Khmer Rouge (Showing different perspective)
It is very awesome to learn about our own country’s history. Learning about our own country’s history can teach us more about what’s going on in each period and can teach us not to step on it again if it was a bad idea. This second round of the year, I got an exploration called Khmer Rouge which is the theme called Showing different perspectives. All of the Cambodian people know about this but they don’t want to talk about it. But why do they want to talk much more about it? Khmer Rouge is a dark period that people don’t want to go back again. But let me tell the story about it. Khmer Rouge is an organization following the idea of communist. 17th, April, 1975, is the day that the Khmer Rouge had captured Phnom Penh, which is the capital city of Cambodia. At first, the idea of this was good, but now it wasn’t. All of the people wear black clothes and Kroma. This organization had killed all the people with knowledge because they want to be equal to the poor people. A lot of people were killed or being tortured.
Anyway, by the end of this exploration, to show the people from different perspectives about the Khmer Rouge period, we have created many products such as Poem, Painting, fashion shows, and dance. Below are the poem and some pictures.
“This Country Conjures”
12th century,
Angkor Empire has risen
to be the largest pre-modern settlement
in the world.
It was built to represent
Angkor’s military, art, and economy,
as well as the power of the
“God-King.”
Everyone lived peacefully
with a beautiful and powerful country.
But now it’s the 20th century.
The Khmer Rouge has risen.
April 17, 1975 called
the Republic of Kampuchea.
Phnom Penh was captured,
and declared the
Kingdom of Cambodia.
A week later, over 2 million citizens
were pushed into the countryside.
Over 3 years, 8 months, and 20 days.
All the citizens lived under the control
of the Khmer Rouge
with No money, No education,
No religion, No clothing style.
At first
the idea of revolution was good…
But now it wasn’t.
Citizens with knowledge
were being
Tortured, Murdered,
Lonely, Pain,
Fear, With teardrop
Everyday.
A high school
turned into an S-21 prison.
A peaceful Chinese cemetery
turned into a killing field.
Like the 18 prisons and 300 killing fields
all around the country.
January 7, 1979.
The Khmer Rouge vanished
and the rules were over
by getting help from Vietnam.
Everything had turned back.
People were not being tortured.
People went back to school,
did their jobs,
found money to support their family.
‘Even now, four decades on,
this small country still has the power to conjure.”
But people expect nothing more than they have…
People carry no ambition and no dreams.
All they want is to be left alone.
Right?
These memories always come up to people’s minds
They will never forget.
They don’t want to see it.
They don’t want to feel it.
They don’t want to touch it.
And they will never go back to it again.
