The Pol Pot regime from 1975 to early 1979 sought not only to destroy Buddhism and all forms of religion as a precondition for creating a new, utopian society. Many forms of traditional culture, from folk beliefs and marriage customs to fine arts, were also seen as obstacles to a new order controlled by Angkar, the omnipresent, all-knowing communist party. Customs were forcibly replaced (i.e., traditional marriage ceremonies by forced communal marriages) and all independent creative initiatives were forbidden. In its place Angkar created revolutionary mobile cultural teams that through songs preached revolutionary slogans and hatred of "class enemies."

      Culture in a less contrived sense expresses the evolved way of life of a people and the ways through which a people self-interpret themselves. The "way of life" usually includes, or is defined by, a moral code that provides social cohesion for a society to survive, manage change, and develop. When the culture is ruptured or shattered, such as by outside secular ideologies in the Cambodian case, people tend to become fearful and disoriented, losing their self-awareness and esteem in the process. The greatest gift any outside aid organization or friend can provide to a people who have gone through what the Cambodian people expereinced in recent decades is positive re-inforcement of their culture, of who they are as a people. Theravada Buddhist monks in Cambodia and mainland Southeast Asia have long understood this and for centuries served as active guardians of the local cultures and languages in the region.

Since the 1980s, Preah Maha Vimoldhamma Pin Sem Sirisuvanno, a senior Cambodian monk, has been in the forefront of cultural restoration efforts in Cambodia. Until 1992, he served as abbot of Wat Prasatsiri in the Site 2 refugee camp along the Thai-Cambodian border, at the time the largest Khmer Buddhist wat in the world with more than 200 monks. With modest assistance from a few non-governmental organizations, including KEAP, and the UN Border Relief Operation (UNBRO), he guided the revival of traditional art forms in music, sculpture, painting, dance, and shadow puppet theater in the context of Buddhist teachings on life. He was blessed with a keen eye to achieving artistic excellence among a people whose cultural standards were in tatters. His shadow puppet theater group, for example, was invited to perform scenes from the Ramayana at the 1991 international Ramayana festival in Bangkok in honor of Thai Princess Sirindhorn's 36th birthday. Some one dozen Ramayana troupes from as far as India and Indonesia participated. The princess personally witnessed and thanked the Khmer troupe from the refugee camp for its exceptional performance. Working with Thai authorities, KEAP facilitated this opportunity for them to perform.

      With the United Nations-implemented repatriation in 1992-93 of the approximately 350,000 displaced Khmer in Thailand, Ven. Pin Sem returned to his native temple, Wat Bo, in Siemreap. He transferred with him his mission of "the promotion of national culture, tradition, and Buddhist morality." He has received support from the local people and organizations, including a modest grant from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), but the needs, and potential, are greater. Ven. Pin Sem has the capacity and vision to develop an internationally-recognized Dhamma and Culture Center in Siemreap which would not only benefit the people of Cambodia but also the many visitors to the famed Angkor temples nearby. KEAP seeks to increase the level of international support for Ven. Pin Sem's efforts, appealing in particular to the worldwide Buddhist and inter-religious community as well as individuals and organizations devoted to culture in all its diverse forms

      Contact KEAP to discuss how you or your religious, spiritual, or cultural community can help Ven. Pin Sem's vision for cultural renewal in Cambodia as a means toward restoring a culture of peace through Buddhism in this still-troubled country.  

Pictures

above: Ven. Pin Sem, right, with an assistant at the Site 2 refugee camp.

below: Ven. Pin Sem supervising a young Pinpeat ensemble class at Wat Bo in Siemreap.