Beaucoup de Femmes First I get an email about the upcoming "Portraits de Femmes" exhibition on the 9th. Then I get a note about 'Femme Fatale' pub night (3rd). And finally, a long press release from Hôtel de la Paix, "Khmer Feminitude" exhibition beginning on Feb 14. Am I beginning to see a theme for the coming month? Illustration left: Christian Develter Tag: Cambodia,art,exhibition

Santana: the Cambodia Connection I was on my way with some of the Sovanna Phum crew to pick up a new skor thom (big drum). Not just your run-of-the-mill drum, this huge object was essentially the cross-section of a tree. Kosal had plans for an animist blessing ceremony so the drum could get acclimated to the performance space and community. (You can see it in action every weekend.) On the tape deck comes "Oye Como Va". The truck driver grins and turns it up. This isn't the first time I've heard Santana in Cambodia. Check out Cambodian Rocks (5th track) and you'll discover Sinn Sisamouth's reworking of "Black Magic Woman". (Wikipedia credits Sisamouth covering the song as "I Love Petite Women", and "Quando My Love", while the CD I have lists it as "I Recognize That Face".) It's ususally best to go with tapes when digging up classic Khmer tunes, CDs are just one step further removed from the distant original recording. There's something about the guitar - the pitch, the style, the approach - that resonated deeply with Khmer popular music prior to the revolution, and still does today. I'll hear Santana or covers of his music in the most unlikely places here. I doubt the musician ever toured in Cambodia (or is getting any royalties), but if he came there'd be a sellout crowd. Got a Khmer Santana story? Drop me a line. Santana Site: http://www.santana.com Sinn Sisamouth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinn_Sisamouth Sketch idea by me, inks by Vuth, colors by Samphos. Tags:cambodia,rock+and+roll,music

Bloggies & more Whew, wedding frenzy is over. Voting's open for 2007 'Bloggies' awards. Voting closes February 02. http://2007.bloggies.com Other exciting tidbits: Vireak's 2007 predictions! http://www.vireak.net/2007/01/05/2007-predictions/ http://www.vireak.net/2007/01/26/2007-predictions-part-ii/ Career Change! http://careerbreak33.blogspot.com/search/label/Cambodia Firefighting training! http://oespnet.spaces.live.com/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c02_owner=1 Chath joins the blogosphere! http://chat4peace.wordpress.com Khmerbird goes multilingual! http://khmerbird.com/ MySpace: 'Spam 2.0'? http://valleywag.com/tech/myspace/myspace-the-business-of-spam-20-exhaustive-edition-199924.php 'Cambodia's Oil find could eliminate poverty'! http://www.csr-asia.com/index.php?p=8830 Oh yeah, right. (Need more coffee.) Tags:cambodia,blog

Labels: cambodia blog

Weddings Pt. 2 Cute couple! One down, one to go. Busy weekend. Tags:cambodia,wedding

Wedding stuff is keeping me occupied. For now, check out this development. Lots of trainings going on! - J -------------------------------------------------- ANNOUNCEMENT Open Forum Cambodia BLOG TRAINING PROGRAM Open Forum of Cambodia (OFC), a leading NGO specialized in information technology and website management, is to play necessary roles in promoting and strengthening people’s share of ideas and expression in democracy process through the high-tech web site development training (Blog Training)for beginner to a professional and will provide the full support for participants, including technical support, free hosting for life (sub domain), free internet access, free of charge training class and awards. The training will cover on: How to create and use Blog; The benefits of Blog in the high-tech globe; How to make money from your Blog; How many people make money from Blog and how they do?; How to use Khmer language in the Blog; How to write down the interesting information into Blog; How to post your idea into Blog and make them much interesting; Writing skill provided by professional information journalist reporter. OFC conducts training for trainers who will train those at provincial levels. The TOT will be piloted at three target provinces, namely Kampong Cham, Battambang and Siem Reap. In addition, the training will also allow bloggers, those who have their own web blog, to compete for an award which will be organized by the OFC, serving as secretariat. An OFC Blog Award Committee will document best practices of blog and debate and provide awards to ten leading Cambodian bloggers who take lead in terms of website design, quality of content, number of visitor and exchange of expression. Trainers are blog specialists, professional journalists and Khmer Unicode experts. They will provide with useful theories, practical experiences of related issues. Youths, students, NGO staffs, government officials, journalists and private company workers are encouraged to attend this training. The training class will be conducted at Phnom Penh and provincial levels and start from February until October 2007. Please contact Open Forum of Cambodia for registration and further information: Mr. Deouk Visal (Blog Training Coordinator) Phone : (855) 23 360 345 / 212 624 Fax : (855) 23 360 345 P.O Box : 853 Email : Visal@of.forum.org.kh Web : www.forum.org.kh Address : #17D, Street 296, Sangkat Toul Svey Prey II, Khan Chamkamorn, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Tags:cambodia,weblog

