Un
Penh Sam Ath Panha, 19, second-year Law student at Royal University of Law and
Economics:
“I’ve loved classical art since I was young and I’m a former classical dancing student. I promote the arts by telling others about the advantages it provides. To promote youth interest, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport should add more hours devoted to the study of arts in school schedules. In addition, schools could start organising art contests in order to catch young Cambodians’ attention and encourage participation in the arts.”
“មិត្តទាំងពីរ[មិត្តទាំងប្រាំ!]មានមុខស្រស់ស្អាតណាស់
បើលោកតាស៊ីន ស៊ីសាមុតនៃយើងគាត់នៅរស់
គាត់នឺងច្រៀងចំអន់ដោយស្រឡាញ់ថា
តើធ្វើម្ដេចនឹងភ្លេចភ័ក្ត្រមានមន្តស្នេហ៌
ដូចដួងខែរះពេញរស្មីពេលញញឹមសង្ឃឹម
ជាប់ក្នុងហឫទ័យឱយអាល័យៗគ្មានស្បើយ!!”
គាត់នឺងច្រៀងចំអន់ដោយស្រឡាញ់ថា
តើធ្វើម្ដេចនឹងភ្លេចភ័ក្ត្រមានមន្តស្នេហ៌
ដូចដួងខែរះពេញរស្មីពេលញញឹមសង្ឃឹម
ជាប់ក្នុងហឫទ័យឱយអាល័យៗគ្មានស្បើយ!!”
-ក្រពុំ ឈូក ស
by
School of Vice
Well,
Lok Ta Sinn Sisamouth [and those talented pre-war song-writers who - I am led
to believe - composed many of his songs would have done just that. These
singers and song writers had been the unsung heroes and heroines of Cambodia.
The poetry, the verses, the cultured choice of lyrics and vocabulary had been
the product of refinement and extraction from within the wealth-pool of Khmer
literature, the richness of Khmer life and universe comparable to the quarrying
for gold dust and precious stones out of a vast mineral mine. It is quite possible
for post-war generations to imagine what life might have been like in this
period of creativity and general cultural renaissance without having to
attribute that trend to any political climate or patterns of the day, just as
it would be presumptuous or even arrogant to attribute all signs of social
progress – if any – within the last three decades to politicians alone, for
this implies the absence of sacrifice and labour of ordinary people who have
had to rebuild their own lives often in the most difficult of circumstances,
and in spite of official indifference, incompetence and, indeed, debilitating
corruption.
Of
course, not all officials are “corrupt” or “incompetent” per se, and their
quiet input and contribution should be appreciated and acknowledged. From what
I know the late Chut Wutty is one such individual who had emerged out of this
social political landscape, and his personal loss is more an indictment of this
ingrained Cambodian elitism that places impossible premium on humanity,
collective sense of service to society and the nation as well as upon
individuals’ inability or refusal to conform to the priorities and agenda of
that odious, myopic elitism rather than any defects on his part as a caring,
courageous patriot. The rarity of this crop of individuals represents the real
gold dusts and gems of Khmer society manifesting forth for all the world to see
out of the dark tunnels and threatening mine fields of Khmer life, and their
personal examples must be held up for all Cambodians to aspire to, if only for
their own long term security and well-being.
Now
back to Sin Sisamouth and those poets! Yes, what I was getting at is the
cultural climate that formed the backdrop to their arts and creativity
[including the achievements in other artistic fields such as the cinema and
living classical arts], and the priceless legacy they have left in our trust.
There is more to this legacy than mere indulgence in romantic ‘sentimentalism’
[or in School of Vice’s case, incurable melancholy, for which he blames those
pre-war poets!] and bourgeois hedonism; something that had been seized upon by
those “communist” indoctrinators in their “class struggle” against the ‘old
regime’. It was a simple but effective means by which the masses had been told
as to the causes and meanings of their collective misery, necessitated by that
psychological need in humans to find outlets for perceived injustices they had
to endure. Once the Buddha and Karma had been taken out of the equation in
people’s minds, it was logical to point to the “American imperialists and their
lackeys” as well as to the culture of “decadence” visibly represented by the
entire artistic community.
So
systematic and effective had been the use of this indoctrination tactic that
many Khmer Rouge soldiers and cadres who came into contact with civilians would
openly express their desire to ‘kill’ such artists who were then part of the
defeated camp as though there was no moral doubt whatsoever in their own minds
that these stalwarts of culture had been an anathema to their own existence and
the cause of their country’s decline, and as some still point out today in similar
social national context that some people still find the time to “sing and
dance” whilst the country burns! And these critics are right too, to an extent,
yet one is not quite convinced that in their implied criticism they give due
weight to proportions, or whether they are simply [perhaps, deliberately?]
repeating that old dividing tactic that had proved so destructive to the
preservation of Khmer identity and culture, to humanity and prospects for
national continuity and survival. Do they understand that art is as much about
conserving collective memory as they are about ceremonies which require
movement and participation; one singing and another listening etc.? Do Khmer
people ‘circle dance’ merely for the sake of pleasure or as a form of exercise,
or do they do so for other reasons as well, such as commemorating an event in
their community or bonding themselves with others? [Nothing is more symbolic of
this bonding process than the repeated circling movement of the dance itself
known as Rom Vong, as a wedding ring is of married life].
