Painting a Picture of Peace From a Poetic and Symbolic Perspective

Khmer Community Development (KCD) is a peacebuilding organization focusing on children's rights and nutrition. KCD utilises workshops, the arts and competitions in an integrated framework to mitigate conflict and promote inter-ethnic peace between Khmer and ethnic Vietnamese.

 

Following the launch of the peace program, we were asked to create a three-minute video to build empathy and reduce discrimination between the two ethnicities. Since target audiences were both Khmer and ethnic Vietnamese children, language posed a significant barrier. So, how to teach peacebuilding to a child without telling them directly?

 

Our approach centred on the idea of “everyday peace” — to develop inner peace and strengthen community solidarity. We painted a picture of peace from a poetic and symbolic perspective, narrated by Siv — a young peacebuilder from Prek Chrey. Through this vision, we invited the children to slow down and start noticing unique details that connected them with the present. We elicited a mutual present among beneficiaries. As a result, ethnic Vietnamese and Khmer can ‘live’ together better and sustain peace for future generations in the Prek Chrey commune.