A Bunch of Sticks Cannot be Broken- A Khmer Proverb

In 2007 I spent time sightseeing and visiting family in Cambodia. Thirty years of war have certainly left their mark on the country, particularly in the form of landmines. For years it was one of the most mined countries on the planet and while local and international efforts to clear them have had excellent results, they continue to linger. According to a BBC report from a few years ago, it's estimated that outside of the major cities 40% of the villages have a mine problem. Worse, 85% of the population work as farmers. All of this has lead to a population at least 40,000 (one in 250) chon pika or amputees. To the government's credit all amputees in Phnomh Penh are given prosthetics, but as the statistics show, Phnom Penh's population is not really the issue. Life is tough for much of the country's population and it's especially tough for the chon pika who, often unable to farm or perform manual labor become beggars.

Angkor Wat is the place every visitor to Cambodia sees and I was no exception. It's absolutely astounding but I don't think I can say anything about the temples that hasn't been written a thousand times before. There is a lot of sound to take in as you walk around the sites: tourists and their guides speaking in a multitude of languages, Khmer people hawking t-shirts, postcards and drinks, the ever present put-put-put of motorbikes and tuk-tuks, chirps and screeches from birds and, if you're lucky, the sounds of tros, zithers and hand drums playing traditional Khmer music.

That these musicians even know these songs is a miracle. In an attempt to wipe out any trace of traditional Khmer culture, the Khmer Rouge targeted musicians and artists for extermination. Even more incredible is the fact that many of these musicians are landmine victims. I spent close to an hour watching a group of men perform, all of them either armless, legless, blind or some combination thereof and it stuck with me just as much as the temples and ruins that loomed around us. I was able to purchase a CD of them performing Khmer Wedding Music, easily one of my favorite souvenirs from the entire 6 month trip. I can't find much information on the performers and I doubt the CD is available in the US but the music should be heard. While the songs are songs of joy (I'd imagine, seeing as they are wedding songs), the context creates an air of sorrow, a feeling I gathered from many of my experiences in Cambodia. Regardless of the emotion it conjures in you, it's beautiful music. If you ever find yourself in Cambodia track these men down and buy some of their music, you won't regret it.

This song is called "Bandeotkantoang."

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