STORIES WITHOUT BORDERS

Volunteer to Help Make a Film in Southeast Asia

2012-01-15T01:23:00.001-08:00

Updates for Stories Without Borders Documentary project:

First, we ARE getting non-profit status this spring!!!!!

It is also an exciting time for SWB. As you may have heard, we are ready to make our first major purchases for the documentary project thanks to our many supporters. These include our primary camera, the JVC ProHD which will be used as the primary camera throughout and will be the third camera being used for the project. Also, the editing software needed, Final Cut Pro X and a dedicated Mac Pro, will all be purchased before the end of September 2012.

Also, you may have also heard rumors about us looking for volunteers to help us on location in summer 2013. We will release the final volunteer schedule only in December 2012, but the rumors are true. We will be looking for 3-5 volunteers to help support filming in each location.

All volunteers will work with Jarrod Brown, our creative director who has also lived or traveled to most of these locations, and in many cases speaks the local language, in addition to local support staff. Our volunteers will have their local travel cost covered, but all other expenses, including air fare and food, will need to be covered by the volunteers. We will release a very detailed document in late November detailing dates, locations and cost estimates for interested volunteers.

Volunteers will have to work, and it will be intensive. There is only one “leisure day” scheduled in most cities, and the rest of the time you will be on location, working with the camera crew, experts and others. You will see amazing art, talk to experts in culture, arts, speak with political figures, see ancient temples and ultra-high anime labs and potentially see a common strand throughout a dozen cultures. We will cover six countries and twelve distinct cultures. However, folks are invited to join us on a specific location or in a specific country to contribute.

Do note we also plan to film in 2014 but whether volunteers will be participating will not be decided until 2013.

As of now, the tentative schedule is (all 2013):

May 25-June 5: Southern India

June 6-9: Ayodhya

June 10-14: Benares

June 15-23: Rama Trail, Sri Lanka

June 24-30: Java, Indonesia

July 1-5: Bali, Indonesia

July 5-15: Malaysia (Peninsula)

July 16-26: Thailand (South to North)

July 27-August 7: Cambodia

Of course, all contributors will have their work acknowledged in the credits and we look forward to hearing from you all.

Flooding Impacts Southeast Asia

2011-10-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

Southeast Asia has been hit with the worst flooding in over fifty years. More than 5 million acres of rice paddy has reportedly been destroyed and over 700 lives lost in the past months due to this disaster. Even today, Thailand continues to experience the worst flooding it has seen in living memory. The food security of the region is greatly at risk, and it will be very difficult times for the very poor, particularly subsistence farmers, who may have seen their entire livelihoods washed away by the monsoon's waters.

Jarrod Brown has been in the area throughout the disaster, in Siem Reap, Cambodia and also in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Some of his video has been featured on Global Voices, and we are sharing some of it here.

2011-06-20T00:10:00.001-07:00

Southeast Asia Travel Site Supports Documentary Project

SoutheastAsiaTravelAdvice.Com, an informative Web site about the Southeast Asia region, is supporting a documentary project about the cultures of the region.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 18, 2011 – Southeast Asia travel brings people face to face with a myriad of cultures, languages and religions as well as fellow travelers. The documentary, "Stories Without Borders: The Documentary," is meant to chronicle those cultures through the prism of two stories that they all share--the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, epics of Indian origin.

Stories Without Borders is an educational documentary project that believes through exploring the stories that people share we can better understand our common humanity across time and cultures.

"We want to show that there are stories that are loved and shared across cultures, and these stories can be unifying and humanizing across times and places," said director Andrea Frazier. "We want to be part of telling those stories ourselves through the medium of film."

Covering the origins of these epics and their contemporary roles in India, it will trace their influence first to Java, Indonesia where reenactments and retellings continue today in this mostly Muslim island. From there, it will travel to the Hindu island of Bali where these epics form a central part of religious identity and worship.

From there it heads to the Southeast Asian peninsula to Malaysia where today shadow puppet reenactments continue in the deeply conservative Muslim states of Kelantan and Terengganu. Next, it is to Thailand where it demonstrates how these stories play a role in the lives of Thai Theravada Buddhists from incorporation in architecture to traditional dancing. From there it moves on to the mysterious Kingdom of Cambodia and the communist state of Laos to see how these Hindu epics continue to form a central part of the many of the diverse cultures one encounters there.

