July 2012
Cambodian Living Arts' (CLA) will be featured on acclaimed program Channel 21 on major Cambodian TV channel CTN, on Wednesday 1st of August, 2012, at 9pm.
Emerging artists from CLA's Yike (Khmer traditional operetta) class will perform an excerpt of Mak Therng, a rare piece of the Yike repertoire to be staged at the National Museum two times a week from October 2012, as part of the Plae Pakaa season of traditional shows. Horm Srey Mi and Theng Kamsor, who perform lead characters in the play, will be eventually interviewed. CLA's former Chapei Dang Weng student and Kong Nay's son Kong Boran will also perform and improvise a song on the spot. CLA founder Arn Chorn-Pond, along with Creative Industries program manager Ros Ratanak, will finally tell you more about Cambodian Living Arts.
Channel 21 is a talk program featuring artists who are given word and space to share their experience and talents. Don't miss your chance to learn more about CLA and emerging artists!
Breaking news: The novel NEVER FALL DOWN by Patricia McCormick about CLA’s founder Arn Chorn-Pond and his incredible story surviving the Khmer Rouge thanks to the arts, is now available for sale at Monument Books in Phnom Penh.
For more information about NEVER FALL DOWN, read the dedicated article.
Monument Books Phnom Penh:
- Norodom Store#111, Norodom Blvd, Phnom Penh.
- Phnom Penh International AirportInternational Departure Lounge of Phnom Penh International Airport
By Georgia Sparling | Jul 20, 2012 | Sippican Week
With tens of millions of trees planted through her work, Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai united communities and challenged the Kenyan government.
Now, a plaque in Marion's Bicentennial park remembers this gutsy humanitarian who fought for change from the ground up.
Through her organization, the Green Belt Movement, Maathai rallied communities across Kenya to plant trees that could be used as fuel, food and to improve ecosystems.
According to its website, the Green Belt Movement has seen 47 million trees planted since 1977.
Although much of her work was done in Kenya, Maathai’s impact extends across the globe, even after she succumbed to cancer in September 2011.
The Marion Institute began working with Maathai and her organization in the late 1990s to help them build awareness, fundraise and establish nonprofit status in the States.
In 2001, the Institute arranged a tree planting with Maathai at Bicentennial Park.
“She glowed. She lit up a room just walking into it,” said Marion Institute’s Executive Director Desa Van Laarhoven. “We wanted to make sure people hear her name.”
Van Laarhoven said the planting was somewhat comical.
“She shows up and we have this giant tree, six feet tall. It’s clearly not a sapling,” said Van Laarhoven. “She was laughing. She thought it was so beautiful how the United States, when they focused on doing something, did it to the biggest degree they could fathom.”
While Maathai loved planting trees, Van Laarhoven said, “The whole reason she was really doing this was to build communities, to bring women together, to empower youth. That was all her cover mission: to build a more sustainable, loving world.”
Maathai got women talking about HIV and AIDS, advocated for equal rights and spoke out against the destruction of the natural environment, said Van Laarhoven.
For her work, Maathai often put her life in danger.
“She was an incredible woman who was beaten by police and arrested many times,” said Laarhoven. “We can’t even put our finger on the pulse of what she influenced. She lives on in many ways.”
One of those ways is through a new plaque that stands beside the tree Maathai planted in 2001. Van Laarhoven said Maathai’s death prompted the Institute’s Board of Directors to install it in her memory.
“They wanted to make sure to protect the tree, to make sure people knew. Maybe people will come across it and look her up,” said Van Laarhoven.
Almost a year after Maathai’s death, her work continues through the Green Belt Movement. Marion Institute also continues to look for ways to contribute to her mission of uniting communities in America and abroad.
The question, said Van Laarhoven is: “How can we create inspiration from this woman who poured her heart and soul into this work?”
A tribute to an amazing woman, leader, environmentalist and friend. Plant your saplings with love and a thank you to Jeffrey Glassman and RainforestMaker for donating 500 saplings in Wangari's honor.
