Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Cambodian monk wins two art awards from AUF Asia-Pacific

Cambodian monk wins two art awards from AUF Asia-Pacific

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Buddhist monk Thon Siphat is awarded for outstanding digital drawing. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Cambodian monk wins two art awards from AUF Asia-Pacific

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Association of Francophone Universities (AUF) in the Asia-Pacific region, a drawing competition called “My Francophone, My Future and My Identity” was organised.

Buddhist monk Thon Siphat won two prizes: The third prize for digital drawing and the public’s choice prize among 26 candidates from four countries, including Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia.

Siphat is a fourth-year student at the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) majoring in communications drawing.

“The drawing represents our Cambodian students studying French. They learn about Khmer history in French textbooks. The man standing there is teaching the young students who have just learned French,” Siphat explained about his drawing to The Post.

As a former student of French in his foundation year who reluctantly switched to English, Siphat joined the competition and sent the drawing to the AUF headquarters in Vietnam.

As a result, the 24-year-old monk received an e-book reader for winning third place and Casque Audio headphones for winning the public vote on Facebook.

The “Regional Poster-Making Competition Award Ceremony” was held on March 9 at the Centre d’Employabilite Francophone during the visit of the AUF rector and vice-rector for the Asia-Pacific region, Professors Slim Khalbous and Marie Nathalie Le Blanc.

Sok Kuong, project manager in charge of relations at AUF-Cambodge, said that the committee, which has members from all countries and from several higher education agencies using the French language, directly evaluated the selections based on four criteria.

“First, candidates must have respect for the content of the topic. The second is the originality of the candidate’s work. Third is the quality and artistic characteristics. Fourth, the drawing must have both the quality as well as the content of the text that accompanies the image,” said Kuong.

He said that AUF, which was established 60 years ago, is now the world’s first university network with more than 1,030 member institutions, including universities, colleges and research centers, present in 120 countries around the world.

The mission of the visit by the rector and vice-rector was to strengthen the relationship between the AUF and its member universities in Cambodia and to discuss new perspectives on cooperation as the national office in Phnom Penh has been established since 1994.

“Currently, the Kingdom of Cambodia has 13 member universities which are among the 87 higher education institutions of the AUF network in the Asia-Pacific region,” Kuong said.

He said that out of the 26 candidates’ drawings, only 10 were selected to be displayed at the Francophone Phnom Penh Digital and Employment Center at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia.

Khalbous did a presentation on a series of AUF activities for the benefit of French-speaking youth, such as university sports, student mobility, international competitions and the organization of the second French-speaking Youth Conference, one of the Francophone Science Week events in Quebec, Canada from October 30 to November 2, 2022, according to Kuong.

The first and second prize winners of the AUF Regional Poster-Making Competition were two students in Vietnam. The first place winner received an iPad Air and the second place winner received a Wacom digital drawing tablet.

MOST VIEWED

  • Five-year-old Hanuman dances his way into hearts of Cambodia

    A young talent from a new-established settlement has emerged, captivating the online world with his mesmerising performances of the traditional Cambodian monkey dance. Roeun Kakada is a five-year-old prodigy who has taken the social media sphere by storm with his exceptional dance skills and dedication

  • Fresh Covid warnings as Thai hospital fills

    A senior health official reminds the public to remain vigilant, as neighbouring countries experience an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the latest surge appearing to be a result of the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. Or Vandine, secretary of state and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,

  • Honda shutters Siem Reap football club

    Japanese football legend Keisuke Honda, the owner of Siem Reap football club Soltilo Angkor FC, has been forced to shut the club down, after it failed to attract sponsorship for the upcoming season. Honda, the former manager of the Cambodia men's national football team, said

  • Hun Sen warns of regional tensions

    ASIA is becoming a dangerous geopolitical hotspot, with several countries announcing that they intend to send naval vessels towards Southeast Asia and on to the South China Sea, warned Prime Minister Hun Sen. “Heated geopolitical issues can easily escalate, namely to war. I am not

  • PM declares ASEAN Para Games open

    The 12th ASEAN Para Games officially kicked off on the evening of June 3 at Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, with a spectacular opening ceremony featuring fireworks and performances by some of the Kingdom’s most accomplished talents. Tens of thousands of sports fans

  • Waterway job still pending for Kampot tourism port’s opening

    The search is still on for a contractor to expand and deepen the Kampot International Tourism Port’s waterway and deliver additional enhancements allowing safe access for larger vessels, nearly a year after the main construction work on the 4.25ha site was completed on June 30, 2022.