Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - UNESCO bid to save dying music style

UNESCO bid to save dying music style

Master Kong Nay mesmerises listeners on his chapei dong veng.
Master Kong Nay mesmerises listeners on his chapei dong veng. Scott Howes

UNESCO bid to save dying music style

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts plans to seek UNESCO cultural world heritage status for the traditional music known as Khmer Arak, an art form they believe is in danger of disappearing, ministry officials said yesterday.

Thai Norak Sathya, secretary of state for the ministry, said his colleagues hope to put in the request this year. “We are taking care of the most endangered type [of music], such as Arak bands,” he said.

According to Norak Sathya, Arak is the oldest type of local music, and originates from the animist spiritual beliefs of early Cambodians.

It is performed with the aid of such musical instruments as the flute, drum, tro and chapei (two types of stringed instruments).

The music is a form of prayer that was thought to drive out illnesses. But as the country adapts to modern medicine, Arak is in danger of dying out, he said, and few young Cambodians know about it.

Khat Sokhim, head of a traditional Arak band, welcomed the proposal. “Some children do not know the old music; only the old musicians can play it,” she said. “If the ministry can do this, I totally support it.”

UNESCO was not available for comment yesterday.

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Famed US collector family return artefacts to Cambodia

    In the latest repatriation of ancient artefacts from the US, a total of 33 pieces of Khmer cultural heritage will soon return home, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In a September 12 press statement, it said the US Attorney’s Office for the

  • Tina rebuffs ‘false claims’ over falling paddy price

    Agriculture minister Dith Tina has shed light on the trade of paddy rice in Battambang – Cambodia’s leading rice-producing province – in a bid to curb what he dubs a “social media fact distortion campaign” to destabilise the market. While acknowledging that the prices of paddy

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • Kampot curfew imposed to curb ‘gang’ violence

    Kampot provincial police have announced measures to contain a recent spike in antisocial behaviour by “unruly’ youth. Officials say the province has been plagued by recent violence among so-called “gang members”, who often fight with weapons such as knives and machetes. Several social observers have

  • PM outlines plans to discuss trade, policy during US visit

    Prime Minister Hun Manet is set to meet with senior US officials and business leaders during his upcoming visit to the US for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), scheduled for September 20. While addressing nearly 20,000 workers in Kampong Speu province, Manet said he aims to affirm