|
Living
on the Streets of Cambodia
< Buraku Kaiho May 2001 > |
|
|
|
|
| Located in Cambodia's northwest is one of the World Heritage sites, Angkor Wat. There, I noticed the constant stream of tourists, but soon forgot them as I too was awed by the majestic structures which fill every visitor with admiration. I made my way to the capital, Phnom Penh, to see the Tuol Sleng Museum and "the killing fields" outside the city. Burned into my vision was the line of countless skulls. Men or women, elderly or young, who can tell? They are the epitome of silenced witnesses. The memory of Pol Pot will not fade away easily. And with the sight of each landmine victim, I realized that the aftereffects of civil war still torment the peoples of Cambodia. Most of those who went to Cambodia, guidebook in hand, looked at the ancient ruins and brushed past me on their fast-footed tours to learn a bit about the memories left by the civil war. Because everyone is told "it is not safe," very few foreigners actually walk the streets. The omnipresence of massacres and landmines, poverty and NGOs, make a mockery of the Cambodia of today. One cannot see the true lives of Cambodian people by looking only at the records of war and ruins. To link the Cambodia of the past to the Cambodia of today, I decided it was best to have more direct interactions with people who live there. Without any particularly defined purpose, camera in one hand, I spent one month aimlessly walking the streets of Cambodia. | |
|
Click the following
images, you can see the bigger ones.
|
|
 |
|
|
A boy living
on the streets, grips a plastic bag filled with glue.
( Siem Riep, December 2000 ) |
|
 |
|
|
A 38 year-old-man
begs, targeting pilgrims and the devout.
He is shooed away by a security guard walking the temple grounds. ( Phnom Penh, December 2000 ) |
|
 |
|
|
Standing perfectly
still under the blazing sun, begging at the market entrance.
( Phnom Penh, December 2000 ) |
|
 |
|
|
Children fish
at a nearby pond to help support their families.
Fatigue takes flight as they play during their break time. ( Siem Riep, December 2000 ) |
|
 |
|
|
Mother and child
living on the street alongside the temple.
They survive on the priest's charity. ( Phnom Penh, December 2000 ) |
|
 |
|
|
Men completely
absorbed in gambling.
( Phnom Penh, December 2000 ) |
|
 |
|
|
Making rounds
of the market on his knees, he continues begging.
( Phnom Penh, November 2000 ) |
|
 |
|
|
Napping while
using his prosthesis as a pillow.
(Phnom Penh, December 2000) |
|
|
|