preface, excerpts from the book "khmer kites"
written by Sim Sarak and Cheang Yarin, Phnom Penh june 2002

..about kites in cambodia...

Unfortunately for Cambodian people, their country was in flames of successive wars and civil strife of the 1970s. During this dark period, millions of Cambodian people were killed; cultural patrimonies destroyed and traditional practices of kite flying were no longer seen. These led to a poor knowledge about the national kites among younger generation.

With an ardent desire to make a humble contribution to the revival of the Khmer traditional practices of kite flying, as an intangible cultural heritage of Cambodia, I approached and sought for support and assistance of top management of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts by early 1994 in initiating festivals of kite-flying in the country. The quest was made and three festivals of kite flying were consecutively held in Phnom Penh respectively on 31 December 1994, 25 December 1996 and 22 December 1999 with large participation of the mass population. The 1994 kite-flying festival was the first of its kind since King Ang Duong died in 1859. It was also the renaissance of such kind of festival after its death for 135 years.

As the government would like to make the new millennium and to dedicate itself to peace in Cambodia, the third festival of kite-flying organized in 1999 was so solemn and unprecedented in the country under a motto: "Lay down weapons, Fly kites"

Kite-flying practices are resumed by kite fans, especially among children but not active yet. However, many of us gain little knowledge about history of kite and do not know how to make a kite properly.

( Sim Sarak, Cheang Yarin, Phnom Penh june 2002 )

 

KItefly Phnom Penh
October 12, 2002

"One Sky One World"