Wars
and revolutions had often proved destructive to culture and society, and none
in history had been more so than those radical movements mankind had witnessed
from since the Russian revolution at the turn of the twentieth century, an
event which led to the procrastination of Russia’s cultural life [in the same
fashion as witnessed by the Cambodian nation in the 1970s] and which led -
among others - the prominent, world-famous Russiancomposer Sergey Rachmaninov
to bemoan the great haemorrhage the ‘revolution’ exacted on his native
country’s cultural life. What good is it to a man if he gains the entire world
but forfeits his own soul? This
unsettling truth seems to confront many who share in Rachmaninov’s humanity and
his love of the arts.
If we
listen to these “old” Khmer songs “carefully” [I shouldn’t be asking people to
do this; it would be like trying to draw a barchart showing one’s level of
enjoyment of poetry in proportion to the effectiveness or ‘power’ and appeal of
specific poems, and I had seen one or two of these graphs drawn up by academics
in my time!] we will find plenty of references to localities, villages,
mountains, ancestral spirits of the land [the “nektas”], simplicity, rural
life, humour, moral fables, self-sacrifice, place names, most of Cambodia’s
provinces [why most? Has anyone noticed the frequent references to Battambang
province, and less so to other central and north-western places? East of the
Mekong only Kompong Cham province get a fair mention, and only Ms Ros Serei
Sothea ever mentioned Prey Veng in a song! And yes “Rumdoul Kroches” – Kratie –
apart I have yet to hear any reference to Svay Rieng orStung Treng, and
Rattanakiri et al!] the assumptions to do with being “Khmer”, the scenes of daily
life of happiness and loss, of promise, fidelity and betrayal, and of course,
the charm and beauty of flora and fauna, not to mention the allure and
captivating charm of Khmer women who even found their way into a CIA report on
Cambodia! [No wonder - you might add - the Americans lost the war in
Indochina!].
In
brief, these artists had done far more for their people and nation than they
are given credit for. What people experience at the cinema or through listening
to music has the power to influence and shape their feelings and perceptions of
the external world way beyond perhaps their own awareness or consciousness of
that influence. Even totalitarian regimes would not be prepared to abolish the
medium of cinema or music entirely: they only find it proper – and expedient -
to fashion that medium to fit in with their ideological agenda. The only
difference appears to be the fact that those great exponents of Khmerculture of
the past consciously sought to instil in public consciousness linkages between popular
art and national cultural identity, hence, the frequent references to the
virtue of being ‘Khmer’, or the pride in “Khmer-ness” which might sound like an
exercise in promoted racialism to some, but there had probably in truth been no
conscious intent in that direction. As pioneers of what has come to be coined
“Khmerisation”, their goal had been far more cultural than political or racist,
and indeed more immediately relevant to the needs of their compatriots,
especially when one examines Cambodia’s dismal historical losses in all fields;
losses from which society can take decades to recover, and probably several
generations more to reach and attain the height of its cultural potential once
more, just as Angkor civilisation had been the summation of pre-Angkorian
evolution in Khmer history of several hundred years.
What is
concerning is that “art” and artists in general still consistently lack behind
other professions in public estimation and esteem. Thus whereas many people of
all ages enjoy the cinema, soap drama, classical dance and the like, it is far
from being true that they approve of any of these as wholesome, acceptable
forms of occupation for their own kin or children, and this frowning attitude
can be said to be particularly true in relations to women – particularly, if
the said profession exposes them to being harassed and molested to no end by
pot-belly generals and excellencies!
The
status accorded to the arts and artists in general is in congruence with the
public’s level of education or exposure to the arts that does the role of
conditioning and informing them of the importance and indispensability of the
healthy existence of art as such, even if they personally do not derive much
pleasure out of it – we cannot assume for instance that everyone appreciates or
enjoys listening to music per se! Thus, we find that today’s better educated
youths are perhaps more inclined to recognise the value of, or express
appreciation for, the “old” artistic culture and a desire to safeguard this
heritage. Perhaps, the present age of mass media and mass marketing might
change people’s attitude for the better, or improve people’s earning potential
in the entertainment industry, but the social barriers many artists still face
here [some of the country’s best known artists still dwell in appalling urban
slums] are probably no greater than the daily obstacles faced by others like
the late Chut Wutty, along with many countless campaigners and concerned
individuals who steadfastly put the interests of the many before those of the
privileged few.
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