August 27, 2024
PHNOM PENH – The Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) has published a new book which recounts the lives of ordinary people during the rule of the Khmer Rouge.
Titled “History from Our Villages”, the publication contains 68 stories that describe various aspects of daily life during the most terrible period of the Kingdom’s history.
Each of the short articles originated in villages during the Khmer Rouge era and was collected from survivors. They were either written by individuals who personally experienced the horrors of the regime first-hand, or were collated by teachers, researchers or young authors, explained Pheng Pong-Rasy, director of DC-Cam’s Education on Genocide Programme.
Pong-Rasy, who also heads DC-Cam’s Prey Veng and Takeo branches, led the publication of the tome.
“If we look at the 68 stories, they cover all aspects of life, including displacement, food shortages, forced labour and torture, among others. These stories reflect life under the Khmer Rouge regime, which was filled with tragedy, hardship and the brutality of the regime cadres,” he told The Post.
Pong-Rasy explained that the centre compiled this book to honour the survivors of the Khmer Rouge era, preserve these stories as part of history for future generations to understand and to ensure that what happened during the period is not forgotten.
He added that this is the first edition of a planned series, with other stories to be added to future editions as the centre collects them from across Cambodia.
Pong-Rasy said the publication of the book is a continuation of previous work done by the centre, through training teachers and survivors, as well as young researchers, to write the stories of what happened in their villages during the Khmer Rouge era.
Additionally, he suggested that teachers could incorporate these stories into their teaching, with the end goal of promoting reconciliation at the grassroots level.
A volunteer prepares copies of the book for shipping. PHOTO: DC-CAM/THE PHNOM PENH POST