PREY VENG DOCUMENTATION CENTER
Prey Veng province was one of the first areas captured by the communists. During the Khmer Rouge period, thousands of residents died from famine. Prey Veng is located approximately 2.5 hours driving distance from Phnom Penh and it stands as an important launching point for reaching the populations in the eastern provinces of Cambodia. It is situated in the former Khmer Rouge Eastern Zone, which forms the border with Vietnam. We have established a documentation center in Prey Veng for the purpose of moving the center of gravity from the capital to the provinces (i.e., an increase in grassroots activities). Without question, while many Cambodians continue to migrate to the capital for work, the center of gravity in Cambodian society remains the provinces and in particular provincial capitals. We want to increase the priority of funding and activities, which have historically been near the capital, to provinces where the majority of the population reside. The Prey Veng Documentation Center represents one component of this effort. Funds in support of this center will be used primarily to build the center’s prominence in the region in multiple domains—from online social media initiatives targeting women and youth, to more low-tech outreach tools ranging from village film screenings, newspapers, and community forums.
Cambodia is in many ways still very dependent on low technology media like newspapers and radio, but mobile technology (i.e., cellphones) has opened many opportunities for reaching those remote communities through social media and online news that would otherwise not have been possible. The Center will employ staff that specialize in both approaches—low tech and social media—to build its online and physical presence and impact. Prey Veng has a population of over 1 million Cambodians, but the Center will not be solely focused on the province. The Center will use its outreach programs to build its audiences, online and in-person throughout Cambodia, with an emphasis on populations outside the capital. Under this project, we have included the training of researchers for documenting Prey Veng village history, as well as installation of an exhibition on Khmer Rouge history and a genocide education memorial. The training of researchers under the Village History Project will be directed to local graduate students, former teachers, and survivors, who will assist in developing local histories of villages in the former Eastern Zone of the Khmer Rouge regime.