It is the brainchild of Andrea Fraizer, a videographer, filmmaker and director who is currently with FCA-TV in the United States, and Jarrod Brown, a philosopher, scholar and educator who has spent much of the last decade living, researching, and working among these cultures.

Such a documentary isn't cheap to make, even with the in depth technical and location knowledge of the project's leaders. That was how http://www.southeastasiatraveladvice.com/ was born.

"At first, it was meant to be a platform to publicize the documentary project. However, it has really taken on a life of its own," explain Brown, who acts as its Web master, editor, and continues to be the primary contributor, drawing on his years of experience living and traveling in the area. "For the first nine months, there was no advertising, just mentions about the project. But now there is a few unobtrusive ads that help support the project."

Articles range from traveling in Cambodia, safety tips when traveling in Southeast Asia, destination guides and traveler's stories. The response from readers has been mostly positive, and social media has been a force in exposing people to the site.

"It's been more successful that we expected, especially given that it is almost without a budget and has no paid advertising. And while it won't raise the $60K needed to fund the documentary, literally every penny helps."

For those who would like more information on the film, you can visit http://www.storieswithoutbordersdocumentary.org/.

Stories Without Borders: The Documentary Teaser
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzEtEx5gc5A

Press Release: Stories Without Borders Documentary to Explore Ramayana and Mahabharata Across Cultures

2011-03-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

A new press release went out this week on the project. It was picked up by various news sources across the United States and Southeast Asia. Links to the releases will be available in the press room on the informational site.

Stories Without Borders Documentary to Explore Ramayana and Mahabharata Across Cultures

Scholar Jarrod Brown has teamed up with videographer Andrea Frazier to film a documentary tracing Sanskrit epics across the Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim cultures of South and Southeast Asia.

Honolulu, HI, March 15, 2011 ---- Jarrod Brown's fascination with the the Sanskrit epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata began in 1999 with a month long research trip to study shadow puppets in Malaysia.

“I was attracted to Malaysia because of the diversity of cultures,” explains Brown. Malaysia's population consists of Malays as well as large Chinese and Indian populations in addition to numerous aboriginal groups, also known as orang asli.

“The shadow puppet theater, or wayang kulit, had a particular attraction for me because it was the intersection of two such cultures—conservative Muslims performing a play that has its roots in Hindu sacred texts, the Ramayana and Mahabharata. It was beautiful. It was also the beginning of a lifetime engagement not only with these texts but also with the people they are important to.”

Brown returned three months later to spend nearly two years studying and working in Malaysia and traveling extensively in Southeast Asia. Later Brown traveled to Japan to conduct research on Hindu gods in Japanese culture before finally moving to India for nearly four years, building the world's largest online tutoring company and India's first international direct-to-consumer service.

“Rather than go to graduate school to study cultures and their texts, I wanted to engage with them.”

While working, however, these texts were never far from his mind. “When I arrived to work in India, I had two volumes of the Ganguli's English translation of the Mahabharata with me. After nearly five years in working in for-profit education, however, I was feeling restless.”

In 2008, Brown founded Woodford & Wheeler International Cultural Consulting, a consulting firm working to help individuals and organizations work more effectively in cross-cultural environments and used these stories extensively in developing his programs.

“When you understand the stories that a culture shares, you have an insight into it—the heroes the people share, the morality that they champion—and even though these texts are thousands of years old, they can help you understand and build rapport with your colleagues in amazing ways.”

Brown also returned to his studies, beginning his graduate studies in Sanskrit and comparative philosophy at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, the world's foremost institution for the study of Asian and comparative philosophy.

“Business was good, and then there was the economic collapse and there was no business. So, I decided to go home to Southeast Asia.”

The next four months were spent mountain climbing in Borneo, diving in the Sulawasi and South China Sea, dirt-biking to see abandoned jungle temples in Cambodia and eating the strangest foods he could find.

The result was someone found him: Andrea Frazier, a camera woman and media instructor with FCA-TV. A relative had sent her Brown's blog. After looking at it, she realized what she wanted to do.

