ហេឡូ​វីអូអេ ២០ កុម្ភៈ ២០១២៖ អ្នកនិពន្ធ​ខ្មែរ​ក្នុង​សម័យ​បច្ចុប្បន្ន

លោក ខូ តារាឫទ្ធិ​ ជាអ្នក​និពន្ធ​ខ្មែរ​ទីមួយ​ដែល​សិក្សា​នៅ​សាកល​វិទ្យាល័យ​ដ៍ល្បីឈ្មោះ​មួយ គឺ​សាកលវិទ្យា​ហាវដ (Harvard University) ដែល​​ស្ថិត​នៅ​ភាគ​ខាង​កើត​ស.រ.អា។ (រូបថត៖ អ៊ឹម សុធារិទ្ធ វីអូអេ ខ្មែរ)

ថ្ងៃច័ន្ទ, 20 ខែកុម្ភៈ 2012
ដោយ អ៊ឹម សុធារិទ្ធ​ វីអូអេ ខ្មែរ | វ៉ាស៊ីនតោន

កំណត់ចំណាំ៖ អស់លោក វីអូអេ អើយ! សូមជួយពិនិត្យ អក្ខរាវិរុទ្ធ ផង សរសេរខុសច្រើសណាស់ទាន!

កម្មវិធី​សំឡេង​អ្នក​ជំនាន់​ថ្មី​ (New Voices) ទី៦​បាន​​អញ្ជើញ​និស្សិត​ ខូ តារាឫទ្ធិ​ ជំនាញ​ខាង​ការតែង​និពន្ធ​នៃ​សាកលវិទ្យា​ហាវដ (Harvard University)​ ដែល​ជា​សាកល​វិទ្យាល័យ​ដ៏​ល្បីល្បាញ​មួយ​នៅ​សហរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក​ធ្វើ​ជាវគ្មិន។ លោក​ខូ តារារិទ្ធ​ និយាយ​អំពី «អ្នក​និពន្ធ​ខ្មែរ​សម័យ​​បច្ចុប្បន្ន»។​ លោក ខូ តារារិទ្ធ​ គឺ​ជា​អ្នក​ខេត្ត​ឧត្តមានជ័យ។​ មុន​នឹង​បាន​មក​សិក្សា​នៅ​សាកល​វិទ្យាល័យ​ហាវដ ​នៅ​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា​ លោក​ ខូ តារារិទ្ធ​ លោក​ធ្លាប់​បាន​ធ្វើ​ជា​ប្រធាន​​សមាគម​អ្នក​សាប​ព្រោះ​ ប្រធាន​សមាគម​អក្សរ​សិល្ប៍​នូ ហាច​ គ្រូ​បង្រៀន​ទស្សនៈវិជ្ជា​​នៅ​វិទ្យាល័យ​វត្ត​ស្វាយ​នៃ​ខេត្ត​សៀមរាប​ អ្នក​ផលិតកម្ម​វិធី​នៅ​វិទ្យុ​មណ្ឌល​ព័ត៌មាន​ស្រ្តី​កម្ពុជា​ FM 102​ និង​បាន​និពន្ធ​រឿង​ប្រលោម​លោក​ខ្នាត​ខ្លី​ និង​កំណាព្យ​មួយ​ចំនួន។​ លោក ខូ តារារិទ្ធ​ ក៏​ធ្លាប់​ទទួល​បាន​អាហារូបករណ៍​អ្នក​និពន្ធ​អន្តរជាតិ​(International Writers) នៅ​សាកល​វិទ្យាល័យ​ប្រោន (Brown University) នៅ​រដ្ឋ​រ៉ូដអាឡិនដ៍​ (Rhode Island) សហរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក។

សូម​ស្តាប់​សំឡេង​ទាំង​ស្រុង​នៃ​កម្មវិធី​ហេឡូ​វីអូអេ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី២០ ​ខែ​កុម្ភៈ​ ឆ្នាំ​២០១២៖

Click to download the audio program in MP3

2012 Literature Competition announcement

Khmer Grammar - Op-Ed by B. Boy

Khmer Grammar - Op-Ed by B. Boy
http://www.scribd.com/full/52867885?access_key=key-26ljpelxp65rlcyqmewp

Website carrying ancient Cambodian manuscripts launched

30 March 2011
By Monica Kotwani
Channel News Asia (Singapore)

Click here for www.khmermanuscripts.org

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Embassy in Cambodia, together with UNESCO, has launched a website, carrying contents of ancient Cambodian manuscripts.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Embassy has been supporting UNESCO, through a fund, for the last two years in its work to digitise the manuscripts.

