Mini-masks mark major cultural pride
THE modern Lakhon Khol mini-masks made by the Robam Khmer art collective are very different from the larger and more intricate masks worn by dancers during the traditional mask theatre performances – often taking place under colourful cloth canopies raised over the grounds at the site of one of the nation’s many Buddhist temples.
It could be argued, however, that both kinds of masks serve the same purpose as authentic, heartfelt and sincere expressions of their Cambodian maker’s traditional culture.
Both varieties of Lakhon Khol masks feature the same cast of characters drawn from Hindu lore, with Hanuman, Preah Ream, Preah Leak, Neang Seda, Krong Ream among them.
However, Robam Khmer have updated the concept of Lakhon Khol masks by transforming them into cute miniversions of the fearsome originals, which they conveniently offer for sale displayed inside their own small glass domes illuminated by fairy lights.
Their 18 member team – consisting of professional and selftaught artists – launched their line of mini-masks last year as decorative objects and they’ve managed to catch the attention and spark the imagination of the Cambodian public. Sales of them have been increasing steadily since their debut, with no signs of slowing down.
According to Sou Vannak, one of the founders of Robam Khmer, the group “was formed in 2015 with 18 members as an offshoot of the National Action Culture Association (NACA).”
“We have been recognised by the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the Phnom Penh municipal administration. All of our members have undergone training through NACA in the past,” he said, referencing the Khmer arts and culture NGO who cooperate closely with the government in their various endeavours.
NACA’s mission as an organisation is to protect, conserve and develop every Khmer art form including classical and modern music, traditional dances, traditional costumes and more and that includes training in the traditional arts.
According to Vannak, who is a traditional dancer himself though not actively performing at present, the decorative art objects inspired by the Lakhon Khol characters portrayed by the masked dancers contribute to conserving Cambodian culture, promoting national identity, and making Khmer artwork omnipresent in Cambodian society whether it is for religious or just decorative purposes.
The 32-year-old founder said his objective in making the minimasks was tripartite in nature.
“We have three main goals. Firstly, we are focusing on preserving and widely propagating the Lakhon Khol art form and tradition.
“The original Lakhon Khol masks are very big and maybe a little scary. So we miniaturised them and made them lovable to take away that element of fear that people might have, especially for young kids when they are just beginning to learn about their culture.”
“Secondly, these mini-masks make nice gifts because they aren’t just cute – they mean something. People who are proud of their Cambodian identity will enjoy having them and also giving them to friends from other nations as a way to share their culture with them.
“And finally, they can be used as religious items or just as decorative objects to place in the office or in your house. In other words – they also just look cool,” Vannak says.
Back in November of 2018, Lakhon Khol Wat Svay Andet – a version of the traditional dance form with a long lineage that is only found in
one community in Cambodia located around the Wat Svay Andet pagoda about 10km east of Phnom Penh along the Mekong River – was placed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
The international attention focused on Lakhon Khol by UNESCO’s recognition of the art form had the result within Cambodia of increasing the number of young and patriotic Khmer firmly intent on doing their part to preserve their Kingdom’s ancient culture.
Vannak says that his group had in fact made Lakhon Khol masks previously about three years back, but the public’s fascination with them only began to increase towards the end of 2019.
He says that as a business venture the mini-mask project is doing quite well with dozens of masks already ordered with cash deposits paid – and dozens more potential
orders awaiting payment before they can fill them.
Vannak explains that the minimasks are made by just three of the members of the Robam Khmer group. None of the three have ever been to any sort of proper school in order to learn their artistic skills. They are just natural-born talents who have also spent time practicing to improve while watching more experienced artists at work.
However, according toVannak even these three talented artists hesitate to attempt to make one of the full size masks of the sort that the dancers on stage use because it is more complicated and a person must dedicate themselves to serious training in order to do it correctly.
Vannak says that his minimask artists are content to leave that task to the true mask-making professionals for now.
Prices for Lakhon Khol masks depend on the size of the mask and also how difficult
the character is to sculpt.
The mini-masks that Vannak specialises in are less costly than what the dancers use. The heroic brothers Preah Ream and Preah Leak are only about $60.
But for Krong Ream – the ten-headed giant who features along with the brothers in the Cambodian epic poem Reamker that Lakhon Khol dancers perform scenes from – the price is $80.
“The mini-mask is only the size of an iPhone. They come under a glass dome illuminated by a small light inside so you will be able to display it anywhere. It’s a simple idea but people love them because they look really great and they symbolise Cambodia’s unique cultural heritage.
“Due to our busy schedule, orders can take a month or two to fill right now but we don’t want to rush them and lower the quality,” Vannak says.
In addition to the minimasks, Robam Khmer has a number of other cultural items they craft including traditional costumes and other kinds of traditional art. Everything they offer is handmade by artisans from their group.
“We don’t have a professional designer to design fancy clothes. We use the traditional patterns but we do try adding in some nice luxurious touches to make things nice and new. We use gold crowns to make things shine. Even with our traditional dances, we update those in small ways as well to keep things fresh.
“We actually designed the traditional suit that is now being used to represent the nation in fashion photo shoots. We won the top prize in a contest that was held to decide whose clothing was going to be used up on stage at the Miss World 2021 pageant,” Vannak proudly explains.
“Some customers are asking
us to add a Cambodian flag to our products. In the future we’d like to be able to stamp “Made in Cambodia” on them, too.
“Most people have praised us for the hard work we put into what we do. People seem to understand that this sort of thing takes a lot of determination and that we wouldn’t bother if our hearts weren’t in it.
“And they appreciate that we are taking things from Cambodia’s past and making them new again by adding a modern twist to them,” Vannak says.
