Awarding Excellence in Indigenous Handicrafts
@UNESCO/Chanthul Suos - Douglas Broderick, UN Resident Coordinator
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts in close collaboration with the UN-Spain Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund (MDG-F) - Creative Industries Support Programme (CISP) and Artisans’ Association of Cambodia (AAC) host the Indigenous Designers of the Year Competition’s Award Ceremony and the Inauguration of a temporary Indigenous Handicraft Exhibition on 5 October 2011 at the National Museum of Cambodia.
This event showcased indigenous handicrafts such as textiles, baskets, jars and pottery. At the event, selected traditional products were judged by a committee comprising representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, the Ministry of Commerce, CISP, and expert from AAC and private sector. The 11 producer groups competed for awards covering 3 different types of products: textile weaving, pottery, and basketry. Kamet Viek, the winner of the award in textile weaving is one of the traditional textile producers from a Kreung community in Pouy Village, Ratanakiri province. The best producer of the year for the basketry is Yorn Chieng, from an indigenous Tumpuon community in La Ern Kren village, Kon Mom district, Ratanakiri province. The award for the best ceramic produce goes to Nou Na, an ethnic Lao living in Kompong Cham village, Veunsai district of Ratanakiri province.
Winners were announced at that night ceremony and prizes awarded by H.E. Mr. Him Chhem, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts and Mr. Douglas Broderick, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cambodia.
The ceremony also marked the inauguration of the Indigenous Handicraft Exhibition, which remains open to the public until 12 November 2011.