Resource September 25, 2014

Meet Journalist and Filmmaker Kalyanee Mam

Country:

Author:
Image by Kalyanee Mam. Cambodia, 2014.
English

A revolution is awakening in Cambodia—with protests led by a monk who is speaking out against the...

SECTIONS
Media file: areng_bb099701.jpg
Reem Sav See and the Chong community in Areng Valley in southwest Cambodia face the impending construction of a hydroelectric dam that will flood their forests and farmland, as well as the forests held sacred by their ancestors. Image by Kalyanee Mam. Cambodia, 2014.

The Cambodian government intends to build a network of 17 dams across Cambodia, hoping this will generate enough electricity to meet domestic demand, reduce energy costs, and export surplus energy abroad. While the goal of transforming Cambodia into the power plant of Southeast Asia may promise economic gain, it also entails significant costs.

For this project, filmmaker Kalyanee Mam travels to Areng Valley, a remote area in southwest Cambodia at the foot of the Central Cardamom Protected Forests. She follows a group of young dissident monks who traveled over 150 miles from Phnom Penh, the capital, to join the Chong people in their fight to protect their forests, livelihood, and heritage from the looming construction of a hydroelectric dam.

RELATED TOPICS

yellow halftone illustration of an elephant

Topic

Environment and Climate Change

Environment and Climate Change
navy halftone illustration of a boy carrying two heavy buckets

Topic

Water and Sanitation

Water and Sanitation

RELATED CONTENT