Prof. Wangari Muta Maathai started the Green Belt Movement in 1977, working with women to improve their livelihoods by increasing their access to resources like firewood for cooking and clean water. She became a great advocate for better management of natural resources and for sustainability, equity, and justice.
source: Sippican Week
Wangari Maathai Tribute
Watch the Connecting For Change tribute to an amazing woman, leader, environmentalist and friend.
Three days of inspiration: keynote speakers, educational and skill building workshops, farmers’ and local artisan markets, music, art and urban camping. Sant Bani continues to join with hundreds of others at the Connecting for Change Conference presented by the Marion Institute in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The conference brings the Marion Institute tenets to life and the students bring them into daily life when they return to their New Hampshire hillside. These foundational principles emphasize that mimicking the diversity of nature is a key to success, identifying the root cause of issues creates positive change, and increasing accessibility and opportunity will create a more just world.
The range of workshops and guest speakers seemed vast to the thirty high schoolers and many staff members who made the trek south for the seventh annual conference. Whether it was teambuilding, composting, food forests, kale culture, recycled art, storytelling for social change, greenhouses or intergenerational dialogue, there was much to engage. The keynote speakers, music and dance that brought us all together at the Zeiterion Theatre were exciting and thought provoking. The food was superb—enhanced by the 20 pounds of garlic grown at Sant Bani and donated as our contribution to the conference kitchen. The accommodations on the gymnasium floor of the Boys and Girls Club of New Bedford were fun and welcome.
And it didn’t end when the last sleeping bag was packed into the school van; students returned to school energized and ready to make a difference. Little notes advising us to “Be bright, turn off the lights” appeared on switches in the hallways. Wastebaskets seemed a bit more empty. Earth Support Committee meetings occupied lunch break time. Planning has begun for Earth Day when the students will continue to connect for change in their school, their community and beyond.
BBC World News shows how Cambodia becomes a more dynamic place for Cambodian performing arts. Cambodian Living Arts' artists of Yike Opera and Traditional and Folk Dance, as well as other arts organizations, share their experience.
Cambodia is best known by travellers for Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields - but the country is also looking forward.
There has been a revival of traditional and contemporary arts across the country and Phnom Penh has become a hotbed of creativity and young talent. Michelle Jana Chan travelled to the capital to look at this resurgence.
Click here to watch the video on BBC World News website.
Following the success of Children of Bassac last season (guest ratings made the show number 2 on Trip Advisor’s attractions), we are coming back with a bigger and better program named Plae Pakaa (Fruitful). In addition to the renowned Classical and Folk Dance performance by Children of Bassac, we will be adding two shows, featuring different art forms, to our repertoire – showcasing a total of 60 emerging artists, and offering more choice and diversity to visitors wanting to experience Cambodia’s traditional arts and culture.
Performances will start at the National Museum on October 25th and go at least until end of March, with each show being performed two nights per week, offering a cultural experience to visitors 6 nights per week. The two additional shows will be a rare piece of Yike Opera and a newly devised musical drama, Passage of Life.
Yike, or traditional Opera from the 8th century, involves singing, dancing, acting and drumming. Passage of Life will feature a range of art forms including Chayam (traditional Khmer musical dance),Smot (poetry chanting) and Mohaori and Pin Peat (traditional Khmer orchestras). This last show will present the different stages of Cambodian life through traditional ceremonies, parties and rituals.
Plae Pakaa aims at creating regular, well-paid work for arts professionals in the arts sector, while raising awareness about Cambodian traditional arts among foreigners and Cambodians and generating income to support CLA’s core programs. Furthermore, Plae Pakaa aims at building professional, independent troupes from our classes and motivating talented students to realize their future as professionals in the arts sector.
This season, we are very proud to showcase CLA’s newest troupe, from our Yike Opera class. The piece they are preparing for the show at the National Museum will resonate with all audiences, for its emotion and the talent of these young artists.
Watch an excerpt of the Yike performers rehearsing:
For more information about Plae Pakaa and to stay updated, visit our dedicated page.
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