2009-7-27
Not just any art class, Cambodians are gathering to learn more about the darkest chapters in the nation's 20th Century history.
Vann Nath, a well known artist and survivor of the infamous S-21 prison camp, organized a workshop to educate youth about art and the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.
[Vann Nath, S-21 Survivor]:
"I came here to share my experience as well as to remember our country's history, and to ensure that it's not lost."
During the Khmer Rouge era, operators of the S-21 prison camp brutally tortured and killed over 14,000 prisoners.
The chief jailer, better known as Duch, is the first to face trial in a U.N.-backed court and the only one to acknowledge responsibility for his actions.
The exhibition organizers hope the show will go some way in helping to provide healing for Cambodians.
[Chan Pisey, Exhibition Organizer]:
"I think it is good to have the Khmer Rouge Tribunal because it lets the victims know what has happened and why Pol Pot killed the innocent people? Of course, it cannot heal the suffering of everyone but at least 20 to 30 percent of help can be done."
Overall, an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died of torture, execution, disease and starvation during the Khmer Rouge's rule.
The genocide from 1975 to 1979 emptied cities, forcing virtually the entire population to work in farms, notorious as killing fields.
Not just any art class, Cambodians are gathering to learn more about the darkest chapters in the nation's 20th Century history.
Vann Nath, a well known artist and survivor of the infamous S-21 prison camp, organized a workshop to educate youth about art and the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.
[Vann Nath, S-21 Survivor]:
"I came here to share my experience as well as to remember our country's history, and to ensure that it's not lost."
During the Khmer Rouge era, operators of the S-21 prison camp brutally tortured and killed over 14,000 prisoners.
The chief jailer, better known as Duch, is the first to face trial in a U.N.-backed court and the only one to acknowledge responsibility for his actions.
The exhibition organizers hope the show will go some way in helping to provide healing for Cambodians.
[Chan Pisey, Exhibition Organizer]:
"I think it is good to have the Khmer Rouge Tribunal because it lets the victims know what has happened and why Pol Pot killed the innocent people? Of course, it cannot heal the suffering of everyone but at least 20 to 30 percent of help can be done."
Overall, an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died of torture, execution, disease and starvation during the Khmer Rouge's rule.
The genocide from 1975 to 1979 emptied cities, forcing virtually the entire population to work in farms, notorious as killing fields.
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