The manuscripts, written on latania leaves, faced extinction in the 1990s.

They are Cambodia's only written heritage available, apart from stone inscriptions, and an information source for researchers on the country's religious and cultural practices and customs.

The website was launched on Wednesday evening at the French Cultural Centre in Phnom Penh.

Bandam Ta Meas (Grandpa Meas' Advise) with the introduction by Dr. Khing Hoc Dy

Khing Hoc Dy - Bandam Ta Meas (Grandpa Meas' Advise)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/50974822/Khing-Hoc-Dy-Bandam-Ta-Meas-Grandpa-Meas-Advise

Announcement from the Nou Hach Association

Click on the announcement in Khmer to zoom in

During his study at Brown University, Mr. Kho Tararith, a writer and the president of Nou Hach Association of Cambodia, will organize the publishing project to be participated by many writers from different countries around the world. The publication will be printed out in Cambodia and the United States in 2010 and 2011 containing of poems and short stories.

This announcement is intended to encourage our Cambodians who want to share and have their ideas published to participate in the project. They can write in both Khmer and English.

• Topics: He/She can freely chooses any topics written in the form of modern literature reflecting the present reality of society.
• Poem: Max 5 pages, submission 31 October 2010
• Short story: Max 10 pages, submission 31 December 2010

Please read the Announcement in Khmer above.

For more information please contact:

KHO Tararith
Watson Institute
Brown University
111 Thayer Street, Box 1970
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401.863.9744
Email: khmerlite@gmail.com

What is the true Khmer spirit?

Sopheap Chak (Photo: SopheapFocus.com)

May 19, 2010
By A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
Pacific Daily News (Guam)

As humans, most of us are masters at repeating our past mistakes and being frustrated at the unhappy outcomes. Albert Einstein said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result."

Pasted next to my computer is a quote from "212 degrees -- The Extra Degree" that reads: "To get what we've never had, we must do what we've never done." But it's hard to break old habits.

In my May 12 column, I wrote about a Cambodian graduate student in Japan, Sopheap Chak, who posted "Reflection on Cambodian Women Value and Model" on her website on March 7. She stated: "In Cambodia, a male-dominated society, females are more expected to conform to norm and tradition which placed women inferior to their male counterparts." She writes of the tension between "old tradition" that teaches that females should stay home, and her parents' teaching "that brought me to today's higher education."

Chak cites a Khmer saying, also cited by Cambodian lawmaker Mu Sochua, who was targeted by the current government for prosecution for promoting "feminist policies." The saying goes: "A man is gold; a woman is a white piece of cloth." Gold can be picked up from the mud and be cleaned until it shines; whereas the white cloth will never regain its purity no matter how long it is washed.

Chak said: "There are various traditional codes of conduct for women as described in proverbs, folktales and novels, especially in 'Chbab Srey' ('Women's Code of Conduct'), on how women should behave." She examined an excerpt from "Chbab Srey" and she posted its English translation by Cambodia's Partnership Against Domestic Violence.

Chak also posted Tharum Bun's "Musings from Cambodia: Cambodian Woman in the Information Age," which contains a history of codes of conduct for men and women, introduced during King Ang Duong's reign in 1848-1860, that are "still being taught by family and school in this 21st Century."

Although "old practices" still continue, "globalization and modernization have brought much change to Cambodian perception," Chak says.

Global Voice Online's "Cambodia: Riding the Wave of Change" states: "In a country where men tend to have more privileges in family and society, a new wave of change is about to begin." GVO presents Chak as "another urban woman with initiatives and ambitions."

Chak writes in her biography, "All my life I've been dedicated to social causes."
"We all can make change," Chak said in an interview published in GVO. Her biography reads, "I truly believe that with the right mindset, and the right people, Cambodia will see change. ... It's only a matter of time before justice comes along."

All this brings me back to my article, "Understanding Khmer Folktales," published in the Winter 1995 issue of Taipei's Asian-Pacific Culture Quarterly of the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians' Union. In it, I presented two opposing currents in Cambodia's post-Angkor literature: The elitist conservative literature of the royal court of Lovek and Oudong; and the revolutionary popular literature of the average citizen.

The elitist literature, in the form of poems, advice and codes of behavior, preaches respect for customs, traditions, the establishment and authority.