Romancing the Stone: Celebrity Archaeologist Talk at Ecole Française d'Extrême-Orient (Siem Reap) Dating temples in Southeast Asia Dr. William SOUTHWORTH Postdoctoral Research Fellow, International Institute of Asian Studies, Leiden University EFEO says: "The talk will examine the different methods used for dating temple architecture, including the use of historical analogy, epigraphy, art history, architecture and archaeology. The talk will illustrate both the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, with examples taken from the study of ancient Champa, Java and Cambodia. The purpose of the discussion will be to show both the problems of temple dating and the advantages of a multi-disciplinary approach in solving questions of chronology." William has got to be one of the biggest temple enthusiasts in existence. When other people are wilting from the heat, he's examining stone erosion patterns. Is it any wonder that he is one of the most popular temple talkers on the chat circuit? Attendance is free, but get there early to beat the crowds. It's about time that archaeologists got their day in the sun; why should rock stars get all the attention anyway? Monday 29th of January 2007, at 6:30 pm at the EFEO. (English) Ecole Française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) Siem Reap P.O. Box 93 300, Siem Reap - Angkor Phum Beng Don Pa, Khum Slâ Kram, Siem Reap, Cambodge Tel: (885) (16) 635 037 Tel/Fax: (855) (63) 964 226 Email: efeo.angkor@online.com.kh Web: http://www.efeo.fr Tags:archaeology

Raucous Roll Betty Ford and the GT Falcons emerge from the studio to play at the Zeppelin Cafe (Phnom Penh), evening of this coming January 27th (Saturday). Could be their last gig with the current line-up. And on the music angle (paging Mr. Khmerang) Metafilter has a short thread on Khmer classic rock/pop. http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/57975 Tags:music

Cross-Country Collaboration If you live in Southeast Asia and want to collaborate with regional artists, Arts Network Asia is wrapping up its application process by the end of January. Got it in you to write a one-page proposal? Then click for English or Khmer info. For a local example, check out the Komik Cambodia page. (Indonesian, also in Khmer and English) Tags:cambodia

Weddings The fortunetellers must be on the same wavelength for choosing auspicious days. I'm going to not one but TWO weddings this week. The second was a surprise, but young people play their cards close to the vest - not until the date is set do they 'fess up that they've got a sweetheart, or that their family set them up. Going to be interesting. A wedding ceremony, depending on the family's wealth and interest in tradition, can be three days - or more. The bride and groom change clothes so many times on the final day that it's a wonder they get time to eat! Article on Khmer weddings: Cambodian Scene http://www.cambodianscene.com/index.php?target=article&title=mariage Tags:cambodia

A local film festival Jason Rosette is putting together. Get in touch at: www.cambofest.com Tags:cambodia,cinema

Gratuitous Jinja Photo Courtesy Nathan Dexter. (Cheers Nat!) The blue color is due to his adjusting camera settings for more contrast. Tags:cambodia

