Spean Rajana
Rajana Society (Artists Reaching Out)
Spean Rajana literally translates to "The bridge to artistic creation." It was conceived last year of 2005-2006 with intentions of promoting and bringing together Khmer artists to address the issues that are pertinent to the Khmer community. This event supports Khmer arts for empowerment. Art in its many forms seeps from our minds into the reality of our daily lives. Art is used to move, inspire and create. Khmer arts is as unique as Angkor Wat and it still holds dear to the many who understands what art is all about.
The beauty of Khmer culture is complex and yet not well understood. It has been diluted or made to become invisible by the dominant society (American Culture). We have been over shadowed in our existence in America due to the socio-political and economic platforms we came from.
Spean Rajana focuses on addressing issues in the Khmer community such as: Khmer genocide, bicultural identity, deportation and to showcase contemporary Khmer artists. Khmer culture has been demarcated and marginalized for a long period of time since we have been a part of the American Culture. When spoken of Asian cultures, one usually associated such cultures towards the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean and rarely includes Southeast Asian cultures. We as a Khmer student organization find that there is a lack of education about our Khmer heritage as it stands today in the US. Our hopes are to make visible and heard our voices so that we are taken into consideration. Our history of genocide and the political destruction caused on our motherland not only affects the people of the past generations, but their blood has also been bleeding from our skin, the people and community living in the US. Most Khmer younger generations that have acculturated to the American culture tend to forget or choose not to remember where their roots came from. Rarely, are there many Khmer kids or youth that take pride in our rich heritage. Most of the Khmer youth that have been accustomed to the American/Western culture soaks themselves in such privilege that they do not want to be a part of their roots. Spean Rajana, is a platform where Khmer students can celebrate our heritage and understand our struggle as a people. It is a cultural arts movement to unite and embrace the Khmer culture & arts. Khmer and Non-Khmer individuals are all welcomed to join us at our 2nd Annual Khmer Arts for Empowerment event @ the OMA Ethnic Cultural Center/Theatre on Sunday the 1st of April, 2007 @ 8pm.
Attached are the event flyer and press release. Please support us in making visible our identity as it rests today as well as provide us the platform for our voices to be heard.
Rajana Society Officers, 2006-2007
Tag: Cambodia
posted by Jinja @ 1:58 PM
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