CHHOUR Phano, 13, is currently in the fifth grade at a secondary school, about 50 km from Serey Sophon, located in the Northwest of Cambodia. For the past year, he has been taking free drawing and dance classes, thanks to a partnership between the Serey Sophon School of Art and Culture and the Cambodian NGO Sangkheum Kumar Kampuchea (SKK). In this regularly flooded and isolated area, no artistic activities were previously offered.
Yet from an early age, Phano showed a keen interest in art. His father, his uncle, and including his grandfather were his inspirations and role models. “My grandfather loved to draw,” explains the young boy, “and I often think of him when I pick up my pencil. I like to draw rice paddies, houses… Afterwards, I showed my drawings to my sister, and she liked them.” Proud of his culture, Phano in turn wishes to pass it on to newer generations. “Later on, I want to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps and become a cartoonist. I’d like to inspire young people to learn one or more artistic disciplines, because art can make society a better place and make Cambodia known throughout the world!“
Entrance to Phano’s rural school
On a personal level, Phano also recognizes the positive effects of dance and drawing on his life. “I feel happier, more attentive and also more open to others. Before, I didn’t have many friends, but that’s changed! When you learn an art, you have to know how to communicate, so I’ve learned to listen better and express myself.”
An diligent student, Phano prepares for his next classes in his spare time. “At first, I wasn’t very good at dancing, but I practiced, I rehearsed the choreographies and, last October, I was able to take part in the celebrations organized by my community on the occasion of the Feast of the Dead (or Bonn Pchum Ben in Khmer).” Satisfied and grateful to have access to the teachings of the art school’s teachers, Phano concludes: “Private lessons are very expensive and not very accessible. I’d like this partnership to continue so that other children can benefit from it and blossom as I did.“