Yet more arts doin's Tonight: Creative Cambodia at Reyum: Recycled Culture. http://www.sangsalapak.org.kh/whatson/2007/01/reyum-creative-cambodia.html Tomorrow: “Inter-city” at Meta House FROM 26TH OF JANUARY OPEN EVERY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, 6PM UNTIL MIDNITE, FREE ENTRANCE From: http://www.meta-house.com COM.PASSION is happy to announce the scheduled opening of Cambodia’s first Art & Communication Center META HOUSE on the 12th of January 2007 – in cooperation with the International Academy (INA) at the Free University of Berlin. From January to April 2007 META HOUSE („meta“ in khmer: „compassion“) hosts the first phase of the multi/media/art exhibition and event series INTERCITY: URBAN ARTS FOR ASIA - under patronage of the German Ambassador to Cambodia, H. E. Pius Fischer. Within the second phase (2008) several SE Asian cities and artists are linked throughout an exchange program and workshops. The third phase (2009) will result in a catalogue, an interactive DVD and an exhibition in Berlin/Germany. On three floors and a roof top terrace overlooking Phnom Penh META HOUSE will welcome participants, friends and guests from all around the globe. INTERCITY artists are (more to be confirmed…) PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA: Chhim Sothy, Chhoeun Rithy, Chan Pisey, Nico Mesterharm, Stephane Janin, Vandy Rattana HO-CHI-MINH-CITY, VIETNAM: Bertrand Peret, Julie Tseselsky, Bui Cong Khahn, Ly Hoang Ly, HMC CREW, Motoko Uda, Rich Streitmatter-Tran, Sandrine Llouquet CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: Sutthirat Supaparinya SINGAPORE: Kerstin Duell SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Melita Koulmandas PARIS, FRANCE: Nicolas Lainez BERLIN, GERMANY: Chris Zippel, Dieter Stadler, Hildegard Knef, Igor Paasch, Jana Teuchert, Lila Space Creations, Lothar Winkler, Lutz Mattstaett, Ollie Peters & Sven Zuege, Walter Dietmann, Wolfgang Brueckner AURICH, GERMANY: Herbert Mueller BEOGRAD, SERBIA: Nikolai Todorovic CHICAGO, USA: Maurice Oliver and Diana Krause-Oliver The three-years-project INTERCITY is dedicated to city cultures from Phnom Penh to Berlin – from “New Asia“ to „Old Europe“, from the glitzy boulevards to the backyards of societies, to the basements and undergrounds and back to the future of our neighbourhoods. How do citizens envision their living environments and how can they shape them? What skills are needed to survive in a hostile environment? Whose ideas prevail if they are not documented? Can art be a vehicle for social change, or should art be a self-critical discipline that pursues primarily aesthetic ends? What is the relationship between art and mass culture? Everybody is invited to join the INTERCITY exhibitions, parties, film screenings, performances, panels, discusssions and meetings. The entrance is free. A share of the revenues will be donated to the, ''Children’s Help Cambodia" Foundation, which is building a children’s village for 96 orphans and vulnerable children on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Please hook up with us! We are not only encouraging artists, painters, sculpturers, filmmakers, photographers, poets, performers or musicians, but also forethinkers, urban planners, architects, scientists and journalists to contribute something special and unique to the INTERCITY project. Anybody who would like to participate should write to: Nico Mesterharm, mesterharm [at] gmx [dot] net. [from What's On]

Another reason to stop smoking From Aki Ra's landmine museum in Siem Reap: a nasty little guerilla warfare tactic. Basically, a cigarette with a ball bearing and a small explosive charge. Leave the remmants of a campfire with some supplies and the soldiers who arrive grab the goodies. One of them lights up and... Cigarettes. You try to kill them, they try to kill you. Usually not this immediately, though. (Click for larger photo.) The Landmine Museum is deserving of its own writeup and I hope to get a look at its latest incarnation in February. While its founder has on occasion gotten criticism for his outspoken advocacy efforts regarding mine clearance, no one can deny he's pulled many out of the ground, and brought a lot of attention to the topic. Landmines are dragon's teeth; patient, violent time capsules seeded into the ground lasting years if not centuries. European countries are still reaping 'the iron harvest' from World War I and II. When the conflicts of the last few decades are beyond living memory, their physical legacy will still be with our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Tags:cambodia,health,cigarettes,smoking,ordnance

