Battambang, Cambodia: achieving fame through a Circus

PARIS- Their names are Dina, Sothea, Sovanna or Vanthan. These young men are all in their early twenties. They generally share the same difficult background: no parents, poverty. But they are all animated with the same will of achieving a new life through art. But they are currently travelling through France with a spectacular show, a mix of theater review, dances and circus performances. They all share the dream of Phare Ponleu Selpak, one of Cambodia’s most innovative cultural institutions.

Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS) -in Khmer language “the brightness of art”- is indeed a cultural organisation based in Battambang, Cambodia, that offers young people a training to become professional artists and performers. The idea emerged in 1994 by young Cambodians returning from the refugee camps following the Khmer rouge trauma which annihilated centuries of culture and almost succeed to make the Cambodian society vanishing…

For Phare Ponleu Selpak, reviving arts and teach them to young generations was seen as the best way to evacuate Cambodia’s dark past under the Khmer Rouge and connect back to vernacular traditions. “We looked back at all the cultural elements influential in shaping the Cambodian psyche. We educate young people in fields as varied as circus skills, theater performance, music, dances or painting”, explains Det Khuon, Artistic Director and Founder of PPS.  For some of the poorest kids, PPS also proposes general education teaching. “This is a way for us to make a living and contribute to our society. We generally start very early, around the age of 13”, says Dina Ngai, a young athletic acrobat.

Located in Battambang city, PPS campus welcomes some 450 kids and young adults. Best of it: their circus performances are now turning into one of the most striking shows to be seen in Cambodia. “We perform every night in Siem Reap where of course we can reach a lot of tourists. But people are also welcome to visit our school in Battambang where they will see the training. We also perform regular shows four times a week. We now think of opening a further venue in Sihanoukville”, tells Det Khuon.

PPS Shows combine traditional arts with new creative and innovative genres. The show currently on tour in France is called “Sokha”. This is the story of a war child who is haunted by visions of the atrocities carried out during Cambodian Civil War and the destruction after the Khmer Rouge regime. Sokha’s memory is mixed with tales and surreal stories through acrobatics and dances. A daunting but joyful energetic show which found the favours of a large public.

PPS throws also a positive image – or just an image- of Battambang. Cambodia’s second city still suffers of an image deficit compared to other destinations such as Siem Reap/Angkor but also Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville. The presence of the circus is a major asset for the city. But so far it seems that local authorities have not seized the opportunity to capitalize on PPS presence. “The support of Battambang municipality for our campus and our shows remain very limited”, admits Det Khuon. “We do not get any financial help from the city or even from the government and can only rely on the generosity of private companies or foreign help”, he adds.

In Cambodia, tour operating company Asian Trails is a fervent supporter of PPS, organizing private shows where the school’s young artists are performing.

As Cambodia is very keen to highlight its cultural heritage, the government should maybe think back again and provide more support to one of its emerging institutions, which shows that Cambodia art scene is very alive again. And that creativity linked to generosity are not unknown notions in the Kingdom.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews