LIFE

"I strongly believe that Cambodia will never walk back to the dark shadow of its terrible history"
Keo Chanbo, author

Guiding light: Cambodian author Keo Chanbo teaches students about the power of the written word with her book "The 10th Sense" at Pour un Sourire d'Enfant School in Stung Mean Chey

CAMBODIA

Literary leader instills hope

Cambodian author Keo Chanbo brings her inspirational words to Khmer children, hoping to teach them that the pen is mightier than the sword
By Yos Katank

eo Chanbo was a curious child who gained an interest in writing when she stood outside a small classroom in a Buddhist temple where all the local boys sat inside, while she looked through the window to see what was being taught. Born in 1952 in a rural village in Banteay Meanchey province, in 1980 Chanbo moved to the US where she has worked for the Juvenile Justice division in Minnesota District Court for 25 years. Chanbo has spent her free time writing Khmer articles, literatures, song lyrics, poems and novels for about 30 years. Some of her writings in later life may have had an influence on national leadership and political change. She wrote that if you were a leader of a country without

knowledge, you would lead your country based on violent political attitudes to the destruction of your own people. "We need educated leaders", she says. "I strongly believe that Cambodia will never walk back to the dark shadow of its terrible history," says Chanbo. "Cambodia is developing, but it will take maybe 10 more years to achieve its goals. I want to advise all Cambodians to be proud of what you did for the nation, and not of the national achievements of the past." Chanbo writes to push readers of all ages to be well-educated and to get a better life through a combination of self-discipline, self-confidence and a non-violent problem solving attitude. The young Cambodian generation is

materialist and not very focused on their studies and culture, while young writers today are not getting the qualifications and skills that they need to succeed in the literary world. "Only 10% are good writers, but 90% still need more challenges," she says. "Most books or novels here are partly similar to previous authors' work, and are focusing on revenge, killing or putting the bad characters in jail at the end of the story." "They [young writers] don't encourage their readers to forget about revenge and killing," she adds. "A writer is the same to a car driver, and readers are the passengers in the car, so choosing the right or wrong direction is the driver's responsibility."

78 SEA GLOBE

Photo: Yos Katank for SEA Globe