We see CIC After some technical and organizational changes, Vutha notes that the Cambodia Community Information Center site is back up. Previously www.CambodiaCIC.org, it's now www.CambodiaCIC.info. Looks like it still needs a few tweaks here and there, but it's good to see it back online. Tags: cambodia,internet

Tonight: Anon. Thursday: Lights and Shadows paintings by Chath Piersath Opening: 6 – 9pm Thursday, January 18 Java Café & Gallery 56E1 Sihanouk Blvd info@javaarts.org www.javaarts.org from [What's On] Tags: cambodia

Anon: Art Installation Art in progress and open to the public from 1 December 2006 to 31 January 2007 Opening: Tuesday 16 January, 2007 from 6pm. Meas Sokhorn, Vandy Rattana, Philong, Pes Ratha, Bunna Chhea, Tan Vanno, Khmen Sambo, Vong Daravy, Soumey, Nemh Deth, Kong Villak, Chinn Taingchhea, Mao Soviet, Mak Remissa, Ouk Chim Vichet, Proeung Moulin, Bo, Soly, Vinthy, Pheak, Prom Vichet, Phorn, Heng Ravuth, Chhai Kakkada, Nhem Sopaul, Sa Veasna Opening: Tuesday 16 January, 2007 from 6pm Sala Art, 339 E2 Sisowath Quay (above Mekong Web) Phnom Penh Cambodia, HP: 012 849 180 Sala Art: Monday-Saturday 8am-10pm More at www.javaarts.org [from What's On]

As per yesterday's writing, what was I in the Russian Market to buy? Among the many items on my shopping list: A number of friends have been complaining about mosquitoes so I went in search of Cambodia's answer to avian pest control. It's a racquet with an electrically charged grid, which you can wave in the air to electrocute mozzies and anything else in its way. I'm sure this is banned for any number of safety reasons in the States, and I'd probably get the device confiscated at the airport if I brought one on a visit. But an electric shock is pretty minor compared to the diseases you can get from these little menaces - dengue fever and (in rural areas) malaria. There is a gratifying 'pop' as you hit a mosquito and a little fizzle as it expires. It's a Buddhist country so I just think, 'Better luck next life'. I'll see if I can take some pictures of the racquet in action. (Easier said than done.) Tags: cambodia,technology

Taped Up I walked right into it. A low hanging roof at the Russian Market, just the right level to hit my head. Psaa Tuol Tom Poung (on its periphery) is a patchwork of different stalls and there are plenty of low-hanging obstacles to avoid. I’ve been around this particular market hundreds of times, but there are always surprises to be found. I nearly fell over but caught myself, and standing up from a crouch, felt something dripping on my head. Some water from the corroded old metal roof was falling on me. Or was it? The market vendors at the stalls nearby were looking alarmed. The water was still dripping, on the ground and on my clothes. I removed my hands from my pounding head and saw it wasn’t water, it was blood. The ladies at the stalls quickly handed over tissues and I put pressure on what I now realized was some kind of head cut. They urged me to sit down, but I didn’t know how bad it was and didn’t want to go into shock. Since the Russian Market is ringed by pharmacies and clinics I thanked them for the tissues and walked outside. I took a moto (for one block) to the nearest clinic. The clinic owner’s wife gave me some gauze for the bleeding, and phoned for her husband. After ten minutes the clinic owner arrived, applied disinfectant and an anti-coagulant, and cleaned the cut. He noted that head cuts can really bleed, even small ones. Next up? Stitches. I thanked him for his time but told him I’d prefer a different doctor for that. Small clinics can be a roll of the dice – this one would have been cheap and the owner seemed to have some decent training, but I look at health as a pragmatic investment. That roof looked pretty grungy, a good approximation of a serrated knife edge. I hopped a moto over to SOS clinic, one of the longest running (and most expensive) clinics in Phnom Penh. A friend was also in the waiting room, filling out his paperwork for a check-up. “Tertiary syphilis – I think I’m going blind,” I deadpanned as the nurse led me off. A second cleaning and two stitches later I had tape on my head and tape on my mind. I went home, cleaned myself up, and got another moto back to the market. I scoured the bike parts section for a roll of strong duct tape, and headed back to where it all began. In the States or Europe? This would be a matter of liability for lawyers. In Phnom Penh I’m a little more pragmatic. If I was Khmer the most obvious thing to do would be to hassle the stall owner (or market administration) for some compensation, but it would involve the same sort of dramatic argumentation you see in motorcycle accidents. The stall owners were surprised at my return and relieved to hear all was OK. I asked them if I could use the duct tape to cover the edge of the roof. That way, the next person who hit it would get a nasty bump instead of a nasty cut. The vendors smiled at the idea, helped me cut and stick the tape, and asked if they could keep the remainder to apply to some other places as well. I thanked them for their help earlier and headed off to look for some music CDs. Who knows? Maybe it was a dumb idea – I’d just gotten whacked in the head, after all. Maybe the tape will come down after the next rain. But sometimes you’ve just gotta go with your impulses. Tags: Cambodia

