Op-ed day 5: Change from Grassroots Youth --by Melanie

Coming to Cambodia, participating in a workshop with local youth was one of the activities I was most looking forward to.  Given how short of time that we are here, I viewed the workshop as a chance to really have the opportunity to connect with and understand the challenges that youth in Phnom Penn face.  As a result of the genocide, youth constitute an extraordinary portion of the population: fully 32% of the population is under 15.[i] Their voice is therefore central not only to government reform, but to ensuring a just and peaceful future for the nation.

During the full day workshop, we had the opportunity to discuss the Khmer Rouge with 10 Cambodians in their twenties. The dialogue and the vibe were phenomenal: the Cambodians felt grateful that foreigners had taken the time to learn their perspective and I learned the personal side of the genocide that made it all that more real and powerful. I walked away from the workshop with new friends and I know they did as well.

Of the ten Cambodian participants, I was stunned to learn that only 2 of them had ever participated in this type of discussion, particularly since all of them live in Phnom Penn and speak English, which suggests that they have more education than the general Cambodian population. Admittedly, I have only spent one week in this country and am perhaps a bigger proponent of education than most. I genuinely believe not only in the power of education for sustainable economic development, but as means of preventing future conflict. To that end, I believe that without knowledge of the Cambodian genocide, the stage is set for the future to be repeated. When I asked the group how they felt about and what they learned from Tuol Sleng, the genocide museum, their responses reflected my concern earlier this week that it was not sufficient as a forum for genocide education.  Only two Cambodians responded, saying “I feel sad” and that they were “horrified” by the cruelty of the regime.  Not once during the workshop did anyone mention how the museum had helped them better understand how the regime came to power and what led to its demise. Indeed, except for the two law students that had studied the Khmer Rouge in depth, the other participants had learned about the Khmer Rouge either through personal research, stories from their families or teachers, not formalized education. I find this extremely disconcerting given the autocratic nature of the current regime and the extreme level of poverty. Stories, while valuable and insightful, can distort reality if not balanced by education and few would take the initiative to investigate the regime on their own. This lack of knowledge lends itself to government manipulation, particularly given the lack of freedom of the press. For this reason, I am convinced that workshops like this are very valuable. In addition to the Cambodians learning and sharing with their family and friends, we as foreigners are able to share our experience online to a large audience, which increases foreign interest in what is happening in the country. The difference that can make is undeniable:  this week we witnessed the power of advocacy and international outcry in changing the government’s policy on land appropriation at Boeng Kak Lake. It is my hope that Cambodians will have increased opportunities to engage in these kinds of sessions and that foreigners will continue to be interested not only in the history of this country, but in its current affairs.

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[i] www.worldbank.org