A week ago I went to the opening of a photo exhibition called Amazing Cambodia. Originally it's a facebook page where people post photos of old times, before the Khmer Rouges. My friend Y. and I both noticed how people in these photos, mostly from the Fifties or the Sixties, look a lot like Cambodians today. It seems not much has changed.
But that's only the surface. On the back wall, dozens of photos of artists, singers, actors and actresses, film-makers, dancers. The captions tell a blood-chilling story, one that you realize slowly, watching one photo after the other. Too often the date of death is not known, or it is simply marked as "died during the Khmer Rouge regime".
But that's only the surface. On the back wall, dozens of photos of artists, singers, actors and actresses, film-makers, dancers. The captions tell a blood-chilling story, one that you realize slowly, watching one photo after the other. Too often the date of death is not known, or it is simply marked as "died during the Khmer Rouge regime".
The country has suffered a decapitation. It is estimated that only 10% of the cadres of all sectors survived the Khmer Rouge period. And that is evident still today. Many - the majority, probably - of the brilliant and creative minds of Cambodia have perished during those terrible years. Try to build a country with that.
On a nicer note, the students of the Cambodia Living Arts association performed some traditional and folk dances.
A very old lady, white hair and the sweetest, toothless smile, was so happy to be there she was glowing. She used to be a dancer and a teacher for the Royal Ballet.
Now lives in a shack, with her daughter and a pension from the state of only 50,000 riel - a little more than 12 dollars. Per month. Still, she has the funniest giggle.
So here's to Cambodia's heritage, may the young generations never forget the dreadful past of their country, and build upon it a bright future.
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