The Khmer Rouge Tribunal Brought to you by... Microsoft? Yes, it's true. http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_8423-Microsoft-Becomes -First-Private-Donor-For-Khmer-Rouge-Trials.html It's a well intentioned move. However... If there are numerous lag times, frequent error messages or the whole trial needs to reboot, this explains a fair bit. More info? There's a multitude of sites covering the trial: http://www.dccam.org/ http://www.yale.edu/cgp http://www.krtrial.info/(Khmer/English) http://www.cambodia.gov.kh/krt/ http://www.eccc.gov.kh http://trialsanddenials.blogspot.com Tags: cambodia,khmer+rouge

Books on TV The Federation for the Development of the Book Sector in Cambodia (say that three times fast) has a TV advert about reading coming soon to a television near you! Looks like CTN will be the first to broadcast the spot. And the first issue of the Book Federation's newsletter is out - in Khmer, French and English. (Whew.) Congratulations to both teams. Available at the National Library or the Federation's Showroom. Contact: bookfederation [via] online [dot] com [dot] kh 148 Norodom Boulevard, Phnom Penh. 023 726 414. Tags: cambodia,literature

Instrumental Note the labels on this roneat - they're Western music notes. Him Sophy, working with Cambodian Living Arts, has created some hybrid instruments for their Cambodian-American Opera project. Below is a slightly revised gong vong thom. Cambodian music has no notation system, and is taught orally. There has some academic writing (notably Him Sophy, Sam-Ang Sam) and last year Reyum published Keo Narom's book on the topic. Retired professor Mao Phoeung is also compiling an extensive Encyclopedia of Khmer music. Generally if you say 'opera' I'll stifle a yawn. (If you say 'Andrew Lloyd Webber' I'm out the door.) But I'm impressed with what the team is assembling, given the technical challenges of overseas collaboration. How do you email information halfway around your world to musical partners? MP3s are pretty bulky. They've set up a system to email simple musical notation files (customized for these instruments) which makes it much easier. I'm looking forward to checking out the final product, which will premiere this year. Sounds like these guys are having fun! (Photos (c) Cambodian Living Arts, cheers!) Tags: cambodia,music,opera

