Festival showcases Khmer and international poetry

Festival showcases Khmer and international poetry

Written by Lucy Kinder

MONDAY, 15 JUNE 2009

‘Northern Europe Meets the Mekong’ festival hopes to reach out to Cambodians Marianne Larsen and Kristin Bjarnadottir gather attendees at their poetry workshop in Siem Reap last week. Photo Supplied PHNOM PENH READINGS AND WORKSHOPS Monday June 15 University of Cambodia. Reading – Noun Pechsodeny, Houng Savong, Pol Pisey, Athena Farrokhzad and Joanes Nielson. Pour un Sourire d’Enfant (PSE) – Stung Meanchey. Workshop with Marianne Larsen and Kristin Bjarnadottir. Tuesday June 16 French Cultural Centre. Reading – Thon Sambo, Ven Chin Meas, Pov Sok, Athena Farrokhzad and Joanes Nielsen. PSE – Stung Meanchey. Workshop with Marianne Larsen and Kristin Bjarnadottir. Australian Center for Education. Reading – Synoda, Ying Yon, Ngoun Sivngim, Hanna Hallgren and Anna Mattsson. Wednesday June 17 Gasolina. Yin Louth, Neng Kanitha, Hanna Hallgren and Marianne Larsen. Thursday June 18 Monument Books. Reading – Yin Louth, Khmer Chan So Akhaing, Marianne Larsen and Kristin Bjarnadottir. Friday June 19 Reyum. Reading – Ven Son, Pal Vannarirak, Kristin Bjarnadottir and Anna Mattson. Saturday June 20 The Buddhist Institute. Seminar and reading. AN ECLECTIC poetry festival that fuses Cambodian and Northern European poetry will take place at various locations around Phnom Penh this week. Following readings in Siem Reap and Battambang, six poets from Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and the Faroe Islands will perform in the capital alongside their Cambodian counterparts. All the poets will recite in their own language so that listeners can get some idea of the depth of various types of poetry. Anna Mattson, one of the organisers of the festival, titled "Northern Europe Meets the Mekong", explains the inspiration behind this exciting exploration of cultural diversity. "I have been working with literature in Cambodia for some years, and I spent a lot of time talking with people in both Sweden, where I come from, and Cambodia about how nice it would be to have some sort of meeting between these different cultures," she said. "This now has resulted in the showing of different ways of reading and writing poetry," she said. This unique cultural opportunity could signal a resurgence of interest in poetry among Cambodians, something Mattson cited as among her goals. "Before the Pol Pot regime, I'm sure there must have been poetry readings for audiences in Cambodia, because poetry in the Cambodian language is designed for an audience," she said. "But in contemporary Cambodia I think that this kind of festival is a new idea, and we hope to reach out to Cambodian listeners." Mattson says the distinct differences between Cambodian and Northern European poetry will produce significant challenges during the festival, even though the foreign poetry will be translated into Khmer. "Cambodian poetry is what we would call in the Western world very traditional poetry," she said. "Poetry in the West becomes something very personal, but Cambodian poetry uses different rules, it uses a very metric style, and poets are not free to use the words that they want to, but have to use certain words that fit with the rhythm and subject of the poem," she added. However, even though the differences between Cambodian and Northern European poetry are more obvious than the similarities, Mattson says each style of poetry has a great deal to contribute to the festival. "Cambodian poets almost sing when they recite their poetry. They do not read it out as we do. This is a special tradition, and the mixing of traditions will be the most interesting thing about this festival," she said. ations including The Swedish Institute, the Swedish Academy and the Nordic Culture Fund.