Jamie_Lambo wrote:i've always found khmers are quite proud of their culture and history and rituals, its one thing that i love about the country

Yeah, they love what used to be and can only resuscitate it with partial success in rural Cambodian. There is nothing or no one to be particularly proud of on a global scale since UNTAC times except perhaps for Van Molyvan. What rituals do you have in mind, Choul Mloap? Forget it most rural farmers cannot afford it anyomore. They are quit simply proud of what used to be, oh say a thousand years ago. What do they do today that merits praise?

A very apt observation by JBTrain.

[Edit: wrong thread ! If a mod could move this to taabarang liberty thread thx]

I find your topics very interesting lok taabarang but I would probably have been more inclined to debate them with you about 10 years ago. Nowadays it seems my brain has gone native and isn't so much interested anymore in such philosophical questions...

By the way I also liked the way you replied to this grinch sucker, he deserved it. To settle here he would have to learn how to respect his elders for a start...

Back to the subject (subjectS as I include your other threads in the following). As we were discussing the "khmer way of thinking" with a close friend we arrived to the conclusion that Khmers are similar to the Jews in the sense they consider themselves a "peuple elu" (singled out by gods is the closest translation that comes to my mind).
It isn't so much about religion (as the Jews), nor nationalism (as per ex the Thais) but that they tend to refer themselves to the great angkorian nation even if it is long gone and they would be in great pain to reproduce such accomplishments as the ones from their ancestors.
This can be seen in the way they design a roundabout, drive, take medecine, tend to their everyday life... They don't need to take example from others as being khmers they know better...

Sorry I do realize this ain't much to do about freedom, so carry on and please do keep these threads coming.

Regards,

BDS

Indeed, BDS, wifey will listen to any senile nutter at the market, but dog forbid her barang husband offers scientific advice.

It does make for interesting situations, though.

I do find Khmers more amenable to discussing their culture, one would be hanged, drawn and quartered in Thailand for this thread, bloody nationalist wankers.

But I do find it strange that most Khmers say they dislike the loud wedding/ funeral music, the bad driving, the placement of weddings/ funerals in the street, the crappy driving, but they either say nothing or do it themselves.

taabarang wrote:

Jamie_Lambo wrote:i've always found khmers are quite proud of their culture and history and rituals, its one thing that i love about the country

Yeah, they love what used to be and can only resuscitate it with partial success in rural Cambodian. There is nothing or no one to be particularly proud of on a global scale since UNTAC times except perhaps for Van Molyvan. What rituals do you have in mind, Choul Mloap? Forget it most rural farmers cannot afford it anyomore. They are quit simply proud of what used to be, oh say a thousand years ago. What do they do today that merits praise?

haha no, ive only started researching the likes of Choul Mlop/Chbab Srey etc..
there is quite a lot of rituals i like, even something simple like the khmer New Year, the traditions of the Romvong/Saravan Dances, the music, all the rituals out in the provinces such as sitting all the elders down and washing them, having a monk come round your house and bless you all, but what i love over here, it doesnt even have to be new year, you can be in a nightclub, and they will start playing Romvong songs and everyone will start doing the traditional dances round in a circle, i mean i can be in a bar and ill put some on and drag a table over and we will all start dancing around it... just one example..

I went to an expat party where the Cambodian Space Project played.

The ladies were quite a sight during the first dance which was the traditional circle dance mentioned above.

It was a very striking thing to see such a mixture of old and new- most elegant too.

frank lee bent wrote:I went to an expat party where the Cambodian Space Project played.

The ladies were quite a sight during the first dance which was the traditional circle dance mentioned above.

It was a very striking thing to see such a mixture of old and new- most elegant too.

i absolutely love the cambodian space project!
i love that they sing a lot of the old songs from the 60's they are my favourite khmer/western fusion band
really want to see them in concert before i go back to england

This is my favourite of their "original" tracks that the singer wrote, she explains at the end that the songs about her being a broken flower, that her family have no money because her parents too old to work and she wants to help take care of them, but she also have boyfriend who is a good man and wants her to stay with him but doesnt understand about her family and that they are poor, so she finishes her boyfriend to go take care of her family.. its really a beautiful song