New archives, new partners and Paris Peace Accords Gala

The Cambodia Peace Museum has been busy collecting archives and strengthening and expanding our networks to build a solid foundation for the project in Cambodia.

Our most recent archival photographs and articles came from volunteers and journalists visiting the country in the 1980s and 1990s.

American Doug Hostetter, of the Mennonite Central Committee United Nations office, visited the Cambodian refugee camps in Thailand in early 1980. Doug has written several pieces on his experiences there and donated a series of photographs to the Cambodian Peace Museum.

In particular, these photographs highlight the resilience of the Cambodian spirit in the camps, where families continued sharing traditions such as Apsara dancing while searching for missing family members and waiting for news of their repatriation.

Over a decade later, Australian journalist John Rodsted visited Cambodia as part of the global effort to end the use of landmines. John captured images of landmine survivors, deminers clearing unexploded ordinance and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.  

The Cambodia Peace Museum team will be cataloguing and sharing these photographs in the near future along with more stories of resilience and peacebuilding in Cambodia. If you would like to get the latest news about the project delivered by email, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Locally grounded

One of our guiding principles is that the Cambodia Peace Museum should be firmly grounded in the experiences and perspectives of Cambodian peacebuilders, many of whom inspired the project and continue to contribute to its vision and goals.

In the first months of 2016, we’ve been engaging and consulting with people around the country to discuss what are the important themes, stories and movements that should be highlighted and explored through the museum.

As we reconnect with long-time friends in the peacebuilding community and meet new partners, we have been greatly appreciative of the overwhelming positive response to the project. Many have acknowledged and welcomed the need for a shared space for collecting, reflecting and discussing Cambodia’s history of peace and reconciliation.

Peace Museum Paris Peace Accords Gala

As we continue growing and expanding the foundation for the Cambodia Peace Museum, the Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS) will host our first annual Peace Museum Gala in Siem Reap on October 22 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords, which were signed in 1991.

The Peace Museum Gala will feature a masquerade theme, amazing auction and raffle prizes, and performances including Phare, the Cambodian Circus. We’ll be telling you much more about this exciting event soon and hope you’ll join us and other distinguished guests and partners in celebrating such an important step in Cambodia’s journey to peace.

If you would like to support the Cambodia Peace Museum, the East West Management Institute (EWMI) is accepting donations on behalf of CPCS.

For more information, please visit our website.

Thank you for your support and interest in the Cambodia Peace Museum!