Landmine rap and hip-hop competition in Battambang, Cambodia. (Photo: Sok Savy, Radio Australia)Tue, 13 Oct 2009
Sonja Heydeman
Radio Australia News
Young people at risk from landmines in Cambodia are to be targeted by hip-hop and rap music carrying the message of risks from the abandoned munitions.
Many different ways have been tried to alert young Cambodians to the danger of landmines.
But the message is not getting through.
Kristin Rasmussen, of the Integrated Mine Action project, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia up to 80 percent of victims hurt in accidents have attended mine risk education sessions.
Identity
In particular, "we believe that young men tamper (with mines) as a way of forming their gender identity as young men," she says.
How to get through to them that landmines are potentially lethal?
Music is the latest education trend in three heavily mined villages that have experienced the highest fatality rates in the country. Of the victims, 38 percent are children.
Cambodia has 40,000 landmine amputees in a population of nearly 14 million - or one person in every 300.
Statistics show young males have the highest incidence of injuries related to tampering with the armaments.
Young people from the three villages in north-western Battambang province are part of a pilot program to create hip-hop and rap music carrying the mine risk message.
Agencies
The Integrated Mine Action project is working with the International Women's Development Agency and World Vision Cambodia, with funding from AusAid, the Australian aid agency.
Ms Rasmussen, IMA project coordinator, says a song competition has just been held bringing young people together. It featured original songs they composed.
Here are some of the themes from competing songs:
Ms Rasmussen says: "The reason that we decided to do this through rap and hip-hop messaging is because we wanted to reach out to one of the highest risk of tampering, which is young boys between the ages of 12 and 22."
She hopes the winning song from the competition will become an anthem for the cause.
Many different ways have been tried to alert young Cambodians to the danger of landmines.
But the message is not getting through.
Kristin Rasmussen, of the Integrated Mine Action project, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia up to 80 percent of victims hurt in accidents have attended mine risk education sessions.
Identity
In particular, "we believe that young men tamper (with mines) as a way of forming their gender identity as young men," she says.
How to get through to them that landmines are potentially lethal?
Music is the latest education trend in three heavily mined villages that have experienced the highest fatality rates in the country. Of the victims, 38 percent are children.
Cambodia has 40,000 landmine amputees in a population of nearly 14 million - or one person in every 300.
Statistics show young males have the highest incidence of injuries related to tampering with the armaments.
Young people from the three villages in north-western Battambang province are part of a pilot program to create hip-hop and rap music carrying the mine risk message.
Agencies
The Integrated Mine Action project is working with the International Women's Development Agency and World Vision Cambodia, with funding from AusAid, the Australian aid agency.
Ms Rasmussen, IMA project coordinator, says a song competition has just been held bringing young people together. It featured original songs they composed.
Here are some of the themes from competing songs:
"Don't use the explosive devices to modify and play around as a game.
It's dangerous and fatal, destroying arms, legs and make you blind.
It turns you to be disabled at very young age.
If you have explosives and ordinance go away as far as you can.
Don't ever make contact with them . . . "
It's dangerous and fatal, destroying arms, legs and make you blind.
It turns you to be disabled at very young age.
If you have explosives and ordinance go away as far as you can.
Don't ever make contact with them . . . "
Ms Rasmussen says: "The reason that we decided to do this through rap and hip-hop messaging is because we wanted to reach out to one of the highest risk of tampering, which is young boys between the ages of 12 and 22."
She hopes the winning song from the competition will become an anthem for the cause.
19 comments:
Who listen to these gangsters calling rap? Look how they dress, too disgusting.
Why cannot they be a creative making their own style to fit with the Khmer society instead of copycat from US and Europe?
We Khmers are culturally a weak Nation without realizing it.
Then perhaps we should stop accusing Siam of stealing our culture.
11:29 why dont you shut the fuck up....these people are trying to raise awareness about landmines to save the people from getting blowned up....atleast they dont put there own people down like your fucking dumb fuck ass....what are you doing now in your life you fucking loser....
11:29 DOES IT MATTER HOW THEY DRESS.....HOW DO YOU DRESS, DO YOU EVEN HAVE CLOTHES, OIC YOU ARE JUST FUCKING JEALOUS
Good job Kone Khmer...Keep moving
Wowo..how could I am jealous with these gangsters? They looklike batpsar to me. I don't want my people to wear like these gangsters that's all.
This is bad for cambodian society and cultural, these (RAPs) bullshit craps piosoning young cambodian generations to come, i hope Hun Sen step up and stop this shit right away.....
1:06 your people...? they are not your people if you need to tell them what to wear
correction = poisoning our young generations, these gang bang bullshit must not allows in Cambodia period!
correction= This gangbanging bullshit should not be allowed in cambodia period
All young people need to do whatever it takes to be heard and let our gov't do something about it and also it is no use to be silent, we call this “democracy” ok. It is better doing something more or less rather than doing nothing at all. In addition, all young people need to be involved in all sort of activities because it is part of their growing up, e.g. by promoting sport, dancing, singing as well as learning extra skills is all good. Well done guys, I love you all cheers,
Our Khmers should preserve our rich culture either we are now poor still we must not lower ourselves to this Rap.
Rap is not loved by most societies, as I recalled Michael Jackson never allowed his three children to be exposed to Rap, they're only wathcing Mr. Cosby Show and other children shows.
I agree with some posters that Rap should not be allowed to enter Cambodia.
Most of RAPs are violent and turns into crimes, sex, lust, these things are bad sign for cambodian youngster generation, i urge our govt to take action and stop these poisoning NOW!!
Yep! especially those deportees are spreading disease of crimes: stabbing, killing, gang bang activities, robbery etc....Cambodian Gov't must stop taken deportees from US, because these deportees enjecting alot of criminals activities in our country these day, alot stabbing and killing going on in cambodia right now...
12:33 you are a fucking moron.....you fucking fag that cant say that to a deportee in there face
12:33 TELL ME IS TINY TOONES IN CAMBODIA SPREADING VIOLENCE....YOU FUCKING MORON , YOU ARE JUST JEALOUS THEASE DEPORTES OR DOING SOMTHING IN THERE LIFE.....WHAT ARE YOU DOING ...?.....HIDING BEHIND YOUR COMPUTER TALKING SHIT ABOUT PEOPLE......FUCKING FAGGET YOU ARE A DISGRACE ....GO AND BLOG ON THE THAI WEBSITES MOTHERFUCKER...YOU FUCKING SIEM
Raps are violent. Plse don't spread this violent culture in Cambodia, we have too much violent already.
Rapers. Please take of your gangbands from your heads but do something that could help the unfortunate Khmer children.
Our culture must be preserved and do not allow this gang-rapers to infiltrate in our society.
Those fucken deportees are spreading disease in cambodia these day, officials should tracking them down where we drop them off, there's no such Stabbing, driven by shooting in cambodia before...? let those fucken deprotees stabbs, kills Thai black soldier who shot and burned our people alive...would you?
Want to be rapers then be creative yoursefl. Using our krama wrap on the head instead of copying from blacks in the US.
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