Help Young Cambodian Artists Start Their Career

Our scholarship students have been busy!  This quarter we saw them all come together for their last quarterly debate of the year, participate in our bi-annual youth arts festival (Amatak) and travel to Japan and China. 

June

In partnership with the U.S. Embassy of Phnom Penh, we held an event at Pannasastra University to celebrate the release of Never Fall Down in Khmer.  Arn Chorn-Pond’s childhood during the Khmer Rouge is the subject of Patricia McCormick’s novel Never Fall Down.  Until now, the main obstacle in reading the novel for Cambodians was that it had only been released in English, this translation opens Arn’s story to a new generation of young Cambodians.

The event featured a short video about Arn’s story, a description on the process of writing the book with the main editor of translation, followed by a question and answer period.  The books were made available to all participants including our scholarship students who all received a copy. 

July

Our scholarship students came together for their last debate of the scholarship year, where they discussed the role of gender in the arts. This proved to be a fruitful discussion with both sides passionately defending their position on the topic.

Also in July, Chapei Dang Weng Master Suon San and CLA-trained Chapei musician and one of our scholarship students traveled to China where they performed as part of the Inaugural Guiyang Summer Festival of Indigenous Music. 

August

Many scholarship students took part in Amatak Festival.  After 15 years of working with Master Artists to spread the knowledge of traditional art forms across the country, a new generation of artists has grown up, eager to transform Cambodia through the arts. 

The Amatak Festival featured 10 recently formed ensembles, presenting a dynamic and creative blend of art forms, which showcased their traditional roots.  Scholarship students, past and present, could be found throughout the festival either as participating artists or spectators. 

The festival also featured various discussions, one topic of discussion, made up of scholarship students, was Women and the Arts, which focused on the challenges women encounter in the arts sector and whether this is an issue society needs to address.  This discussion also included a special theatre performance.  The performance provided no answers but left it for the audience to decide.

September

Three scholarship students traveled to Japan where they spent three weeks taking part in a cultural exchange program organized by the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA).  The program included a homestay experience and performances. 

A CONTINUED PATH AND NEW BEGINNINGS

At the end of September, we awarded 38 scholarships for the 2015 school year (18 renewals & 20 new).  An official ceremony was held at the CLA office and served as an opportunity to celebrate past scholars’ achievements, watch a performance by past and new scholarship students, hear from the Director General of Cultural Affairs, and receive their awards. 

“Artists and professionals are really important for the development of Cambodian arts.  Transferring knowledge from Master Artists to students is one of the most important ways to make our traditional arts living.  And I am really pleased to see how much CLA has done in this direction.  The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts wishes to work more closely with CLA to make the Cambodian arts sector thrive”  H.E. Hab Touch, Director-General of the Department General of Cultural Affairs

“It was the first time I applied for this scholarship and I did not believe I could pass it!  I can’t express how excited I felt when it was announced I was accepted… I chose to study English because I want to create networks with people around the world.  I want to introduce international audiences to Cambodian culture and arts.” Nou Samnag, Chapei students

• Amatak Festival Program (PDF)