Anthropology

Being given with vast natural resources, strong workmen, and a sturdy foundation on religious teachings coupled with great determination to improve the national status of their economy, Cambodia is a Southeast Asian country that could have achieved substantial amount of success and progress if not because of the traumatic and alarming events that occurred in their country during the period of 1975-1999 (Ledgerwood n. p.). The aforesaid period is also known as the reign of the Khmer Rouge power that is characterized by mass executions and cruelty furthermore, enforced labor as well as the overall decline of societal quality associated with religious traditions and public health services are directly connected with the aforesaid period (Ledgerwood n. p.). Massive negative effect of the Khmer Rouge reign has affected the entirety of the Cambodian population during the 1970s and up to the present, an event that is manifested by the works and practices of present musicians such as Prach Ly and Arn Chorn-Pond. In order to further illustrate the impact of the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s and at present, this paper will address the tragic consequences of the Khmer Rouge administration as manifested by historical documents and as based from the contemporary influence on the music of Prach Ly and Arn Chorn-Pond. More specifically, this paper will discuss the importance of music, produced by these two individuals, in representing the historical foundations of Cambodia in the local and international scenes.

Upon ascension to power in 1975, Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, immediately implemented radical changes in the agricultural labor force and social engineering of the Cambodian citizens (Lankan Newspapers n. p.). These changes as reflected in the increased rice production when everyone was instructed to be farmers, social separation of community members based on sex, imposed marriages, and implementation of starvation (Ledgerwood n. p.). Unsurprisingly, these kind of anti-humanitarian procedures resulted to instant revolutions to which the government did not fail to react and subsequently lead to the deaths of about 1.5 million Cambodian people or about 15 of the total population of the country during the 1970s (Lankan Newspapers n. p.). In a more general perspective, the activities of the Khmer Rouge has stripped the Cambodian population from their cultural and humane inclinations, an event that is supported by the reduced prohibited performance of religious activities, reduced ties to natal communities, ruptured familial bonds, and overall deformation of the Cambodian ethics of selflessness and generosity (Ledgerwood n. p.).

In the face of these events, Prach Ly and Arn Chorn-Pond are two individuals who made utilized music to express their sympathy for their country and to actually manifest the political usage of music. Prach Ly is a rapper of Cambodian-American descent that created songs using his karaoke machine which embody the autobiographical stories of his relatives regarding the Khmer Rouge regime and Cambodias genocide (WGBH Education Foundation n. p.). The lyrics of Prach Lys songs clearly manifest the harsh realities of Pol Pots administration and its effect on the lives of the Cambodian citizens and political structure of the country (WGBH Education Foundation n. p.). Arn Chorn-Pond, on the other hand, is also a Cambodian who has migrated to Cambodia to escape from the Khmer Rouge (Laskow n. p.). He has also used music to express the sufferings of his fellowmen during Pol Pots management and this was accomplished by tutoring a group of musicians called the Seasia (Soul Elements of Asia) to write inspiring songs and use Cambodian instruments to produce their music (Laskow n. p.). Consequently, Arn Chorn-Pond was able to help himself and other Cambodians to free themselves from the traumatic experiences of the KH administration. In general, the activities made by Arn Chorn-Pond and Prach Ly attest to the role of music in a political perspective. They affirmed to the notion that music can be a tool to express political beliefs and realistic conditions of ones national territory.