http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzs9mKYznUQ&feature=player_embedded
Poch Reasey, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Thursday, 24 March 2011
“I don’t belong to any political party, because if I did, I would lose my independence.”
Kho Tararith used to be a moto taxi driver and construction worker in Phnom Penh. Today, he’s a writer enrolled with the prestigious literary program at Brown University, in Providence, R.I.
Kho Tararith, who is participating in a one-year fellowship at the university, says he loves to write short stories and poems that examine social issues in Cambodia. He has his own way of doing things.
“I’ve had to pave the way for myself,” he told VOA Khmer. “That’s what I’m doing. I have my own style, and I write about social issues that I see. I’m an independent writer.”
Kho Tararith said he wants to maintain his independence, while at the same time promoting Khmer-language literature.
“I don’t belong to any political party, because if I did, I would lose my independence,” he said. “I’d have to write what the party boss wanted me to write.”
When his year is finished, he said, he wants to find another scholarship to continue his studies in the US. After that, he said he hopes to return to Cambodia to help young writers develop their craft.
4 comments:
“If I were to get involved and/or be part of any political party, I would not have my freedom to write whatever I want to write. I would have to write whatever the leader of the party want me to write.”
Democracy - your constitutional right is protected
Communism, Absolute Monarchy, and Colonialism - You be the dog, where your owner give you command.
You said your writings will be focusing on social issues in Cambodia. Are you going to write about the Steung Meanchey dumpsite, parents selling their babies for survival, human and drug trafficking, general health and health care issues, land force eviction, substandard educational systems, corruption, etc? If you do write about social issues in Cambodia, I would be very interested to learn whom would you place responsibility to rectify the issues? Do you think you have the freedom to write and/or express your opinion?
Welcome to America. This is where people can have freedom to expand their mind.
Good luck to you.
Khmer Writer Association control by Hun Xen Government. Good that you stay other side.
Everything that someone wrote books or short stories in any countries where s/he lived,s/he could not write
what s/he could not see,hear or the environment around him/her.
No one in the world escapes from criticizing the authors or writers.
I have read so many books in English,
in french,and Khmer for so many years,but I saw writers getting involved in politic.
Everything in people life has to do
politic to survive.
yes, i encourage more young khmer people to be independent and creative in their thinking and writing skills, etc, ok! god bless all.
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