Thursday, 12 November 2009

Battambang youths bring traditional dance to Korea



Published : November 11 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH : Some 70 young people from Battambang apostolic prefecture, including some with physical disabilities, will be showcasing Cambodian music and dance at a Church forum in South Korea.

The young artists, mostly aged under 18, are to stage their performance at the end of the Seoul Pax Forum, which runs from Nov. 11-13.

According to its website, the forum, organized by the Korean Catholic Education Foundation in association with the Catholic University of Korea, will address the current educational and medical status of Asian youths and discuss new hopes for them.

Researchers, government officials and NGOs are expected to attend this forum.

The presentation of traditional Cambodian dance at the forum is an attempt to get the young to focus on relationships, morality and solidarity, says Monsignor Enrique Figaredo, apostolic prefect of Battambang.

He added that the Church supports the education of the 70 young Cambodian participants, who come from poor families. The youngsters also take part in traditional dance classes run by the Church.

The Spanish missioner said that in Cambodia, most children do not have the opportunity to go to school because of poverty or because they come from broken families.

He is scheduled to make a presentation on the education situation in Cambodia on Nov. 12.

One young performer, Tra Vichet, 15, said she wants to show the Korean people Cambodian culture. Even though she is able-bodied, she wants to tell Koreans "about disabled children in Cambodia."

"They have the right to dance also," she declared.

Chhey Sarin, 17, who is partially blind, also promised to tell the forum about the situation of disabled children in her country. She is one of 10 people in the group who have disabilities.

According to Jesuit Father John Lee Kyung-yong, organizer of the Cambodian contingent, the Cambodians will also perform at six venues in Seoul archdiocese.

Courtesy : UCAN

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