The Minefields of History

10-26-08

The history of a place and a culture has a profound impact on every facet of life, both in major attitudes and in tiny, everyday events. Six months ago I had no idea that the history of Cambodia, be it the years of French colonialism, the war in Vietnam, and the Khmer Rouge, would be something that would have an impact on my daily life. But here I am, attempting to help rebuild in my own small way an educational system that was completely dismantled thirty years ago. The various things that I have observed are a direct result of that history. Without understanding it, there is no way I would be able to function in this society.

As you may know, Cambodia was a colony of France, along with Vietnam and Laos making up what was then known as French Indochina. However, Cambodia had the rather unique experience of actually asking to become a colony, rather than having colonial status forced upon it. For the previous several centuries, the remnants of the ancient Khmer empire had been reduced to a vassal state, passed between Vietnam and Thailand in their various wars. Seeing an opportunity to break this cycle, the King appealed to the French, and Cambodia became a French “protectorate.”

Like every state touched by colonialism, it had a profound impact on the culture. Just the other day I had an elderly woman come up to me in the market and start speaking French to me. I replied in my simple Khmer that I was in fact not French, but American. She looked disappointed. To advance during those years you had to speak French. This would of course become a major liability twenty years or so after independence, when the Khmer Rouge killed anyone who displayed knowledge of a foreign language. The ones who still speak it either concealed it during those years or fled to the refugee camps. Maybe someday when my Khmer is better I'll track down that old women and hear her story.

The last vestiges of French colonialism can be seen in the strangest places; old French-style houses along the side of the road, some words of the language, and official signs and documents that are still in French. And to those who say that nineteenth century imperialism was all bad, it's because of the French colonial empire that today I can buy delicious, freshly-baked baguettes in the market each morning. Thank you, French imperialism.

Understanding the history of a place can also help you reconcile attitudes and actions that you might find disturbing or “wrong.” Here in Cambodia, when travelers need to “relieve” themselves, they usually do it right along the side of the road, in broad view of everyone. At first I found this to be pretty gross. However, this area of Cambodia was on the receiving end of some of the heaviest indiscriminate carpet-bombing since World War II. US B-52's, believing that Svay Rieng province was the headquarters of the Vietcong, dropped thousands of pounds of bombs with little regard for where exactly they landed or what happened after they did. Also, the Khmer Rouge laid thousands upon thousands of land mines during their long, grueling retreat across Cambodia is the face of the Vietnamese invasion. And they didn't necessarily leave good documentation about where those mines were laid, either.

The unexploded ordinance and land mines have been mostly cleared from this area of the country, but my point is this; up until recently, going off into the woods to relieve yourself was a good way to get your leg blown off. And so, today Richard Nixon is the reason I have to pee in full view of whoever is coming along on the road. And why when I explore around the community, I find several small, circular lakes in the middle of rice fields that I doubt formed naturally.

These are just a few of the everyday things that I have come across. What happened here during the Khmer Rouge regime and the years of war and horror that followed are so deeply ingrained in this culture that it's impossible to separate the two. But if you didn't understand it, there would be no way that you could do any good in this country.