International Day of Deaf People
21 September 2003
--The Afternoon--
| For the past two years, the Cambodian deaf community has celebrated the International Day of Deaf people (sometimes known as Deaf Awareness Day) on the last weekend of September. Similar celebrations are held around the world. This year the celebration was organized by the Maryknoll Deaf Development Program, but Krousar Thmey and the Disability Action Council were also involved. |
 There was confusion around the stage before Princess Sisovath arrived because of protocol people making various requests, but finally everyone was seated. From left to right: Regina Pellicore (Country Representative of Maryknoll), Justin Whyatt (3rd Secretary of the Australian Embassy), Annabelle Anderson (Australian Ambassador), protocol officer (white blouse), Her Royal Highness Princess Sisovath, Mao Tsar Medh (DDP Program Manager), Narin (DDP deaf teacher) |
 The motto of the Cambodian government is "Religion, Nation, King," and every ceremony starts with reverencing and presenting gifts to monks who then quickly depart. Here Mao Tsar Medh and the princess bow to the monks. |
 Another part of traditional culture here is performing the national anthem to begin a ceremony. This occasion was different as a group of DDP students expressed the familiar anthem in signs, a moving spectacle for many observers. |
 Apsaras are the female figures carved into the stone temples that are so much a part of Cambodia's heritage, and many ceremonies begin with a dance by modern-day apsaras. These young women are deaf students at the Krousar Thmey school in Phnom Penh. |
 The music for the apsaras' dance was performed by blind students who come from another Krousar Thmey school, one for blind students, which is one of four such schools Krousar Thmey operates in Cambodia. |
 We used five interpreters for this ceremony at Wat Phnom. Liza Clews (with fan) went from Cambodian Sign Language to spoken English; Sinoun went from CSL to spoken Khmer; the man in the white shirt went from spoken Khmer to spoken English; next to him the man went from spoken English to spoken Thai; next to him the woman went from spoken Thai to Thai Sign Language. |
 At the end, after the princess had left in her car, some of the Maryknoll people jokingly offered to pay for a ride on the elephant for Annabelle Anderson, the Australian Ambassador. I was relaying the message, and she surprised me by saying "Yes, if you will go also!" And so I got my first elephant ride around Wat Phnom. |
| On the Tuesday after the celebration of the International Day of Deaf People, the Cambodia Daily printed an article about the situation of deaf people in Cambodia. The basis of the article was an interview with Mao Tsar Medh, the program manager of the Deaf Development Program. Click here to see the article. |