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"I want younger
generations to love Khmer artifacts, to keep them in Cambodia"
Liv Saa Em said.
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Khmer Traditional Clothing |
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The lines of culture distinguishing one country from another
are blurring. The globalization of technology, information
and finance has allowed wealthy countries to export not only
their political and economic ideologies to developing
countries but their traditions and values as well.
The Cambodian government has made aggressive rhetorical
efforts to preserve the integrity of traditional Khmer
culture, but younger generations are hungry for a change. In
a seemingly uphill battle to maintain cultural identity in
an increasingly homogeneous global community, one man has
made it his mission to preserve the past for future
generations.
From household items and clothes to jewelry and sculpture, Liv
Saa Em's private collection is one of the largest in
Cambodia. |
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"It is my favorite thing to do since I was young. I like to
keep antiques in my house because my parents bought a lot of
antiques from villagers to keep at their house.
Upon first glance, Liv Saa Em could be mistaken for an
ancient Khmer man in his traditional dress. Ancient relics
adorn his house as well, stretching from the front door into
the darkest corners. The building is his sanctuary; a place
Liv Saa Em says keeps him smiling. Visitors to the house,
which doubles as a museum, often have offered the collector
money for his goods. But Liv Saa Em's mission is to maintain
Khmer culture for Cambodia. His message: History is not for
sale.
The robbery of Khmer
artifacts, for sale to foreign countries, is a rising
concern. In efforts to preserve the integrity of Cambodia's
tangible history, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
recently prohibited the exportation of artifacts from
Cambodia to Vietnam and Thailand. Liv Saa Em agrees with the
act's passage, as he too works to preserve artifacts so that
all of Cambodia may enjoy them in years to come. |
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A sample of
his Khmer silk collection |
Since the
tender age of 13, Liv Saa Em has taken the cue of his
parents, who were avid collectors. Now preserving artifacts
is not only a hobby--it's a mission. "I'm very upset when I
see our artifacts exported to neighboring countries," he
said. "We know that they are really Khmer artifacts, but I
have no ability to take them back to the country." Even when
it is not in transit, safeguarding art is not always easy.
Liv Saa Em said artifacts kept in the National Museum cannot
be promised security, and his house in Tang Yab, Prey Kabas
district of Takeo province is no better. Pieces of history
were shattered in 1976 when young Khmer Rouge soldiers
destroyed his parents' house and the artifacts in it. |
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Unable to forget the loss, Liv Saa Em
has made a conscious effort to buy pieces for his private collection
at home. Trading medicine or rice for art, the collector has
purchased relics from Takeo, Kampong Speu and Phnom Penh. Now Liv
Saa Em's reputation for collecting precedes him, and tourists that
visit his home hoping to make a purchase are always denied.
"I love Khmer artifacts and I love to keep them forever," Liv Saa Em
said.
Liv Saa Em's love affair with the past started when he was just a
boy.
"I wore simple cloth like other people when I was young," he said.
But after completing his studies, Liv Saa Em developed a style of
his own. Entering adulthood, he wore the ancient Khmer cloth donned
by people of the Funan period and shaved his head so that only a
tuft of hair sat atop the middle of his crown.
Businessmen raised Liv Saa Em, the youngest son of a nine-member
family that often dressed in traditional Khmer clothing. He was the
most beloved of the lot then. Today he is alone. Liv Saa Em's
brothers, sisters and parents perished during the war.
Struggling to overcome the loss of his family, Liv Saa Em filled his
time honing his skills as a silk maker. He mixes together a rainbow
of colors to produce the vibrant fabric that is exported to Japan
today and earned him the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts' Award
for Best Quality Producing in 1993. His Excellency Nut Narang, the
former Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, personally recognized Liv
Saa Em as the first successful producer of best quality silk
following Pol Pot's regime. His creativity is unceasing. Liv Saa Em
rearranges the relics in his house to assume a new look every week.
In the afternoon visitors can find the collector sitting amidst his
artifacts, which he says are a comfort to him. The house, an
increasingly popular tourist destination, has drawn curious visitors
from around the country and the world. Movie production companies
have made the trip as well, using his traditional house for the
backdrop to particular scenes.
Liv Saa Em preserves the past to protect the future. Concerned that
irresponsible development could damage ancient artifacts, the
collector suggested that Cambodia develop a tourism industry based
on the riches of Khmer artifacts and temples.
Texts and pictures from Leisure Cambodia.
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