In the tradition of 400 year-old European coffee-house culture, management and staff wish to extend this concept to provide a centre for social dialogue. Our minimalist interior provides a perfect frame for performances and exhibitions by Cambodian & international artists. ART CAFÉ offers authentic specialties of Alsace-Palatinate cuisine as well as selected wines&spirits cultivated from well-known vintners in this region. JOSEF BEUYS 1927-1986 multiples "To make people free is the aim of art, therefore art for me is the science of freedom" Josef Beuys ART CAFÉ , No84Eo,Street 108, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, e-mail artcafe-pp@camnet.com.kh

phone 012 834 517

from: What's On

Local Color Finally got around to seeing the much-touted Rodin exhibit at Phnom Penh's National Museum this last weekend. It's going to continue through the end of February so you've got some time to check it out. For three bucks, it lived up to the hype. One hundred years ago, the sculptor became fascinated by a troupe of Cambodian dancers visiting France and followed their travels, producing a series of sketches. The color drawings are kept in a special climate-controlled room and accompanied by photographs of the encounter, which is a story in and of itself. http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/29/features/rodin.php If you've heard someone 'thinking out loud', this must be 'drawing out loud'. The artist was grappling to depict an unfamiliar but fascinating series of movements, and you can really sense his enthusiasm to record it on paper. Some sketches are fully colored and well rendered, others just focus on a face or a moving limb. (More images at http://www.khmerinstitute.org/rodin/rodin.html) Meanwhile, over at 'The Comics Reporter', Tom Spurgeon reviews Lorenzo Mattotti's Angkor. For about $40 a copy can be yours from Carnets d' Asie. Mattotti has to have one of the most vivid color senses of the current crop of European cartoonists. The volume follows the French trend of lavishly illustrated travel memoirs - readers just can't seem to get enough of them. English translation is in the works. (I'll splash out for one when I win the lottery.) And as regards travel, comic artist Lisa Mandel (Sept Mois au Cambodge) will visit in February to do another comic/travel book with students from Phare art school. More news to come. Review: http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/briefings/cr_reviews/7194/ More Mattotti: English (via robot): http://tinyurl.com/y6x76w French: http://www.auracan.com/Indiscretions/2004/20040227.html Postscript 13/01/06: Penny Edwards on the Rodin Exhibition http://www.phnompenhpost.com/TXT/current/stories/1601/how.htm Tags: Cambodia,visual+art

Server Migration Just like the folks arriving in Cambodia for the cool weather, or animals traveling as the seasons change, so too is my blog 'migrating' to a new web server. If you've had any trouble accessing it, just hang loose. Many thanks to Khmer Connection for their tireless help in hosting it (alongside nearly thirty thousand member profiles, many with personal pages). New Years' Resolution: Revise my template. I've had pretty much the same design for nearly five years. Tags: Cambodia

The 2007 Bloggies are GO. Comb your links for best regional blog, best photo blog, group blog, food, music, community, etc. But you'd better hurry- nominations close January 10. http://2007.bloggies.com Tags: cambodia,weblog

High Tech Fundraising Yields High Rewards Sixty Thousand in three weeks? One Hundred Thousand Dollars in three weeks? Sounds like the start of a spam email, but stay with me for a minute... While I was getting my holidays on, bloggers Cambodia4Kids and Phnomenon were cruising their keyboards - raising money for The Sharing Foundation and Menu for Hope, respectively. By the time January 01 rolled around, the team effort for the annual foodblogger fundraiser had enough raffle bling to approximate the cost of a landcruiser, which will go to the World Food Programme. And the Sharing Foundation got matching funds from Yahoo, doubling the pot to give one thousand kids school materials. Quite a difference from from grant writing and door-knocking. I was impressed both by the technical sophistication of these campaigns, and the ease at which one could join in. At times I'm skeptical that internet efforts will do much to change the real, physical world. In fact, spending lots of time online leaves an ecological and economic footprint. So it's great to greet the New Year by seeing two of my favorite weblogs use their tech skills for eminently practical causes. Congrats Beth and Phil for your time and dedication! I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of even more creative efforts to make fundraising, well, fun for a change. Tags: Cambodia,fundraising,WFP,food+bloggers,widgets

HoliDazed Normal service resuming. See, the internet is run through, um, pipes. Yeah. And due to this earthquake thing a few were cut, so there wasn't much time to write. Some celebrations also proved a distraction, wishing everyone a great new year! And those resolutions? You've still got Chinese New Year and Khmer New Year if you mess up. Another reason I love this country. Tags: Cambodia

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