Indigenous Community Library Brings Bunong Elders and Youth Together Through Books

Phyab Bora never had the chance to go to school during her childhood because of the conflict that engulfed Cambodia. So when she was given a book about Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk at a community reading gathering in Mondulkiri province, her thoughts turned immediately to her grandchildren.

"I want to pass these dual-language books in Khmer and English to my grandchildren so they'll have the chance to keep learning and reading," Bora explained during the event, which was documented by the Documentation Center of Cambodia.

She remembered being forced from her home by the Khmer Rouge, who relocated her family to Koh Nhek district—a memory she shared with the roughly 150 Bunong indigenous people who came together at the Hill Tribes Memory Community Center in Putang village on September 22.

The gathering brought together people of all ages—students, young children, farmers, and elders—to read side by side and hear firsthand stories from community members about their shared history.

Event coordinators chose three titles about the Queen Mother for the day's discussions: one marking her 90th birthday, another exploring her life story, and a third featuring entries from her personal journal. Young volunteers took turns reading passages aloud while attendees broke into ten smaller discussion circles.

Nherch Mil, the village chief of Putang, spoke to the crowd about the importance of using the center's library resources to deepen their understanding of Cambodia's past and the Queen Mother's work throughout her life.

One participant, Chherl Pisey, a student in 12th grade, said the reading material gave her generation valuable insight into the Sangkum Reastr Niyum period and highlighted the Queen Mother's impact on social causes both at home and abroad.

The event also created space for older community members to recount their experiences living under the Khmer Rouge regime.

After describing his own memories, Kron Sreul expressed gratitude to the Documentation Center for creating the village library. He called on his neighbors to make use of the facility whenever they could find time away from their fields or classrooms, and he especially encouraged younger Bunong people to stay committed to their education.

Every person who attended went home with a book. For Bora, it represented something deeper—the ability to offer her grandchildren the learning opportunities that war had taken from her decades ago.