Kampot literary festival hopes to revive Cambodia's lost art of storytelling

Cambodia tours has long wooed visitors with its ancient temples and Phnom Penh’s chaotic charms, but next week the southern coastal town of Kampot will be in the spotlight as it hosts the Kampot Readers and Writers Festival (running from 1-5 November).

A sister event to Bali’s literary festival, held in Ubud each October, the five-day event, now in its third year, was set up to nurture Cambodia’s storytelling culture. It’s estimated that more than 90% of all artists died under the Khmer Rouge, and while fine arts, dance and music seem to have blossomed again, the Cambodian literature scene has been struggling.

Kampot has this vibe of a far-flung port town, but it’s emerging as a funky little arts enclave

Julien Poulson, Kampot Readers and Writers Festival

This year’s highlights include talks by Man Booker Prize-short-listed writer Madeleine Thien, and Chinese-British author Jung Chang (known for 1992’s Wild Swans). Khmer ballet choreographer Sophiline Cheam Shapiro will talk about Cambodia’s 10th-century oral stories, based on the epic poem the Ramayana.

There’s a musical side to the festival, too: one of the key organisers is Julien Poulson, the Australian-born guitarist of Phnom Penh-based psychedelic rock band the Cambodian Space Project. He believes Kampot’s multiculturalism – it’s home to Chinese, Angkor Wat travel package  Cham Muslim, Vietnamese, Cambodian and other expat communities – has contributed to a creative resurgence in the town.

 Writer Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans.

 Jung Chang will be appearing at the 2017 festival. Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the Guardian
Set on the banks of the Preaek Tuek Chhu river, with a mix of Chinese and French colonial architecture, Kampot makes an idyllic setting for a festival. Many old buildings have been restored – including the home of Atelier, an artisanal Kampot pepper shop, wine bar and restaurant – and the town is seeking Unesco world heritage status. A weekend train service from the capital to the southern provinces, launched last year, adds to the appeal.
Cambodia has long wooed visitors with its ancient temples and Phnom Penh’s chaotic charms, but next week the southern coastal town of Kampot will be in the spotlight as it hosts the Kampot Readers and Writers Festival (running from 1-5 November).

A sister event to Bali’s literary festival, held in Ubud each October, the five-day event, now in its third year, was set up to nurture Cambodia’s trips to cambodia from dubai   storytelling culture. It’s estimated that more than 90% of all artists died under the Khmer Rouge, and while fine arts, dance and music seem to have blossomed again, the Cambodian literature scene has been struggling.

A path forward: returning children and cutting western demand

“We see orphanages that have become tourist attractions and in many cases there is no rigorous background check of those given access to the facility,” Morooka said. “This puts children at risk of exploitation and sexual abuse,” he said.

A growing body of evidence suggests that, fly to cambodia from Ho Chi Minh  even where they are well-run, orphanages are damaging for children. Children tend to be more likely to develop reactive attachment disorders, developmental delays, behavioural issues, poor physical health and reduced intellectual capability compared to those living at home.

A path forward: returning children and cutting western demand
The momentum for change is building, in both Cambodia and Australia. In Australia, efforts are focused on pressuring the federal government to ban orphanage tourism.

Unscrupulous orphanage directors know that if you open hearts, you also open wallets

Reputable NGOs, charities, and travel companies have formed an alliance, known as ReThink Orphanages, to lobby government. They are also trying to raise awareness among smaller charities, schools, and universities.

The aim is not to cut off precious donations and volunteering resources, but to redirect it to reunification and reintegration services, which link children back up with their families.

Sutherland, from Friends International, says reducing the demand from the west is critical to ending orphanages in places like Cambodia tours.

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“Most tourists, donors and volunteers are simply unaware of the facts, of the scale of the exploitation that is happening,” Sutherland said.

“Unscrupulous orphanage directors know that if you open hearts, you also open wallets,” he said.

There is real hope that the Australian government could soon take decisive action on orphanage tourism.

A parliamentary inquiry into the establishment of a modern slavery act is currently considering banning Australian support for orphanages in places such as Cambodia.

In an effort to convince Australian politicians, Chan, now an adult, travelled to Canberra this week to give evidence before the committee. She told the inquiry of how an Australian, Tara Winkler, rescued her, after initially working at the orphanage as a volunteer. Winkler soon realised the extent of exploitation occurring within the orphanage.

“I began to realise the gross corruption that was going on, that every cent that was being sent to the orphanage, not just from me, was being embezzled by the director, and the kids were often catching mice to feed themselves,” she told Guardian Australia.

Winkler rescued 14 children, with the help of the Cambodian government, and set up her own orphanage. She soon realised opening her own institution was a mistake. The children, once away from the orphanage, began to open up. They told Winkler their parents were still alive.


Australian companies could be forced to report on how they combat slavery
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Winkler gradually realised the extent of the problem and created the Cambodian Children’s Trust, which helps to reunite children in orphanages with their families.

