On Saturday, December 6th, NGO-CEDAW celebrated the tenth edition of Dignity Cambodia, an art event for gender equality. This year, young Cambodian artists came together to create seven different artworks educating about and raising awareness for gender equality. The event was joined by 250 participants, including CSO members, youth, and the public.

About the event

During the event, seven of NGO-CEDAW’s coalition members and partners displayed booths where participants could learn about their work, talk to representatives and play games or take quizzes. Participants were able to stroll around Maloop and discover the art placed around the venue, enjoy snacks and drinks, connect at the booths, and talk to the artists.

Mona Simon, the founder of Dignity Cambodia, welcomed participants to the event by speaking about the power of art in connecting people and empowering women. Dr. Heike Loeschmann, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation Cambodia, gave the opening remarks. 

Every artist got a chance to talk about themselves and their work on the main stage. They explained their progress, what they want to achieve with their work, but also what inspired them to create – often very personal stories. Artist Norng Sovanmanech is currently studying in the Czech Republic, but was able to deliver her message via video. The digital video art was shown on the big screen and the spoken theater was performed at the very end. During the break, Dignity artist Vart Van hosted a fashion show and gave a musical performance, transforming the venue into a mini-festival.

Closing remarks were given by Chim Channeang, the General Secretary of NGO-CEDAW. She thanked everyone involved in bringing the event to life – the artists, CSO members, youth volunteers, as well as donors. She ended with a reminder to all participants to take what they had learned at the event and continue to spread the knowledge in their communities to advance gender equality.

About the art

The seven arts displayed were:

Blooming Beyond the Trauma, a face painting and video by Vart Van

Breaking into Freedom, a canvas painting by Saroeun Rathrita

Break the Silence, a digital animation by Norng Sovanmanech

Drunk joy hides silent suffering, a digital drawing and origami piece by Chork Sokkim

Lily and her magical garden, an educational children’s book by Rachna Thim and Socheat Nhip

Do it Together, a multimedia collage by Phon Dolla and Seap Samnang

I am a daughter, a spoken-word theater by Chheang Panha

About Dignity

Dignity Cambodia supports art activism to raise awareness about domestic violence and elevate gender equality. The Project aims to give emerging and established Cambodian artists a stage to spark meaningful conversations advocating for human rights through the transformative power of their art. It is held annually during the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Dignity Cambodia. NGO-CEDAW is proud of all Dignity alumni and the art they have contributed over the last decade to advance gender equality. We want to thank all of our artists and our partners for their continued support and contributions.

You can see this years art and past pieces on the Dignity Cambodia website here.

Check out more photos from the event on our Facebook Page

Media coverage by RFI and the Cambodia China Times

Are you interested in supporting Dignity Cambodia? Don’t hesitate to reach out and send us a message to [email protected].