“My first thought was, 'I'd like to follow this guy around with a camera,' and so I contacted him,” explains Frazier. “I had been thinking about a travel documentary, and this Jarrod seemed a perfect fit.”

“I was a bit reluctant at first,” admits Brown, “but in speaking to Andrea, I immediately suggested that instead of focusing on me, why not focus on how these stories are alive across the cultures of South and Southeast Asia, from Hindu India across Islamic and Buddhist Southeast Asia. Thus, the Stories Without Borders Documentary Project was born.”

“It became immediately clear, though, that it was not going to be easy,” explains Frazier. “To produce a quality digital film we were still looking at close to a $65,000 investment. Therefore, while we are working on story-boarding and research, the major task now is to raise the initial funds necessary for shooting the film.”

The team is currently in its initial fund raising effort, with a goal of $15,000 needed for purchasing the video equipment needed, to help pay for additional fund-raising efforts, and for the first three months of filming. The additional funds would be used for a second round of filming and then editing, itself projected to be a year-long project.

“We've had lots of generous individual donations already that have helped fund shooting in Cambodia and India for the initial fund-raising reel,” says Brown. “Now, we really require an upgraded camera to begin shooting and also to pay the fees to set up a non-profit so subsequent donations can be tax deductible for our supporters. If we can raise these funds in the next three months, in the end we'll save nearly $5,000.”

As the editing is in progress, the team would begin actively looking for distributors. “We'd certainly like to see this air on public television or another quality station, but we also believe it will be a great teaching resource as well. Our video clips are already being used in classrooms in Indonesia,” says Frazier. “And we've already had interest expressed by a few promoters, but it is too early in the game to make any decisions.”

For those interested in supporting the project, you can visit www.storieswithoutbordersdocumentary.org in order to learn more or to make a donation.

Cambodian Lantern Festival

2011-02-21T22:09:00.000-08:00

This fairly long shot is taken during on the last day of the Chinese New Year, also known as the Lantern Festival. This is not a festival scene but a street shot--you can see the alters people have set up. Because of the additional people on the street, this was the perfect time to do this shot and we think it turned out great! We think it really gives everyone a feel for what Cambodia is really like. Let us know what you think. We were surprised, actually, too see how big the festival was. In addition to this long video shot, Jarrod also captured a few impressive photos. He tells us that more will be up on his personal blog before the end of the week, so if you like the photos here visit him there to see more. The rascal said he saved his favorite one for it--we'll Tweet or Facebook it once he posts.

In other news, Jarrod is off to Singapore the first week of March but he has cautioned us he doesn't think any filming or photography will happen. We are hoping otherwise.

How Much Does Sex Cost in Southeast Asia?

2011-02-14T22:44:00.000-08:00

How much does sex cost in Southeast Asia? Sometimes everything. This is the story of one of those sometimes.

I'd like you to “meet” Sophie. She is my friend and was my neighbor. Sophie isn't her real name, of course, but it is the name she is known by, and it is what we will call her here.

Her story is typical. So many girls here have told me a similar story. She went to school only three years. She has forgotten how to read or write, but she can do simple sums and subtraction. Her family had to end her education when she was nine years old so she could go to work. First, she worked washing dishes in a local market, a pasar, and she was paid about $20 a month. It was better than paying $25 for school—a $45 net gain a month for the family, the price tag that was put on her future. Later, the family borrowed a little money to buy a cart, some jars and pickles, and she sold pickles on the roadside. The money was a little better and the work was not as hard, but at 500 reil a sell—that is almost 13 cents USD—it is hard to get ahead. The family was going into debt, though. They'd bought a motorcycle, and her father's work as a laborer was not steady. The Southeast Asian Recession must have impacted them. She ruefully told me that her father could, however, always afford 75 cents a day to smoke.

Then an uncle brought a friend home. The friend told the family that there was a job in Phnom Pehn for her working in a restaurant, waiting tables. The pay was good--$150 a month. Of that, $50 would go for her room and board, and $50 a month for the first year went to pay for the job. Lots of girls want a job like this, he told them, so you have to buy it. That would leave $50 a month for the family. What was more, he could give them a $300 advance now and would pay to take her there himself. She said if she had been asked, she would have gone. Going to live in the city sounded exiting to a young village girl. She'd never been to Phnom Penh before, and Kampong Cham was the largest city she had ever seen. She was never asked, though, and just before her 16^th birthday she got on a bus with her uncle's friend and another girl from her same village to go to work.

