereotypes of men as breadwinners and women as housewives mean that girl's education is not prioritized.

This makes it harder for women to compete for professional and decision-making skills positions, which are also the jobs that command status and wealth. In addition to constraining women's life opportunities and choices today, the scarcity of women in such situations deprives the future generation of positive role models. The World Bank has identified female education as the best hope for breaking the cycle of female deprivation; but since the benefits are societal and the costs are private, there are few economic incentives for individuals to invest in girl's education.

The Harpswell Foundation tackles this incentive problem at the core- providing economic assistance, balancing traditional and modern gender roles, as well as presenting positive role models.

Published on Thursday, October 9, 2008 on http://www.harpswellfoundation.blogspot.com/

Cambodia

Mi foto favorita de Cambodia- un país definitivamente maravilloso con una historia inédita, pero que todavía tiene que digerir el trauma de Pol Pot.

Aunque he visitado algunos países y ciudades "complicados," las zonas turísticas siempre tienen una cierta inmunidad a las complicaciones... pero no en Cambodia. Allí todo lo maravilloso está tan entrelazado con el desastre que es imposible ver uno sin ver el otro. Angkor -el complejo de templos más importante del país- queda cerca a uno de los antiguos campos de trabajo forzoso. Camino a Siem Reap (el pueblo donde nos estábamos hospedando) se puede parar en uno de los templos modernos, donde descansan los restos de sus trabajadores en una columna de calaveras. El soundtrack de Angkor lo presentan músicos que han perdido piernas por minas antipersonales. En las entradas a los templos esperan niños que tratan de venderte postales, o collares, o lo que puedan. Hablan perfecto inglés de tanto conversar con turistas y no ir al colegio.

Cambodia es el país más pobre del sudeste asiático, que en sí es horrible. Pero además, su gobierno en términos reales es una red de ONGs y el genocidio borró toda una generación y su cultura. Como peruana, se me hace muy fácil empatizar con ellos- aunque yo no viví conscientemente el conflicto armado de mi país, sé que dejó a cada familia una pequeña tragedia personal, especialmente en los Andes. Si quieren saber un poco más sobre el conflicto de Cambodia, les recomiendo el libro de Christopher Hudson "The Killing Fields" o la película del mismo nombre.