BEBEU

 ART, CULTURE, ECONOMICS, POLYTICS

My instinct - Stomach Churning

Promotional Flyer

Anytime I see Khmer arts, culture, ... being promoted, my stomach churns. It is my instict, but I seem to not be able to logically justify this feeling at all. What's wrong with showcasing Cambodia? It is about showing the world how wonderful Cambodia is, isn't it? Isn't about letting people know about Cambodia? I couldn't find any good answers to support my uneasy feeling, yet the instinctive "oh! oh!" persists.

Then, I found out that Phnom Penh government has been going around to solicit investments from the West and is using these art and cuture shows to promote Cambodia, to show the world how wonderful Cambodia is, in order to attract foreign investments. So there are definitely connections between the surge of these kinds of shows and the Phnom Penh government's economic plans/efforts, especially when pro government performers (DAKKA) are involved, and other social advocate Khmer artists (SAKA) are abscent. Well, what about local performers and exhibition of our
past glory? That question makes me reevaluate my instinct again. Then I remember my military training during the war: camouflage! The enemy did not know about me and my buddies until we were already at their throats because our camouflage was exceptional, and our deceiving plan was great. Could those locality and past glory be a camouflge, and a deceiving scheme?

DAKKA Sereymun

Anyway, what is wrong with trying to promote Cambodia and attract investments? Generally, it is a good idea. However, when it comes to Cambodia where communist/dictator family has ruled the country for almost half a century, normalcy is not something to be expected. Parts of the money flowing into the country usually end up in the wrong hands thru corruption. One can easily find out how corrupt the Phnom Penh government is by reading reports from variuos international organizations reponsable for indentifying corruption and human rights violations. Not difficult at all to search for those reports.

SAKA Artist

Wherever there is a dictatorship regime, corruption is also there. It is the corruption that enables dictators to hang on to their power and continue their oppression. Wherever there is dictatoship, there will be people suffering, people with their fundamental rights taken away, people being put in prison for speaking out, and people enslaved to the rich and powerful ...

THAT IS THE REASON MY STOMACH CHURNS.

** I am glad to be in the land of the free where I can always express myself, and at the same time I do respect other opinions as well. This is called Freedom of Expression that we all should embrace. SAKA: Social Advocate Khmer Artist DAKKA: Dictator's Ass Kisser Khmer Artist