Poly hears from renowned activist Arn Chorn-Pond

By Ian Kim '19, Global Scholar candidate

Arn Chorn-Pond, a renowned human rights activist, artist, and survivor of the Cambodian genocide, recently shared his music and life story with the Poly community. While his experiences with war, death, and loneliness were difficult to hear, his journey to survive and to help others inspired all of us.

After playing a beautiful song on a traditional flute, Pond recounted his experiences growing up in Cambodia. Before the Khmer Rouge, he lived with his family and had a normal life. He listened to rock 'n' roll, watched American action movies, and played with his friends. At the time, Cambodia was peaceful, and the Vietnam War had little effect on most Cambodians.

When the Khmer Rouge took over, change came quickly and as a surprise. Few people knew that the new government would cause so much bloodshed. Pond was only spared from the genocide because he volunteered to play propaganda songs on the flute. Pond credits music to saving his life, for if he hadn’t played for the Khmer Rouge, he would have been killed like the rest of his family. The Khmer Rouge eventually sent him and other children to fight the invading Vietnamese. After surviving multiple battles, he ran into the jungle to escape. Pond would eventually find a refugee camp in Thailand. There, he met Peter Pond, an American missionary who adopted him and took him to the United States.

Pond’s tribulations didn’t stop when he moved to the U.S. While attending high school, Pond was rejected and made fun of by students who were not used to seeing Asians in their school. While his life was no longer threatened by the Khmer Rouge, he became lonely and depressed, so much so that he contemplated suicide. Pond explained that this period of his life was just as hard, if not harder, on him as living through the Cambodian genocide. However, his adopted father encouraged him to share his story with others. While Pond doubted that American kids would care about his experiences, he was proven wrong when many of his peers gathered to hear his story at a local church. Ever since then, he has traveled the world to share his life lessons and message of peace.

Pond also supports the reintroduction of music to his home country through his organization Cambodia Living Artists (CLA). During the genocide, the Khmer Rouge killed about 90 percent of the country’s artists. The government targeted a variety of musicians, from traditional performers to pop stars. Pond and his organization support surviving musicians, preserve Cambodian traditions, and create opportunities for children to learn music. Poly supports CLA, and in 2016, a GIP travel group volunteered at his organization during their trip to Cambodia. Pond is extremely thankful for the support of the Poly community and hopes to continue this partnership. Poly students will work with him and his organization again this summer during the school's second Global Initiatives Program trip to Cambodia.
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