PHNOM PENH: The Minister of National Assembly-Senate Relations and Inspection, Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An, as the High Representative of Prime Minister Hun Sen, presided over the celebration of the 24th National Cultural Day 2022 under the theme "Youth for National Culture" on Thursday morning, at the Chaktomuk Conference Hall.
The DPM said, “Under the wise leadership and long-term vision of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Royal Government of Cambodia has always paid great attention to cultural work, which is the soul, the identity, the prestige and the pride of the nation. Despite the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Royal Government of Cambodia continues to pay close attention to the cultural sector, with the National Cultural Day never being interrupted. The Royal Government has also issued a circular letter on the organization of National Cultural Day on 21 February 2022.”
In order to contribute to the protection and preservation of the national cultural heritage in the long run, DPM Men Sam An provided seven recommendations as follows:
1. Regarding the resources for special work and the state budget, the Prime Minister advised all ministries and institutions to use resources with high savings, including strengthening the implementation of expenditures only on necessary work. In this spirit, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts must use existing resources, especially resources that can be repaired and reused, as well as mobilize resources from partners such as retired officials, organizations, associations, etc. All officials must also work to strengthen the capacity of their officials and to find out about all the reform programs of the Royal Government to facilitate the implementation of the work in a timely and effective manner, and to prioritize the work that must be done first.
2. The preservation and development of national culture can be sustainable with the participation of all people, especially the local people who have cultural heritage. In this regard, DPM Men Sam An asks authorities and the local people to participate in preventing and cracking down immediately on the crime of destroying ancient buildings and archeological sites. DPM Men Sam An also requested the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to continue this work (including making publicity about the importance of culture and legal principles related to archaeological crimes) consistently, especially among old monks, elders, youth and people living in the cultural heritage areas. She also requested the Ministry to prepare a risk map of all ancient buildings to easily manage and intervene in a timely and effective manner.
3. As Cambodia became a party to the Bern Convention on the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works of 1886 and Amendments of 1979, all legal entities and individuals, especially Cambodians, who create content on social media are encouraged to become more aware about copyright rules and laws, to avoid taking the works of others (including from foreigners in other nations), translating and processing it for personal gain without permission. In the past, rights holders in various countries have complained to Cambodia over cases where social media users have taken foreign works of art to translate, edit or use without permission. DPM Men Sam An also requested the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to continue disseminating information on this matter widely, especially to production companies and people who use social media.
4. Continue to improve the curriculum, teaching methods and special study for lost subjects at the Royal University of Fine Arts, Fine Arts Secondary School and the Siem Reap Regional School of Fine Arts to increase the quality and quantity of human capital in the field of arts and culture. DPM Men Sam An added that it is necessary to examine the possibility of reopening existing art schools and expanding the training courses on arts and culture, especially short courses for young people who are very active in creating cultural art content on the social network system.
5. Learn about new opportunities for the development of the Cambodian cultural industry, such as the attitude of the Cambodian people towards pre-wedding photography at cultural sites, especially at World Heritage sites, by promoting and collaborating with the private sector to promote and organize dress and behavior appropriately and correctly according to Khmer traditions. It is necessary to study the opportunities of relevant policies of the Royal Government of Cambodia, such as the Cambodian Digital Economic and Social Policy Framework 2021-2035, the Economic Diplomacy Strategy 2021-2023 and the launch of “Small and Medium Enterprise Bank Cambodia” which can be useful for promoting and developing handicrafts and businesses in the field of arts and culture.
6. Calling on all Excellencies (officials) and all local and foreign philanthropists to become more active by donating their own financial resources to help preserve Khmer ancient temples, ancient buildings, as well as other cultural projects.
7. As the condition of Covid-19, especially the new Omicron virus, is spreading in Cambodia, DPM Men Sam An urged all cultural and fine arts actors to be vigilant by adhering to the ‘3 Dos and 3 Don’ts’ measures, and implementing the best practice standards. Even with the success of the national Covid-19 vaccination campaign, citizens should not be negligent in this regard.