Here, my telling of Sophie's story breaks down. I'm not sure if it is because she wanted to keep this part obscure, if it was the modesty of my translator who helped me learn Sophie's story, or if it was my own or the translator's confusion. What is clear is there was never a job at a restaurant. When they arrived in Phnom Penh, the uncle's friend handed them off to a madam and got $500 per girl in return. Then they were taken to a doctor. Then they were taken back and shown some Western pornography--job training, you could call it. I was later able to figure out the doctor's visit was probably to see if they were virgins.

Less than two weeks later, Sophie went to work. Her first client was a farang, a white man. She said was 45. His name was James, she remembers. She didn't speak any English. She knows only a half dozen standard phrases and how to count now. What she did know was that he had bought her for $2000 because she was a virgin. She has given $300 of that money. She was told she had gotten another $300 to pay for her expenses. She remembers it hurt terribly, but he was very kind to her, bought her ice cream--the first time she'd ever had soft serve--and gave her $100 before he went home.

This began a familiar cycle. She was told she owed her madam thousands of dollars—what had been given to her family, her uncle, her uncle's friend, to pay for her room, her food, her clothes. She did not have to stay—as soon as she paid back the money, she could quit working. The one time she tried to run away they beat her. She couldn't work for two weeks afterward, and that only added to her debt. She never told her family the truth and diligently sent $50 a month, but later they found out somehow. She told me her mother cried, and her father didn't say a single word. They needed her money.

That was in 2002. She has since moved to a different city, a different brothel. She costs men who use her body $30, but she only gets $20 of it. Her clientele has always been a mix of foreigners, some Europeans and Australians, but mostly Koreans and local Cambodians. She tells me none of the girls will go with blacks, Arabs or Indians. They smell bad, she says by way of explanation.

She is always looking for a boyfriend. What that means is someone who will pay her not to have sex with other men. They come and go, a week or two weeks. She had a Korean man who had been sending her $100 a month, but that only lasted a few months and it never stopped her from working. She dreamed that one day a Korean man would fall in love with her and marry her, taking her to Korea. She tells me Korea is very beautiful. She likes Korean food.

Sophie moved two weeks ago. She went to Phnom Penh. She did not say good-bye to me or tell me where she was going or what she was going to do. It did not take long to find out, though.

Sophie has HIV. She gets tested after every 15 men, after every $300. That means about every month or so. The other neighbors, regardless of her confidence, divulged the entire story in the same way people relay the details of some horrific accident with a sort of tragic fascination. Sophie had gotten a “boyfriend” and he had been staying with her for the past three weeks. I hated him. I'd hear them fighting, and I'd seen her bruises. The neighbors had told me that after the second week, he'd convinced her to stop using a condom with him. After her test, he was tested, too, and was positive. The neighbors have concluded he must have given it to her since she used condoms with all her other clients, not considering that condoms are not fail-proof.

Sophie had to leave, though, because her madam found out she had the “bad inside” disease. That is what it is called—it was told to me, “She bad inside and now, maybe two years more, she die.” So she's gone back to Phnom Pehn where she can work in anonymity, where the disease inside of her will be unknown to the men who buy her, white, Korean, or Cambodian. Maybe she will have to work bars and streets as brothels may make her be tested--but where there are men, there are customers.

I asked this question to one of my “modern” Khmer male friends. I asked if it wasn't wrong for her to continue to work as a prostitute knowing she has HIV. His answer, harsh and unapologetic: “They know they're fucking a whore.”

Bar Girls in Phnom Penh

When I posed the same question to my female friends, they were more sympathetic. “She's 24 years old, and all she knows is to boom-boom (have sex). How else is she suppose to get rice?” And then they inevitably give some commentary on their own good luck, that they have good husbands or have good jobs, or those that are also sex workers chide her for not wearing a condom with a three-week boyfriend knowing that three weeks is already a long stay.

Maybe you arrived here because my keywords matched your search as you figured out your sex budget. I hope that I've given you a picture of the real price of sex in Southeast Asia.

