“It’s kinda like Lakahon Bassac,”  I tried to explain as we took our seats, “it’s a story told by singing.” And heavy on the drama.   With us were Sing Yang Pirom, Em Satya, Nhek Sophaleap and a host of other cartoonists for the ‘Artist Evening’ performance of opera ‘Where Elephants Weep‘.

(Above: Em Satya & family)

It didn’t disappoint, and it was great to finally see the show that’s been years in the making. My only regret is we couldn’t take pictures of the show and set inside, but that’s show biz, and a nudge for you to check it out yourself.

The show was accessible to both a Khmer and foreign audience, and while subtitled, many could get the gist of the dual-language story due to savvy staging. Ieng Sithul added a real sense of grounding and gravitas to the show.  Tony Re-al stole his scenes as a gleefully glib rapping bodyguard – having seen the show shape up over time, he was well chosen for commentary on centre stage action.

Some familiar faces were back in town: nice to see John Burt, Him Sophy and Catherine Filloux in their element.  Also managed to catch up with opera singer Amara, and (PP Post dubbed ‘glamour girl’) Duey Kol – the former playing a ‘beer girl’ as well as general ensemble member, the latter helping out with the production. Both did short stints with Cambodian Living Arts in 2003 & 2004, and are back for more! Now that’s follow-through.

Apparently the show has evolved and changed a lot since the premiere in Lowell, which no doubt reflects creative minds at work.  How many operas can you watch, and then get to meet the cast and crew directly after? Phnom Penh is a small city but in this instance, I’m not complaining.  Seeing the Cambodian Living Arts crew, as well as friends from Siem Reap, Amrita Performing Arts, Sovanna Phum, Epic, and Meta-House made for a great time.

Without the pressure of the opening night, the crew seemed pretty relaxed and happy to be doing their thing.  Goss has it that Sok An showed up the first night, which made for a little nervousness. Would the show cut too close to the bone in social commentary?  Well, judging by the fact that H.E. sent a heap of his pals to the second night would indicate he liked it.  The organizers had to scramble to get some extra seats. And it’s hoped that there might be performance for the King, pending protocol.

Despite rumors of a third week, John Burt regretfully noted that while there is heaps of enthusiasm, logistically the opera would lose money the longer it stays here.  International stars + low cost local seats = a negative cash balance. But there are definitely more staging plans in the works. And I’ll be back with some friends for the final show.

More? Blogs:
http://www.andybrouwer.co.uk/blog/2008/11/legendary-ieng-sithul.html
http://www.andybrouwer.co.uk/blog/2008/11/elephants-are-celebrating.html
http://dianephelan.wordpress.com
http://www.scotstafford.com/index/scot_stafford/Entries/2008/4/25_Entry_1.html

Tags:opera,cambodia,khmer

Take a picture of yourself right now
Don’t change your clothes, don’t fix your hair
Just take the picture
Post the picture with no editing
Post these instructions with your picture

Idea courtesy Amber and Andrew. Above: Water Festival.
I’m tagging Virak, Vutha, Nearirath.
Tags:photography,blog,cambodia,meme

Catching a ride with a moto-taxi today (motodop) I found myself subjected to a few questions.  Usually it’s “How old are you”, “What do you do”, “Do you want a Cambodian wife”, “How much money do you make”, “What country are you from”.

After establishing I was from the USA, he immediately asked about ‘boh chnout‘ –  if I’d voted. Fascinating to see even motodops are interested in the Stateside election. This one noted with pride he voted in the last Cambodian election.

I replied yes, I’d voted -  and I told him many of my friends were voting, for Obama, McCain, and third party candidates.

He asked about the different parties and I told him that despite the two large parties, small parties have an influence. What if the Greens hadn’t run in 2000? Or there had been less third party voting in 2004? Would Kerry or Gore have won? Heck, it may be possible that the most influential person  in recent American politics is … Ralph Nader. (This was a little tricky to sum up in Khmer.)

Naturally, as I paid for my ride, the driver asked who I voted for. I’ll let you figure it out.

More linkage: http://www.axel-springer-akademie.de/blog/2008/11/04/gastblog-kann-joe-the-plumber-khmer/
http://twitter.com/ThaRum/statuses/984803787
http://brendaisme.blogspot.com/2008/11/obama-krama.html
http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-370311.html
http://elizabethbriel.blogspot.com/2009/01/flickr-photos-videos-tagged-obama.html

Concept: Jinja / Art: Vuth

Tags:USA,cambodia,elections

Happy Halloween!

Free candy and scary costumes make for a great holiday – especially for kids.

Expatriates won’t miss out on the fun, and in anticipation of a party I’ve added some elastic to a paper maché Lakhaon Kaol Yeak mask. (Same from last year – OK, so I’m lazy.)

Today is the King-Father’s Birthday so many people have the day off for a completely different holiday. Halloween (as I know it) often seems confined to North America.

——-

October 31, graduate school: I was helping a friend move house in Australia.