“I think it’s really important for people to remember, in Cambodia, the poverty rate has been in steady decline, the number of orphans as well, and yet the number of orphanages has skyrocketed,” she said.

“The heartbreaking thing is that it’s all done with such good intentions ... well, mostly. [But] they’re literally causing the trafficking of these children from their families into these institutions. When people find that out, that’s a jagged little pill to swallow.”

A significant proportion of Cambodia’s orphanage network is operating without scrutiny. The Cambodian government-Unicef survey this year found 12% were not registered with the government, meaning they operate completely off the radar.

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About 38% have never been inspected by government, and 21% have no agreement with the government in place.

The Cambodian government is now working with Unicef and Friends International to deal with the problem, a partnership called 3PC.

The partnership involves 50 Cambodian child welfare and protection NGOs, who work to reintegrate children with their families, while providing medical and psychological services, family support, and transitional care.

The ministry of social affairs, veterans, and youth rehabilitation has set a target of reintegrating 30% of children back to their families and communities in five priority provinces by the end of 2018.

A stricter registration and monitoring regime is being put in place, and the government and NGOs are pressuring orphanages to transition into community-based support services.

Chan is now trying to build a positive life for herself. She works as a script writer on a Cambodian television show, and as an ambassador for Winkler’s trust, recounting her story again and again to try to prompt change.

“I think, for people, around the world, there is no better place like home,” Chan said. “You live with your family. You have your mum and dad, your brother and sister, if you have that kind of family, why do they need to go to live in the orphanage?

“I think if they want to help Cambodian children to have a good future or better education, better to have a poor parent that can look after their own kid, and they can have support on top of that.”

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Sinet Chan and Tara Winkler from the Cambodian Children’s Trust

 Sinet Chan and Tara Winkler from the Cambodian Children’s Trust.

Australians are among the top financial trips to cambodia from dubai  supporters of orphanages in many south-east Asian countries, including Cambodia, according to Unicef.

Australia props up the industry through volunteers, donations, and tourist visits, arranged by Australian travel agencies, charities, churches, universities, or high schools.

“Despite their good intentions, supporters of orphanages such as tourists and volunteers, actually end up contributing to the breaking up of families and removing children from their own family environment,” Unicef’s Cambodian communications chief, Iman Morooka, told Guardian Australia.

The support from Australia’s faith-based groups, mostly Christian but also some Islamic groups, is overwhelming. Guardian Australia has been given as-yet unpublished research showing the true extent of religious support for orphanages.  fly to cambodia from Ho Chi Minh It shows 51% of all church attendees in Australia are contributing funding to institutional care overseas.


Australia urged to create anti-slavery commissioner to fight exploitation

About one-quarter were providing the funding through a Christian agency or charity, and another 21% did so through their local churches.

The study was organised by ACCI, a Christian charity, which commissioned a report through the national church life survey, a study of 20 Christian denominations, 3,000 local churches, 270,000 adult and child attendees, and 6,000 laypeople and clergy.

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The money trail: Australian support for orphanages( feedback)

Between 4.35% and 15.61% of public schools fundraised or took trips to orphanages, varying across state and territories.

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 Australian NGOs and charities are also big players. About 245 registered NGOs directly funded or sent volunteers to residential care institutions, and 565 Australian charities were involved with or operated residential care institutions overseas.

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Australian-based travel agencies market orphanage placements as “voluntourism”, a blend of holiday and volunteering sold to well-intentioned travellers.

Van Doore and her team found 22 Australian-based travel agencies or organisations that send volunteers to residential care centres. Another 61 overseas-based travel agencies were found to be recruiting Australian volunteers to work in residential care.

“I think people who are supporting orphanages, cambodia visa for singaporean  whether they’re funding or volunteering, generally have excellent intentions,” van Doore said. “Unfortunately it’s those very good intentions that are being manipulated in these instances.”

It’s not just foreign support that props up foreign orphanages. The phenomenon is driven by complex internal factors like poverty, economic migration, and disability.

But, in places like Cambodia, orphanages are now replacing more traditional forms of kinship care and community-based care as a means of caring for orphaned children. To sustain the business, children are “recruited” from poor families with promises of education and a better life. Some are trafficked.

Many orphanages deliberately market themselves as tourist destinations. Children are kept looking poor and malnourished and taught to sing or dance to maximise pity and western donations.

Often visiting adults are allowed to tour to cambodia from dubai take children on unaccompanied trips away from the orphanage.

Do A Day Tour Into The Cambodia

A little further down "The Lane" is Asana, a gorgeous relaxed two storey cocktail bar. You'll know it as soon as you see it as it also known as the "Old Wooden House". Run by Pari Ung she holds Cambodian cocktail making classes or you can simply visit for a cocktail. The house is a charming touch in the middle of Pub Street for an evening cocktail.