This article was originally published at http://www.southeastasiatraveladvice.com/2011/02/how-much-does-sex-cost-in-southeast.html

Our Philosophy of Filming

2011-02-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

A film highly about philosophy (who can deny the Bhagavadgita is not a philosophical text--it is a mere chapter in the voluminous Mahabharata) should have a philosophy of its own. Those familiar with the project know that at root it is a film that asks, "What is it to be a person?" We thing what we will find is the familiar multiplicity and unity so central in South Asian thought: how can there be the One yet also the Many? That isn't the question we are asking here, though. Instead, talking about our filming philosophy, not the philosophy of the film.

Dogme 95 is an avant-garde filmmaking movement started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vow of Chastity". For "movies," there are pretty radical. The movement is a pairing down, a back to basics movement. And for a documentary, it makes a lot of sense. If you have seen Dogville, the von Trier film, you see what it does to movies--not for everyone's taste. However, we think we can use most of the practices of Dogme 95 and create a documentary of mass appeal. Of the ten "rules," we intend to follow eight.

1. Filming must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in. If a particular prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found.
~~2. The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. Music must not be used unless it occurs within the scene being filmed, i.e., diegetic.~~
3. The camera must be a hand-held camera. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted. The film must not take place where the camera is standing; filming must take place where the action takes place.
4. The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable (if there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera).
5. Optical work and filters are forbidden.
6. The film must not contain superficial action (murders, weapons, etc. must not occur.)
7. Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden (that is to say that the film takes place here and now).
8. Genre movies are not acceptable.
~~9. The film format must be Academy 35 mm.~~
10. The director must not be credited.

We will be authentic in our use of sound, but many of our shorts will be long shots of simply pieces of art and architecture, we will accompany such shots and montages with local music--adding to the richness and cultural authenticy of the film.

We will be filming to a digital format and in high definition rather than on film. This decision will cut the overall costs of the project by tens of thousands of dollars. We have also been able to find a generous donor who is willing to contribute $1000 towards the purchase of the camera we will be using--the JVC ProHD GY-HM100. The total cost of the camera and accompanying equipment will be just under $3000. However, that still means we need to raise right at $1500 more dollars at this point for the camera purchase.

There is just a few caveats. We will use artificial lighting in low-light conditions such as night filming. We may also use still motion photography that may be color or black and white as you see in the short clips that have been produced.

We hope that this helps people understand what our approach is to this documentary, as well as our needs. If we can raise the $1500 needed for the camera purchase before May 2011 we will save close to $4000-6000 dollars as Jarrod can film while already in Asia.

Jarrod Comments on the Thai-Cambodian Conflict

2011-02-09T20:05:00.000-08:00

So, about 130 miles north by road (although it is a bit flattering to call the paths in Cambodia's hinterlands "roads") of where I live the Thai military and the Cambodian military are fighting. Things have significantly cooled down. Cambodian soldiers stationed close to Preah Vihear temple said there was no sign of fighting since early Monday, but the situation remained tense there, and the rhetoric of war is escalating on both sides of the border in what can only be called concerning.
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Eight people are confirmed dead, including a Cambodian tourist who was visiting the temple that is at the heart of the dispute--sort of--although a Thai military report that was issued claimed 65 Cambodian army cadre, including 12 snipers, were killed. At this point it has been discredited. However, the reality of what PM Hun Sen is calling a war is that it is violent, deadly, and damaging.

Things are tense here in Cambodia outside the border lands, but no one is really worried. There is a sense of confidence that if the conflict escalates, it will remain contained in the disputed area around Preah Vihar where about four square miles of disputed territory forms the bone of contention in this dispute. There is talk that hopefully the UN Security Council will help end the dispute. However, here in Cambodia the proper end to the dispute is awarding Cambodian the disputed territory--the same resolution which the Thais seek.

It is mostly seen by both sides, I think, as political posturing--although at the cost of soldier's and civilian's life--but highly aggravated by what is becoming a more and more ultra-nationalistic stance by the Yellow Shirts in Thailand. There is not the same sort of anti-Thai zeal here in Cambodia, but the popular opinion is that Thais "are crazy," and that their own political issues, like the Red Shirts shutting down Bangkok last year and the previous coup against Thaksin Shinawatra all reveal a society in turmoil. The "aggression" against Cambodia is seen here as a way for the Thais to try to look away from their own troubles and for the nationalist parties like the Yellow Shirts to mobilize against their internal political opponents. While I won't agree that the Thais are responsible for the aggression (this is an unknown), and certainly not that they are crazy (no more than anyone else), this lay analysis does sound pretty compelling.