Vannak says that he’d like to increase his group’s marketing reach for their products and that will be a focus on this year.
He also added that he hopes that others are as happy for Robam Khmer’s modest successes of late as he is when he sees other Cambodian’s projects take off, especially if they manage to do it using their own ideas and originality.
“I want to see Cambodian people cooperate with one another and stop looking down on everyone or trying to compare one artist to another. Before people open their mouths to criticise others they should know what they are talking about first. Or if they don’t know, they should at least be willing to listen and learn
“It seems like a lot of people always have time to say something negative when it comes to other people’s ideas and creative efforts but they never take the time to stop and ask anybody why they are doing what they do when they don’t even know what their reasons are.
“I hope people will start to change and value and support each other’s work and engage in dialogue more so we can all succeed together as Cambodians,” Vannak says.
For more information Robam Khmer can be contacted via their Facebook page:
@MyCountryMyCulture
THE US should boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley said on February 28, becoming the latest Republican to join a growing furore over the Games and Beijing’s rights record.
“We must boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China,” Haley, a one-time close ally of former president Donald Trump and herself a presidential hopeful, tweeted.
“It would be a terrible loss for our athletes, but that must be weighed against the genocide occurring in China and the prospect that empowering China will lead to even greater horrors down the road.”
The Games are scheduled to begin on February 4 next year, just six months after the delayed summer Tokyo Olympics, but preparations for both have been overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.
China is facing global scrutiny over a range of issues, notably the mass internment of Uighur Muslims in the western region of Xinjiang, which the US has said amounts to genocide.
It is also under pressure for its rights clampdown in the former British colony of Hong Kong, and for its stance toward Taiwan, the self-ruled democratic island which Beijing considers part of its territory.
Republican congressman John Katko earlier this week wrote to President Joe Biden to urge a boycott.
“Participation in an Olympics held in a country that is openly committing genocide not only undermines those shared values but casts a shadow on the promise for all those who seek free and just societies,” Katko wrote in the letter, posted on his House website.
And earlier this month a group of US senators introduced a resolution seeking to remove the Games from China, urging the International Olympics Committee to allow new bids so the Games can be “hosted by a country that recognises and respects human rights.”
Earlier this month, a coalition of 180 rights organisations also called for a boycott.
The White House has signalled no change in approach.
In a statement to AFP earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee said that concerns raised by campaign groups, including over rights, “were and are raised with the government and local authorities.”
China’s foreign ministry has previously dismissed the concerns, calling them “politically motivated” and “very irresponsible.”
Beijing has been under growing pressure, particularly over the fate of its Uighur minority.
Rights groups believe that at least one million Uighurs and other Turkic-speaking Muslim minorities are incarcerated in camps in Xinjiang.
After initially denying the camps existed, the Chinese government abruptly acknowledged them, saying they were vocational training centres aimed at reducing the allure of Islamic extremism.
MANCHESTER City’s lead at the top of the Premier League continues to grow as Pep Guardiola’s men have now won 20 consecutive games in all competitions, while the chasing pack struggle to maintain any consistent form.
Manchester United’s 0-0 draw at Chelsea and Leicester’s 3-1 home defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, mean City now enjoy a 12-point advantage after seeing off West Ham 2-1 on Saturday.
The Hammers remain in fourth thanks to Chelsea’s stalemate, but Liverpool, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Arsenal all won to tighten the race for a place in next season’s Champions League.
City in league of their own
Even on a day when Guardiola admitted City “were not going to paint anything beautiful” they still found a way to win against a well-organised West Ham, who had lost only once previously in the league in 2021.
The leaders were the only side in the top five to win this weekend as United’s dismal record against the traditional heavyweights of Liverpool, City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal continued.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have not won in seven league meetings against those sides this season and have scored only once, from the penalty spot in a 6-1 thrashing by Spurs early in the season.
Solskjaer was furious at the denial of a spot-kick at Stamford Bridge, but also has to
reflect on whether his conservative nature against stronger opposition cost United the chance to challenge City for the title.
Bale finally back
Under fire after five defeats in six league game, Jose Mourinho brought Gareth Bale in from the cold to save his season and the Welshman delivered with a double in a much-needed 4-0 win against Burnley on Sunday.
Bale’s return to Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid had been written off as a flop after he suffered with fitness issues and poor form for the first half of the campaign.
The 31-year-old was criticised by Mourinho after a spat over his fitness when he withdrew from the squad for an FA Cup defeat at Everton.
But Bale showed signs of a revival with a goal in each leg of Tottenham’s Europa League last 32 rout of Wolfsberger, earning just his third league start of the season against the Clarets.
The four-time Champions League winner seized his chance with two predatory finishes and an assist for Harry Kane to ease the pressure on Mourinho.
“There is not one single manager in the world that doesn’t play Gareth Bale if Gareth Bale is in very good condition,” said Mourinho.
Whistleblower Mason causes chaos
West Brom’s 1-0 win over Brighton kept the Baggies in the fight to beat the drop, but Sam Allardyce’s men needed more wayward finishing by
the Seagulls from the penalty spot and a moment of madness from referee Lee Mason to claim all three points.
After Kyle Bartley’s early opener and Pascal Gross sent the first of two Brighton penalties against the woodwork, Lewis Dunk thought he had brought Graham Potter’s men level with a clever quickly taken free-kick.
Dunk revealed he had even asked Mason if he could take the set-piece and the referee obliged by blowing the whistle. However, with West Brom ‘keeper Sam Johnstone still arranging his wall, Mason blew for a second time just before the ball crossed the line.
In the madness that ensued, Mason changed his mind twice over whether to give the goal before it was finally ruled out.