e-mail
I’m a day late on my Cambodian news update … so sue me … but better late than never.
I am so excited about today’s first story!
Titled “Rodin’s lithe muses go home to Cambodia”, it’s one of those, ‘about time’ sort of things.
In July 1906, Auguste Rodin went to the palace of the president of France for a garden party featuring the dancers of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia.
Paris was abuzz. King Sisowath of Cambodia was making his first state visit to France and had taken with him his troupe of royal dancers — girls with strange short hair and agile feet who had been performing to rave reviews at the Colonial Exposition in Marseille.
Rodin, 66 at the time and famous as a sculptor, showed up with a ticket but no tie. He was turned away, furious. He managed to see the dancers perform in the Bois de Bologne on the edge of Paris a few days later. What he saw was so pure and startling that it sparked in him a kind of fever he could only describe as love.
“I contemplated them in ecstasy,” he said.
Contemplated and drew. One hundred and fifty of his most famous drawings came out of his sessions with the dancers, and now 40 of them are being exhibited in Cambodia for the first time.
A wing of the National Museum has been renovated and a temp and humidity controlled room built to house the fragile works.
From first-hand reports, the show is fabulous!
If you don’t already have a copy of “Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin”, by Michelle Lord, an adoptive mom of a Cam-born darling, you’d do well to add one to your library. It’s one of my favorite gifts to give, especially to anyone with a Cam connection … or a little girl who loves dance.
New tourism opportunities are slated for the next few months, and I sure wish we were going.
Land and sea links between Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand and a number of travel companies are signing up to offer trips.
It’s not only tourists who will benefit, however, as Shihanoukville, in Cambodia, and Kathaburi, in Thailand, have about 40% of their population from Vietnam, so a quick and direct way home will be welcome.
Almost 8 million Cambodians will be voting in commune council elections, with candidate registration starting this week.
Four parties are said to be ready to run: the Cambodian People’s Party, the Funcinpec Party, the Sam Rainsy Party and the Norodom Ranariddh Party.
Speaking of Norodom Rinariddh … or should I say PRINCE Norodom Ranariddh … apparently he is not going to run away.
Funcinpec, his former political party, has filed a lawsuit accusing the royal step-brother of selling party headquarters and pocketing $3.6 million, and there was thought that he’d do a bunk, but it looks like he may actually stick around for a trial.
And while we’re on the royals, King Norodom Sihamoni was back in the palace for international New Year after a tour that took him to Germany, France and China.
Continued …
