Josh Hughes
On Saturday, April 28, the Khmer Student Association hosted a Cambodian New Year celebration. Alongside dinner were an array of student performances, dances and even a miniature play exploring both the trauma and pride that are intertwined in the culture.
This year, Cambodian New Year occurred on April 14, coinciding with the end of harvesting season. Over the years, the event has also taken significance as a remembrance for the Cambodian genocide, which took place between 1975 and 1979. The event at Western celebrated both Khmer perseverance as well as the advent of a New Year.
“Every year we gather under the spring sky to celebrate the closing of one door as we open a new one,” reads KhSA’s statement on the event.
The evening started with an introduction by MCs Chrissna Hem and Savanna Yann, both of whom are members of the club. They then brought on an array of students for a brief Khmer fashion show, exemplifying the different styles of the culture.
Dinner, catered by On Rice, was then served, followed by the main event of the night: a brief play on exploring Cambodian and Khmer culture as a young individual. Hem, who co-wrote the play alongside Chandara Ian Lim, introduced the play as a semi-autobiographical account of his own life.
“It’s more about my experiences as a Khmer individual, and how that has shaped me,” said Hem. “It’s about me and my experiences of going to Cambodia when I was younger, and how I gathered all this information about my culture through family.”
What followed was a short, eight-scene play that focused on a family traveling home to Cambodia for New Year’s to see their grandpa for the first time in years. It addressed relevant issues that Khmer people still face today, such as the lingering trauma from the communist Khmer Rouge genocide that resulted in the deaths of between 1.5 to 3 million Cambodians.
“We went through a lot as a family. [Your grandpa] was always talking about the golden days before the genocide growing up,” said the mother in the play. “Cambodians still face PTSD and other mental health issues.”
However, the play was also focused on celebration of the diversity of the culture and the pride that the Khmer people have for that culture. Dispersed throughout were various performances of traditional Khmer dances, including a dance by the UW Khmer Association.
Throughout the evening, Hem translated all of the dialogue and speeches into the Khmer language for those who did not speak English.
KhSA meetings occur every Monday in AW 205 at 7 p.m., and anyone is welcome that wishes to know more about the Khmer culture, regardless of background or previous knowledge of Cambodian culture.