"Chbab Kram," or "Codes of Civility," teach Khmer children to be docile, respectful, accepting of authority, to know how to bend and to serve to the end of one's life; "Chbab Srey," or "Codes of Conduct for Women" extols the man and teaches the women to endure, no matter how wrong her husband may be; "Chbab Koeng Kantrai" teaches that the king is the final and supreme judge.

Though the elitist literature defines the model Khmer of Theravada Buddhism as docile, quiet, complacent, patient, accepting, accommodating, passive, a believer in "karma" and reincarnation, the Khmer classic "Krung Suphmitr" (1789) reveals the Brahman era's powerful influence on Khmer thought in the form of a hero with supernatural strength capable of resisting obstacles before him.

Thus, a dichotomy of the Khmer person emerges: An accepting, accommodating and harmony-seeking Khmer Buddhist caught in a warrior tradition of Brahmanism.

Opposing this elitist perspective is the revolutionary literature in the form of folktales and legends. These broke away from the golden past and undermined the Angkor traditions, focusing on common men and women as central characters. The Khmer folktales -- "A Chey" and "Thnenh Chey," "A Lev," "Sophea Tunsay" -- spare no one, from powerful aristocrats to the divine king and Buddhist monks. They remain popular. They illustrate a common man's reaction against a society that was deeply traditional and unequal.

Today, as Khmer politicians compete to guide Cambodia's future, they call upon elements of the Khmer national character that suit their purposes.

When Pol Pot came to power in 1975, he called openly on the "Khmer warrior heritage" to motivate and energize the Khmer citizenry. Thinking that a nation which once had achieved the glory of Angkor could again return to that glory, he declared: "If the Khmers could build Angkor during the period of slavery, they can do anything."

What is the true Khmer spirit? Does it lie in the Codes of Conduct or in the bawdy and irreverent folktales, or in both?

A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com.

Cambodia: Bloggers promote Khmer Literature

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
By Sopheap Chak
Global Voices Online

អក្សររលត់ ជាតិរលាយ អក្សរពណ្ណរាយ ជាតិថ្កើងថ្កាន
Aksar roluat jeat roleay Aksar ponnareay jeat thkeung thkan.
“If letters disappear, the nation will disappear, if letters are brilliant, the nation is excellent.”

This is one of the prominent Cambodian proverbs used mostly in Cambodian literature classes from primary to higher education level. It is the most influential message that inspires the young generation to promote Khmer literature. Strikingly, young Cambodian bloggers have transformed this proverb into action by promoting the achievement of past generation authors as well as creating their own literature and developing talents through the publication of digital and hard-copy materials.

Established in 2007, Khmer Youth Writers is initiated by young authors who are talented in Cambodian literature with the purpose of promoting and improving Khmer literature and its market. Many of the young team members have won in the National Khmer Literature Competition, which is annually organized by the Ministry of Education.

Also, they were further trained by literature associations like the Nou Hach Literary Association whose motto is to strengthen and promote Cambodian literature. Their publications have gained admiration from readers who are curious to know more about how to become talented authors.

Asked about his interest in writing and becoming a literature author, 26 year-old Chanphal Sok, who claims to be the oldest in the team (the average age in the group is between 19 to 22), replied in Khmer language:

ខ្ញុំ!ចាប់អារម្មណ៍ព្រោះយល់ថាជាសិល្បៈដែលមិនងាយនឹង
ធ្វើបានទាល់តែមនុស្សពូកែទើបអាចសរសេរស្នាដៃបាន
ចង់ក្លាយជាមនុស្សពូកែក៏ចង់ក្លាយជាអ្នកនិពន្ធគិតថា
មិនមែនមនុស្សគ្រប់គ្នាអាចអ្វើការងារនេះបានទេ
បើខ្លួនឯងមាននិស្ស័យអាចទៅរួចគួរតែខំប្រឹង
I am interested in this work for the fact that literature is a difficult artistic task. Only few talented people can do so. With special talent in literature, I therefore want to become an author.

Sophal also expresses the significance of his team’s literature work on Khmer reader and the whole society:

ទីមួយ ខ្មែរមានអក្សរសិល្បអាន។
អប់រំតាមស្នាដៃនិពន្ធ។មនុស្សអាចសិក្សាពីសង្គម
មួយតាមស្នាដៃអក្សរសិល្ប៍ ។ខ្ញុំសង្កេតឃើញថា
បើប្រទេសណា មានអ្នកនិពន្ធពូកែច្រើនប្រទេសនោះ
ក៏រីកចម្រើនដែរ ។ មនុស្សរៀនតាមសៀវភៅ
បើមានសៀវភៅល្អច្រើនប្រាកដជាល្អ។
Firstly, Khmer readers can benefit from Cambodian literature. It can be used for educational purposes. People can understand a society through literature. I observe that a country is prosperous when there are many talented authors. People learn by reading books; therefore, it is great if there are many books published.

