Phnom Penh: Days after losing its co-founder to Covid-19, the Cambodian circus, Phare Ponleu Selpak, has received four prestigious “Stevie Awards”. They follow its 24-hour non-stop circus performance in March, going for a Guinness World Record for the world’s longest circus show.
They’ve triumphed against the odds to win four golds at the Stevie International Business Awards. This is despite their most difficult two years ever because of the pandemic, and the news comes just days after losing their co-founder Srey Bandaul to Covid-19.
Phare Ponleu Selpak has been recognized by the Stevie International Business Awards as Best Cultural Event 2021, Best Event for A Cause 2021, Best Communications Campaign for A Non-Profit 2021 and Best Fundraising Event 2021. Phare Ponleu Selpak’s executive director Osman Khawaja says this year has been an emotional rollercoaster:
“Our staff and our performers have gone through some very difficult times. Just a few hours after the exhilaration of succeeding in performing for 24 hours, which was such an incredible achievement by our artists and the staff supporting them, we had to close performances again as the current outbreak grew more serious. More recently we lost our beloved founder Srey Bandaul to the pandemic. Receiving the news of these four awards in the wake of his passing is a powerful acknowledgement and recognition of the power of the arts, something he believed in and dedicated his life to. His most recent work at Phare was all about leading activities to bring arts to Cambodian communities, and these awards – particularly for best cultural event - are a recognition of those efforts. I am sure he is smiling at us with pride.”
Earlier in March, the circus group organized “Phare into The Future”, featuring 90 circus artists who performed non-stop for 24 hours in Battambang. The event was also their way to raise funds as they have been hit hard by the pandemic, resulting first in smaller audiences and then total closure. Phare Ponleu Selpak is still waiting for the committee of the Guinness World Records to finalise its assessment on their bid for “world’s longest circus performance”.
