Norfolk resident salvaging Cambodian culture

By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo

Jessup at a performance in Washington, D.C. of a Cambodian dance drama that FOKCI supported.

Ten years ago, Norfolk resident Helen Jessup began a not-for-profit group called Friends of Khmer Culture (FOKCI) to support artistic and cultural projects in Cambodia. “Cambodia produces some of the world’s most glorious and spectacular architecture and sculpture,” Jessup said. “We’re doing everything we can to protect it.” The idea for the group arose in 1997 after Jessup curated a large exhibition of Khmer sculpture for an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Paris and Tokyo. Embarrassed that the United States had no Ministry of Culture to match the generous donations from the governments of France and Tokyo, she decided that an expression of thanks to the Cambodian government would have to be made through the actions of a not-for-profit organization. Among the more than fifty projects that FOKCI has carried out, was the conservation of the sections of Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious monument. The temple, dating from the12th century, is covered in bas-relief carvings that were in a desperate state of decay. An earlier Indian attempt at restoration was misguided, and the German government agreed to help undo the damage. FOKCI sustained a team of Cambodians, who then spent five years restoring the temple. The success of this funding initiative led Friends of Khmer to continue funding projects that empowered Cambodians to preserve their own culture. After the brief, but brutal Khmer Rouge’s reign in the late 1970s, two million Cambodians were left dead, one-fifth of the country’s total population. The target of their mass executions was anyone with an education, so the country was left with an unskilled work force. One of the goals of FOKCI is to train young Cambodians in various fields, so they can, once again, be independent. “It’s very heartening to see a new generation of skilled workers emerging there,” Jessup said. Friends of Khmer published a book in 2006, “Masterpieces of the National Museum of Cambodia”, which was translated into four languages. Profits from sales in the National Museum, located in Phnom Penh, go to the museum for multiple needs. The group also publishes a periodic scholarly journal, so Cambodian students can research their cultural past and publish in company with international scholars. In addition, they have started a website in the Khmer language that focuses on many topics, including sociology, literature, art and architecture, history and the environment. Since there are no libraries in Cambodia, the website is an excellent educational tool for Cambodian children. “This is the best thing we do because it reaches so many people,” Jessup said. Once a year, a print version is produced and sold for $1.50 a copy. Friends of Khmer have also supported projects to reconstruct ceramic pots from shards found in archaeological digs, conserve bronze statues, preserve and catalogue sculptures and protect museums throughout Cambodia. They are currently collaborating with the Global Heritage Fund to restore an important 12th century temple complex called Banteay Chmar that has 800 yards of narrative sculptures 20 feet high. FOKCI helps train restoration workers and are currently creating a conservation manual, which will ensure future workers have strict instruction on the best methods for preserving relief carvings. Jessup’s group has someone on the ground in Cambodia who looks after the editing, maintains their Web site and supervises the distribution of publications, while Norfolk resident Daryl Eaton tends to the Norfolk office. Longtime summer resident, Joyce Ahrens serves on the board of directors and local businessman Bryan Stanton generously provided a pro bono office space for three years. FOKCI is currently seeking a new office location as Bryan’s building is closing. Since its beginnings ten years ago, Friends of Khmer Culture has completed 54 projects and is currently engaged in 20 others. For more information, go to www.khmerculture.net.