Amid the power meetings, the speeches and the deal-making that will go with November’s Asean Summit in Phnom Penh, officials and artists from throughout Southeast Asia will be celebrating their cultural, creative heritage in Siem Reap.
Performances marking Asean Cultural Week will be held at Angkor Wat and next to Angkor Thom’s elephant terrace from Oct 23 until Nov 1.
Artists from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Burma and Thailand—countries that all have an Indian-influenced cultural tradition—will perform parts of the Indian epic Ramayana on the final day of the festival, Ministry of Culture Undersecretary of State Chuch Phoeurn said.
Artists from Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and the Phil- ippines will present more contemporary stories in their performances at the same ceremony, Chuch Phoeurn said.
There will also be poetry readings, kite-flying, food-tasting, fireworks, films and presentations about the Angkor temples, and art displays throughout the week, Culture Ministry official Hang Soth said. Cambodia has received $63,080 from Asean to organize and promote Asean Cultural Week, Hang Soth said.
The Asean Summit is scheduled to begin Nov 4. Leaders from all 10 Asean nations are expected to attend. Delegates to November’s meetings will likely also travel to Siem Reap to visit the Angkor temples.
The Greater Mekong Subregion Summit—comprising delegates from China, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand—is scheduled for Nov 3 in Phnom Penh.
Cambodia, which joined Asean in 1999, officially assumed the chair of the Asean Standing Committee at the annual meeting of Asean foreign ministers in Brunei last month. Phnom Penh will also play host to the annual meeting in June 2003. Foreign ministers from Asean nations, China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Canada, the US and the European Union are expected to attend.
