Representatives of the entertainment industry have issued an open letter to try and curb the worrying moral decline of live and TV performance in Cambodia, which they believe is encouraging "sexiness" and vice.
The Khmer Arts Association (KAA) and the Television Association released the letter Monday at a conference to increase moral awareness among performing artists and presenters for both TV and live performance.
"The letter is not meant to pressure artists," said KAA President Ieng Sithol at the conference. "Its main point is that our national tradition is being adversely affected by certain negative things which artists do and which are then seen by audiences."
Various arts associations also attended the conference which focused particularly on performances and shows featuring songs not written by Cambodians and songs concerning adultery.
"Khmer singers are not only singing foreign songs but are also wearing clothes similar to those foreigners wear," said Ieng Sithol. "This shows that Cambodians are taking on the identity of other cultures and trying to erase their own identity. So we have banned three songs: 'May I Have a Piece of Your Heart', 'If I Can't Be Your First Wife, May I Be Your Second One' and 'I Love Someone Else's Husband'." He said the letter was aimed at informing all lovers of the arts about maintaining Cambodian values.
"Performing these three songs in concerts is banned because they put down Cambodian women," he said. "As a lover of the arts I think today's artists are on the wrong track, and society will criticize those who act inappropriately."
Ieng Sithol said the majority of artists support the KAA's comments and some of them are now making an attempt to stop wearing improper clothes when performing. "However around half haven't done anything about these things yet," he said.
Khat Sokhim, singer and TVK commentator said the letter "aims to help maintain our national culture and identity, because if Cambodian artists go too far beyond the bounds of their culture, Cambodians will not be able to accept it.
"I was also once a trendy and sexy person," Khat Sokhim admitted, "but later I realized my mistake and I corrected my behavior - so did other artists. It's good that TV commentators are being required to use proper words and pronounce their words clearly as this will make them careful about what they say."
Cha Rithy, program manager for TV5, said: "Performers on our channel are not permitted to wear clothes that are unacceptably sexy or too short, and their clothes are inspected by Ministry of Culture inspectors before the performance. We are very careful about this, [but] while artists are doing better with their clothing, there are still a few other problems. For instance, most commentators are not well-educated as they were mainly actors beforehand, so they are learning on the job. Some of them are good at their job while others are not."
Ouk Sam Art, a contemporary of Cambodia's most famous "Golden Era" singer Sinn Sisamouth and a famous and prolific songwriter in his own right, said: "I can't accept these contemporary songs which just copy foreign rhythms. Plagiarism of songs infringes upon the intellectual property rights of others," adding that Cambodian artists should try to create solely from their own imagination, particularly when composing songs.
"If possible, songwriters should avoid composing songs that degrade women," he said. "In any case, songs being composed these days do not reflect Khmer identity much."
Khoun Leakhana is a reporter for the Mekong Times
This article first appeared in The Mekong Times
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