Some members who live in the provinces could not join the team meetings regularly. The internet facilitates instant communication in the group. Sophal considers blogs as great communication tools. “A blog is like our officewhich we can share and make our works widely visible,” said Sophal.

One of the initiators of this Khmer Youth Authors, Archphkai or Asteroid, in his profile gave a brief history of the group as the following:

«ក្រុមអ្នកនិពន្ធវ័យក្មេង»
ត្រូវបានបង្កើតឡើងដោយក្រុមសិស្សនិស្សិតមួយក្រុម
ក្រោយពីបាន ឆ្លងកាត់វគ្គសិក្សារឿងខ្លីនៅសមាគម
អក្សរសិល្ប៍នូហាចរួចមក។ ក្រោយមកក្រុមនេះត្រូវ
បានដូរឈ្មោះជា «ក្រុមយុវអ្នកនិពន្ធខ្មែរ»
វិញម្តង ដោយបានទទួលការផ្តល់យោបល់ពី
អ្នកស្រីប៉ិចសង្វាវ៉ាន អ្នកនិពន្ធខ្មែរនៅប្រទេសបារាំង។
“Young Authors Group” is established by a group of students who took literature training course at Nou Hach Literary Association. This group later changed its name to “Khmer Youth Authors” with the advice of Khmer author, Mrs. Pich Sanvavan.

Here are the links to the blogs of these young team members as well as literature authors who have written various short stories and poems: Archphkai, Boran, Chanphal Sok, Chetra, Khmeng Toch , Narath , Nimol

Notably, Cambodia is fortunate to have many scholars and authors who are talented in literature. These writers employ chbap, or didactic codes, Reuang Preng, or folktales, and novels, for example, in order to educate and reflect the reality of society during their lifetime. For instance, the most popular novels published during late 1930s, which have been used as main school texts are Phka Srapon or Faded Flower by Nou Hach, Sophat by Rim Gin [KI-Media note: Rim Kin] and Koulap Pailin or Pailin Rose, by Nuk Thiem [KI-Media note: Nhok Them]. These novels have film adaptations. Also within the period of 1950s to 1975, about 50 books per year were published (Nepote, Jacques and Khing Hoc Dy, “Literature and Society in Modern Cambodia,” 1981: 64).

However, much of Cambodian literary heritage was destroyed during the rule of Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979) when the National Library was maintained to raise pigs instead. It was estimated that about 80 percent of written works in Khmer were destroyed (read “A Building Full of Books” by Ledgerwood in Cultural Survival).

Cambodia lacks its own text materials, especially since the fall of the Khmer Rouge Regime. Hopefully, the inspiring works of young Cambodian authors will help reawaken the past golden era of Khmer literature.

Aksor Sastr Khmer - "Khmer literature": A Poem in Khmer by Sam Vichea

(Kamnap Kakateh Choan Torng)

Poem in Khmer by Sam Vichea (on the web at http://kamnapkumnou.blogspot.com)

Struggling Writers Emerging, Book by Book

By Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
25 September 2008

The novel sat, unpurchased, on a stand outside O’Russey Market. On its cover, a young man carried a beautiful woman in his arms, through rain and lighting. The novel, “If a Heart Has Blood,” was one of the books coming out of Cambodia’s growing literary scene and, like other Cambodian novels, had a message.

“If a Heart Has Blood” tells the story of a singer who tricks her powerful, promiscuous father into sleeping with her. It is the second novel of 28-year-old author You Sophea, who said recently it was meant as an indictment of the practice of “okhnas,” businessmen of high standing, having sex with young girls.

“I’ve written the novel in hopes of getting rid of attempts by some singers to get other women’s husbands,” he said. “Meanwhile, okhnas should stop considering young female singers as sex objects, because if the singers were their own daughters or relatives, how would these okhnas feel?”

The messages You Sophea and other authors hope to convey through their works are not yet going as far as they’d like, and not yet paying as much as they’d like.

Khmer-language literature was nearly destroyed during the Khmer Rouge period, when many authors and intellectuals were executed. Its resurgence has been slow, and, writers say, hampered by a lack of protective laws for intellectual property and a dearth of payment.

Nevertheless, Cambodian literature is making a comeback.

You Bo, vice president of the Khmer Writers Association, said recently more and more youths are becoming interested in literature, though no exact number of writers is known.