We’d managed to get all the essential items over in two carloads and were enjoying a break. October in Melbourne? Spring had sprung, with flowers and plant surging into life after their winter sleep.

Why is it that Australia doesn’t celebrate Halloween? I asked. Is it because of the British influence? Does the ‘gunpowder, treason and plot’ of Guy Fawkes Night cancel out the largely American influence of All Hallows Eve? “It’s just… not a big deal,” she replied. “Some Sydney neighbourhoods go for it in particular, but it’s a local, not a national thing.”

Changing the subject: “What’s that tree in the front yard? Looks like it’s got some fruit.”

“It’s a pomegranate tree.”

Far out. Suddenly it all made sense. Seasons. The Australians weren’t celebrating Halloween because the world around them was bursting into life! Not withering into winter.

In Greek mythology, the goddess Persephone was dramatically abducted by the king of the Underworld, Hades. He could have ‘said it with flowers’ but nope, he didn’t leave her much choice.

(Courtship by the powerful bears similarity in many cultures. Ever wonder why a groom is expected to carry his bride over the threshold of their house in Western culture? It’s a remnant of the symbolic abduction of the bride in earlier wedding rituals. And I’m sad to say that abduction for marriage exists in Cambodia too, though it’s a much less common practice in the modern day.)

Persephone’s mom, Demeter, happened to be the goddess of nature. Furious that she’d lost her daughter, she froze the world in the first ever Winter. After some discussion about Global Cooling, Hades realized that hell freezing over might not be a good thing.

Hades was a canny negotiator: Persephone could go. But if she had consumed anything from the underworld, she was bound to it. Out of hunger, Persephone had eaten a small number of pomegranate pips.

So for four months out of the year, Persephone would return to Hades, and the world would freeze. All due to a handful of seeds.

——-

Cambodia? We just have a rainy season and a dry season. We finished Pchum Ben not too long ago, Halloween and the Mexican Day of the Dead follow in close order. Some years the Chinese calendar has the Ghost Festival in the same month.

Do the gates of Hell open up around this time of year? I’m not saying they do, but a lot of holidays regarding the dead happen around this time. Hmm…

Tags:greece,cambodia,mythology

Published by SIPAR editions, this is their second classic European children’s prose book after The Little Prince.

The book’s launch will be accompanied by a seminar on children’s literature at the Buddhist Institute:

TO CREATE A READING SOCIETY
A seminar on childrens literature, arranged by the International
Library, Sweden, and the Federation for Development of the Book Sector,
Cambodia.

Location: The Buddhist Institute, Phnom Penh

Monday 3 November
8:30 -9:00        Registration
9:00 -9:05        National Anthem of Cambodia
9:05 -9:30        Opening of the seminar. Mrs Pal Vannarirak, Mr Larry
Lempert
9:30 -10:00      Mrs Khlot Vibolla, Director of the National Library in Cambodia: /Libraries in Cambodia /

10:00 -10:45 Mr Larry Lempert: /Libraries for children and promotion of
reading in Sweden/

//10:45 -11:00    Break

11:00 -11:30    Mr Tim Chetra, SVA: /Libraries in the countryside in Cambodia/
11:30 -12:00    Discussion
12:00 -13:30    LUNCH
13:30 – 13: 50: Mrs Pal Vannarirak: /If the flower gets water: some children’s stories of my own /
13:50 – 14:35: Mrs Christina Björk:  /Non-fiction for pleasure/
//14:35 — 14:50 Mr Ven Son: /Experiences of writing/
//14:50 -15:05 Break
15:05 -15:45:/ /Mr Khun Sovannarith, illustrator and teacher at Reyum Art School for children and young people: /Art activities with children and publication of books for children/
//15:45 -16:15 Ms Hjördis Davidson, illustrator: /A small report from a
big school: experiences of working with images together with children in
Cambodia  /(This lecture will be interpreted directly by Anna Mattsson.)
16:15 -17:00    Discussion

I see some names above that have been involved in the Cambodia – Sweden Poetry Association. (Didn’t know there was such a thing? Wake up, it’s the 21st century.)

—————————————————-

Meanwhile, auditions are on for the Vagina Monologues.
http://www.expat-advisory.com/forums/call-for-auditions-the-vagina-monologues-vt6722.html
Which gets me to thinking: the Monologues have been translated into at least 11 languages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vagina_Monologues

Should there be a Khmer language version? It’s not the Congo - but there certainly is plenty of gender-based violence in Cambodia. My guessing is they’ll go for the Monaco option, come V-Day 2009. Cambodia has a long tradition of pre-emptive self-censorship.

One could make a stretch to interpret Pippi as an anarchist feminist, due to her consistent mocking of gender roles and pomposity. (Though I doubt she’d choose the label herself.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippi_Longstocking

One can overanalyze children’s books. But this tale’s stood the test of time, even crossing the Iron Curtain back during the Cold War. And in its own playful way, it shows a world where girls can choose their role, or change it.

Tags:literature,theatre,activism,cambodia,sweden,khmer