10. Spa away

Siem Reap is replete with massage and spa places from the humble spa where a 1 hour foot massage will set you back $3USD up to spas that are luxurious. We fly to cambodia from thailand  had a good experience at Lemongrass spa (and there are several locations) and we had a not great experience at Bodia spa which is said to be one of the best in town. Perhaps it was the therapists we were assigned but it was a strange and awkward experience for us where we were left underwhelmed (and they forgot to pick us up from the hotel).

11. Do A Day Tour Into The Countryside

There are a few operators but we went with Beyond Unique Escapes located in Kandal Village because they were strongly recommended to us and we were not disappointed at all. Beyond's tours are very well thought out and the tours are all led by native Cambodians and they follow the edict of responsible tourism. They have well priced tours and are also able to do custom tours easily to fit your interests. Our interest is food as well as special projects. We did two tours with them.

A worthwhile half day trip is Beyond Unique Escape's Tonle Sap tour. Ask for guide Lim if he is available as he is an excellent guide who speaks excellent English and he's a foodie too - a private tour is best for this. Early is ideal for tours and many Cambodians start early and have a rest in the afternoon when the sun is the strongest.

Bamboo sticky rice

We start our tour at 7am and the first stop is at a street stall that makes bamboo sticky rice. The sticky rice is mixed with coconut milk, coconut flesh, salt, sugar and black beans and sealed with hay and banana leaves. It is then cooked for 1.5 hours. The seller that he stops at makes around 200 pieces a day and they will get $10-$15USD for that - that's considered a good day of business.

Lim shows us Prahok

Our next stop is Th'nal Chek market, a very local market where he shows us the national condiment Prahok made from dried, fermented fish. He flight to cambodia from Ho Chi Minh  tells us that the best prahok is made using snakehead fish. This is sold in jars by itself or mixed with Kreung, a fragrant spice paste made with lemongrass, galangal, ginger, shallot, kaffir lime leaf and zest, chilli and lemon ants. These are small red ants that taste like lime or lemon and each jar contains a couple of thousand ants. Each of these jars can last for 1-2 years and for the poorest people in Cambodia (whose household income is around $80USD a month) a meal often consists of this and rice.

We watch as people order noodle soup and vendors break off water lily stems and slice up the bitter sugar palm fruit. One sells a tangle of "floating heart" plant that resembles a herb. This is a plant that grows wild in the water. We stop by and try chopstick cake, a chewy delicious rice flour stick flavoured with spring onion as well as a Num Krouch, a round dumpling named after its orange shape. It has day tours from Siem Reap  a rice flour outer and a sweet bean filling and is topped with sesame seeds. This too is hot but delicious.

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5 days in Siem Reap Cambodia

Mie Cafe

Many restaurants in Siem Reap have menus that do Cambodian dishes as well Western dishes but there isn't a proliferation of great fusion restaurants. However Mie Cafe is one of those that do fusion well. It is housed in cambodia tours a lovely colonial style house lush with greenery and frogs. It is an open air restaurant and staff will point fans in your direction when you sit down to cool you off and ward off mosquitoes. And for vegans there is also a vegan menu.

8. Eat At a High End Restaurant

Siem Reap has some truly spectacular restaurants but alas the top restaurant Cuisine Wat Damnak was closed for two months at the time of our visit. We had a fine dining experience at Malis, one of the most visually stunning restaurants.

The service is gentle and deferential and you are led through the bar (6pm is happy hour where drinks are two for the price of one). Chef Luu Meng is Cambodia's biggest celebrity chef and he travels the whole region of Indochina and creates "Living Cambodian Cuisine" which means the Cambodian cuisine of today. This is not fusion cuisine but an elegant, fine dining Cambodian cuisine.

Dinner is probably as pricey as it gets in Siem Reap and will cost around $100USD for two not including drinks. We ordered dishes like Royal mak mee noodles which are mixed at the table and feature pork marinated in Kroeung, Cambodia holiday tour  a traditional curry paste curry paste including lemongrass, chilli, turmeric, garlic, shallots and ginger. We also had Hidden Chreav duck with black pepper sauce and red prawn rice, Fish Amok made with goby fish steamed in a banana leaf basket. The Bang Kang river lobster is more like a yabby and is marinated in a prahok and chilli paste, wrapped in foil and grilled until golden.

9. Bar Hop


Visit cocktail bar Miss Wong's here while you still can because in three years time when the lease is up, owner Dean Williams wants to pack up and move to a different part of Siem Reap. siem reap adventure tours Dean started the retro chic bar eight years ago on a dingy little street dubbed "The Lane" but now because of Pub Street parallel to it and passing time, it has now become a much busier street.


Miss Wong has an enormous cocktail list of their own concoctions. For something pretty, try the rose and lemongrass martini served with rose petals but for some gutsy infusions, try the tom yum martini. Infusing spirits became something of a trademark when Dean wasn't able to access a lot of spirits and now it has grown into something of a signature. Oscar winning actress Marissa Tomei was said to be a big fan of the bar on her visit.

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