January marks the beginning of the eighth year for the Cambodian Oral History Project. As Cambodia returned to relative normalcy post-COVID, we sent an intern in-country for the first time in two years. Meanwhile, we expanded our efforts in US heritage communities––notably Oakland, CA and …
There is an old Native American proverb that reads, “Tell me the facts and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” I have always been captivated by the stories, events, …
The COVID pandemic continues to affect the world to varying degrees and Cambodia has not been spared. Because of movement restrictions and contagion fears, the in-country interview collection has mostly ceased for the moment. As a result, we have turned our attention to Cambodian heritage …
By Debra Williams* My experiences from being involved in the Cambodian Oral History Project (COHP) have been about making connections. This project has helped me connect people with their past and families with their history. It has also helped me connect with and develop a …
We are excited to introduce another team member, Lauren Somsen. Lauren is a student at Brigham Young University in the Nursing program. She loves to do everything outdoors––hiking, boating, camping, etc. She served a full time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day …
We are gratified to the many people who have reached out in support of the project in various ways, especially since COHP was featured on the Brigham Young University website and YouTube channel in July. Despite the challenges associated with the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the …
Madeline Mortell is a Brigham Young University student from Boise, Idaho studying public relations. She joined the Cambodian Oral History Project this past August and currently serves as our social media lead. She also helps with the project database. Madeline’s introduction to Cambodia began with …
As with the rest of the world, our project has been dealing with the effects of COVID-19. Our Winter Semester intern returned early amid concerns of the pandemic, and the collection of interviews ground to a near standstill. Accordingly, our Cambodia team shifted focus to …
With the year 2020, the Cambodian Oral History Project enters its fifth year. The project is now approaching the 5000-interview milestone with contributions from 16 of the 25 Cambodian provinces. We have received interviews from 110 different local peer leaders. The BYU team has six …
