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Together with the
International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), DC-Cam is
leading the development of an “Affinity Group” of documentation
centers from around the world (the former Yugoslavia, Guatemala, Burma
(headquartered in Thailand), Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Africa) to
share information and techniques, and work together to address the
constraints shared by its members. The group, which plans to meet
three or four times per year, would also call in international experts
to help think through solutions to various technical documentation
problems.
The first meeting of the
Affinity Group was held in
Phnom Penh
in March 2005. Following an introduction to DC-Cam that included
detailed discussions of our documentation and outreach work, the group
address such topics as proceedings:
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trategic issues in collecting documents: how to connect documentary
materials and forensic evidence with the broader goals of
accountability, truth-telling, and justice. Prioritizing categories
of documents, projects (e.g., oral history, primary documents,
others), etc.
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Technical issues in collecting, preserving and using documents
(database management, collecting documents from multiple sources,
massive state documents and collection challenges)
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Case studies in documentation and planning for the future.
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Restoration
of the National Police Archive Project in Guatemala
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In April, DC-Cam Director Youk Chhang traveled to several US schools
as UC-Berkeley and UCLA’s biannual
Distinguished Visitor from Southeast Asia:
USC, UCSD, UCLA, UC-Irvine, Stanford University, Cal State Long
Beach, and Rutgers University. He gave presentations on the current
state of Cambodian society with regard to the tragedy of the Khmer
Rouge era. His visit was organized by Penny Edwards, Chair of the
Center for Southeast Asian Center at UC-Berkeley, and Barbara
Gaerlan, Assistant Director of the Center for Southeast Asian
Studies at UCLA, and funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
During his two weeks of visiting American universities, Mr. Chhang
met with many students and professors to discuss in greater depth
the issues he raised in his presentation. At UC-Berkeley, he worked
with professors and library staff on the preservation of the
classical Khmer poem,
Tum Teav.
In 2005, DC-Cam published an English translation by George Chigas.
At UC-Berkeley, the text has been used in courses on Southeast Asia.
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Mr. Chhang at USC: The Documentation Center of
Cambodia's Khmer
Rouge Trial Exhibition
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Mr. Chhang at Rutgers: Tribunal Not a
Cure-All, Experts Warn
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Mr. Chhang at UC-Berkeley:
Connecting the Broken
Pieces after the
Cambodian Genocide: Legacy as Memory of a Nation
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Mr. Chhang at UCLA: Truth Commission:
Connecting the Broken Pieces
after the Cambodian Genocide
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Mr. Chhang at Stanford: Cambodia is Facing up
to its Genocide
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Mr. Chhang
at Lowell, Massachusetts: For US-Cambodians, a
Question of
Healing
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Mr. Chhang at UW-Madison: Using Archival
Description to Foster
Accountability
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Cambodian Students Begin Learning about Khmer
Rouge Atrocities Youk
Chhang, director of the Documentation Center
of Cambodia, describes the
challenges of teaching young people about
the country's holocaust. Over the
last two weeks of April, he met
with students and faculty at UCLA, Berkeley,
Irvine and San Diego.
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Youk Chhang,
Time Magazine Person of the Year Nominations,
Time Magazine TIME asked past TIME 100 honorees whom they would
choose for 2010. Youk Chhang selected Norodom Monineath Sihanouk,
saying: Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk of Cambodia is the
embodiment of resilience, a beautiful woman who has endured
countless hardships with dignity and courage. Through her, we can
learn about colonialism, independence, civil war, genocide,
democratization and the quest for justice. Her life too will teach
us about the complex history of Cambodia, a country often
overlooked.
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