Khmerization and Cambodian Identity

In this episode, Globe Editor-in-Chief Andrew Haffner and his co-host Dy Sereyvoleak explore Phnom Penh’s role in shaping Cambodia’s contemporary culture, focusing on the city’s role in bringing art, music and other creative pursuits to the eyes, ears, and minds of the public. It may not rival global cultural giants like New York or Paris, but it undoubtedly plays a pivotal role in shaping popular taste and media in Cambodia.

The duo take a look at Phnom Penh’s evolving infrastructure supporting artistic endeavours, from art and music to various other lanes of creative craftsmanship. In the process, we hear from Sok Visal, founder of the music label and film production studio KlapYaHandz, and Yean Reaksmey, an art history lecturer, curator and critic. They also caught up with Sievphin Chong, better known as his alter ego Peace Chong, an independent musician and digital culture creator. All share some unique perspectives on Cambodian culture evolution.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) started with lofty ambitions. 

This massive China-led infrastructure project has been called one of the most “one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever conceived.” The vast network of overland corridors and maritime shipping routes was announced in 2013 by president Xi Jinping, and based on the Silk Road, one of the world’s original trade routes and a critical source of connectivity between Asia and the Mediterranean and European world. In Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on his Chinese counterparts for funding over the next couple of years as he pushes for the country's ascent from a low-income to a middle-income country. But while positive aspects of improved infrastructure are clear, underlying problems with land tenure and other rights could stifle success.

To help explore some key concepts of BRI, today’s episode focuses on the new expressway running between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville on the coast, the location of the country’s only deep water port and the site of ambitions to make a second major city in the Kingdom. 

Covid-19 resulted in a loss of 250 days of school for Cambodian students. With a focus on the status of public education post-pandemic, we  spoke with Chhun Vyrada, a teacher and fellow with Teach for Cambodia and Ou Sokhim, the Education and Technical Lead at Aide et Action, an education non-profit, to learn what the learning outcomes are for students who lost out on a year of educational opportunities. 

The Cambodian government has an increasing number of female representatives, as well as a Ministry of Women’s Affairs, but major hurdles remain in place limiting actual participation in governance. To help tackle these questions, we invited Chanthol Oung, Executive Director of the Women's Media Centre of Cambodia and
You Sotheary, Founder of the Next Women Generation platform to share their experiences and reflections on women’s issues, the current state of women in politics, and their hopes for the future.

This week we take a walk through Prey Lang Forest, in theory a protected sanctuary, but which has seen rampant deforestation propelled by official corruption. Joining us are Meou Chandara, an activist from the Cambodian Youth Network, and Fran Lambrick, a co-founder of environmental and human rights group Not1More

The outlook seemed bleak for the Kingdom's garment industry when early last year Cambodia simultaneously lost tariff-free access to the EU and the pandemic struck the global economy. Almost 18 months on, we speak with GMAC head Ken Loo and researcher Dennis Arnold to learn about the state of the industry today

Being Khmer is often treated as synonymous to being Cambodian. But many ethnicities are woven throughout the Kingdom's rich tapestry, as social commentator Din Darathtey and Cambodian Living Arts executive director Prim Phloeun join the podcast to discuss