Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Cambodia on UK television

What an inspired choice for one of 5 people to profile - gallery guards, museum attendants and cleaners - whose job it is to look after works of art. Cambodia's very own favourite leaf-sweeper, Choun Nhiem, was chosen to represent this unsung group of people for an hour long tv programme on BBC last night. Presented by Alan Yentob, Imagine - Who Cares about Art?, cut to Nhiem talking about his life and his work at the Angkor temple of Ta Prohm throughout the programme, alongside visits to places like the Louvre gallery in Paris and St Petersburg's Hermitage, as they explained the daily lives of this representative group. It was clear that Nhiem won't go on forever and featuring in this programme was a fitting testament to his life's work, which you can read more about here.

Another Cambodian will feature on television tomorrow night, in the ITV documentary, My New Face. Dealing with the stories of children with badly disfigured faces, two remarkable craniofacial surgeons Martin Kelly and Norman Waterhouse, devote their free time and skills to the UK charity Facing The World and this includes 12-year old Ney, who lives in a shack in Cambodia and is frequently stoned by children in his village. The programme shows the surgeons achieving remarkable transformations for the four children they're able to help.

2 comments:

Andy said...

The work of the surgeons who lead the Facing The World team was absolutely fantastic in giv9ng young Ney the chance to lead a normal life back in Battambang. His operation in the Uk was a real success and you can read about Ney and others on the charity website at:
http://www.facingtheworld.net/

Anonymous said...

Lok ta is a very gentle man. On my first trip to Ta Prohm in Sept 2005, I paid my respects and blessings to lok ta (even snap a picture with him holding the Lonely Planet edition that featured him on cover). But ever since this first trip onward, I have not seen him. I was told by the uniformed guards of his fragile physical conditions. So in closing, all I wish is for his good health. He will not be forgotten. -PDP-