The Khmer writers Association has around 200 members, he said, but only around 20 of them regularly publish and sell their work.

Kho Tararith, president of the Nou Hach Literary Association, agreed. More young writers are emerging, but the number is still not sufficient to restore or develop Cambodian literature to an international level.

“The lack of Khmer writers is a result of the lack of support among ourselves,” he said. “I mean, we writers have fears. We are afraid that there is no reader for our work, or our work will not be published, or that our writing will affect politicians.”

“Another reason is that we have no independent publisher,” he added.

In Cambodia, writers make deals directly with printing houses or bookstore owners. There is no publisher involved. The printing house or bookstore buys the work exclusively and can print as many copies as it wants, as many times as it wants, without permission for the writer and without paying royalties.

This can be disappointing, said Mao Samnang, one of Cambodia’s most famous novelists.

She earns between $300 to $500 per novel and churns out one novel about every month.

“In fact, no writer wants to sell his or her intellectual property rights,” she said. “We want the same practices as other countries have. If our work is published for a second or third time, our rights should be requested. We want such a thing, but we cant so far, as our country has not properly protected a writer’s rights.”

Article 19 of the 2003 “Copyright Law” protects a the rights of a writer as permanent. The rights cannot be sold or confiscated, but the law does not provide for the exclusive rights to buy a writer’s work.

“Only when writers can make a profit do they sell their work,” said Khim Sarith, secretary of state for the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. “This is good, as they don’t have to bother whether their work will be copyrighted or not. If their work is copied for sales by others, that’s the loss of the printing house or book store.”

There is at least one printing house that pays for second or third runs: Neak Meas.

Neak Meas Printing House publishes literary works, but instead of a one-off price for the book, the house pays per number of books published.

“I give a writer 12 cents per book I sell,” said Neak Meas manager Kaing Sopheak. “I print 3,000 copies a time, so that means the writer can get $360 in sales. If I print the book a second time, he will get another payment. He will get extra payments until he dies if the book is still printed.”

“I do this to encourage more and more writers,” he said.

A better system of payment may help, but what would really boost writers is more readers, said Thea Sokmeng, head of the literature department at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

“Even some literature student only read the textbooks required by the school,” he said. “They don’t read more for pleasure or to increase their knowledge because they do not have a reading habit.”

Parents must develop this habit in their children by starting to read more from now on, he said.

US School Maintains Cambodian Culture

By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Massachussetts
27 August 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

Anywhere Cambodians are around the world, they find ways to preserve Khmer literature and Cambodian identity. In Lowell, Mass., that has meant a public charter school that helps teach US-Cambodian children about Cambodian arts, history, music and culture.

Eng Rida, director of Lowell Community Charter Public, said the school teaches US and immigrant children, including those from South America or Africa.

"We have the ability to let our students study Khmer history, South American history, and the history of other countries, from where they have moved to live in the US as immigrants," he said.

Students can choose to learn in Khmer or Spanish, he said.

Besides helping students with a free education, the charter school also helps parents by offering after-school programs for the children.

"I think we take care of them very well, so that it can help reduce the burden on parents," Eng Rida said.

The school was established in 2000 with support from the US government, growing from 200 students in the beginning to about 950, eight years later. The school is considered a public school, and does not make a profit. Of those, 300 are Cambodian.

Eng Rida said he planned to expand the school to accommodate more students and more grade levels, and he hoped to establish an exchange program with Cambodian schools.

Eighth-grader Sok Sovanarith said his school was a leading institution in the state and took great care in educating students.

"This school always has a new program to teach us from year to year, in order to teach us about Cambodian society, American society and societies of some other countries societies."

The charter school was much different from schools in Cambodia, he said.

"We study eight hours per day and six days a week here, but in Cambodia the students study only four hours per day and five days a week," he said. "The students here have more time to work and have discussions with the teacher. Furthermore, we have the after-school program, which allow us to stay in the school so we can talk more with the teachers and the teachers always help us whenever we need. In Cambodia we don't have this kind of program."

Livan Yary, who teaches painting and ceramics at the school, said the method of US instruction is to show students how to learn from their own creations, which is a much different approach from Cambodian schools, where students receive exact interpretations of subjects from their teachers.

"After I explain to them how to paint like this and that or so on, then I will let them do it themselves or let them create by themselves, no matter what kind of picture will come out of their painting," he said. "Here they teach them to know how to create first, but back in Cambodia everything has the be exactly the same as the teacher does, or they won't have a score."