There is, and I emphasize, no risk at this point of anything like a full-scale conflict between the two countries even if Hun Sen is calling it a war requiring "long-term preparation." My days being, and/or are filled, with following South and Southeast Asia events. In fact, two hours a day of my time for the past four years has gone to reading South and Southeast Asian newspapers online. Part of working across cultures and national boundaries is knowing what is happening in the places where the people you work with live. Sometimes I think I missed my calling as an analyst. Anway, I've been following this tiff for quite a while. My history here is the same that was published on the travel advice site I am chief editor of, Southeast Asia Travel Advice. If any of you are reading it, you should skip down.

Preah Vihar

Both sides have historically laid claim to Preah Vihar but a 1962 World Court ruling awarded it to Cambodia--this is pre-Khmer Rouge. Thailand and Cambodia have squabbled ever since over demarcation of the border and jurisdiction over 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of land around Preah Vihear, which was not covered by the ruling.

Cambodia's bid since March 2008 to list the ruins as a World Heritage Site sparked an exchange of gunfire in October that year in which one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers were killed. There have been sporadic flare-ups since then, the most recent in April last year.

Relations with Cambodia have become a bone of contention in long-running hostility between Thai political factions with pro-establishment "yellow shirt" activists accusing their main rival, ousted former populist premier Thaksin Shinawatra, of colluding with Cambodia to Thailand's detriment. Thaksin briefly served as an economic adviser for Cambodia, and his conviction and ouster from office has been called “illegal” by the Cambodian government.

The temple dispute has been back in the headlines since the end of last year, when a group of activists allied with the "yellow shirts" was arrested for allegedly encroaching into Cambodian territory. A Cambodian court sentenced two of them on this week to jail terms of six and eight years for trespassing and spying. The Thai leader of the "expedition" has fessed up poor planning led to the trespassing. Yesterday a top Thai official were here where I am--in Siem Reap--to try to negotiate their transfer to Thailand. Not word yet as to how those negotiations are going.

While the story seems different in the Thai and Cambodian media, it seems that Cambodian troops engaged Thai troops taking bulldozers over the demarcation line on Thursday. On Friday officials on both sides were calling it a mere misunderstanding. On Saturday a ceasefire was negotiated. However, the armed engagement has continued for the previous three days with some shelling of Thai territory and Thai engagement of Cambodian troops.

The ceasefire did not hold and at 6:35PM local time on Sunday--about two hours ago--shots were again exchanged with the Cambodian military claiming they were fired upon by Thai soldiers. At this point, there has been between 3-5 causalities and over ten thousand people in the Thai border have been evacuated. Cambodia has not yet ordered any evacuations, although the Cambodian side of the border is much more sparsely populated than the Thai side where Kantharalak and Si Sa Ket both have fairly sizable rural populations.

Anyway, point is I'm probably the most informed Westerner in the country who isn't a diplomat or journalist, and if I think there is any serious threat to my family we'll be on the next plane to Malaysia, India, Singapore, or Indonesia where we have friends ready and waiting to host us for as long as we care to stay. In case you want to know what I know, you can follow Southeast Asia News on Twitter or check out Southeast Asia Travel Advice which is providing information for some 5000 travelers in the area.

Amazing Indian Temples

2011-02-09T03:32:00.000-08:00

So our intrepid traveler Jarrod was recently in India (Jarrod is currently in Cambodia and providing updates to travelers via Southeast Asia Travel Advice about the fighting between the Thai and Cambodian armies happening about 100 miles north of there he is living). Who knows where next week may find him--crazy fellow may have to flee the country or some such nonsense.

While we accused him of just loafing around, he promises he was busy working and talking philosophy which he claims is work. We wonder if asking if there really are chairs (which Jarrod really does do--and by the way, he thinks likely there isn't) really work. However, at least one good thing came out of Jarrod's bumming around in India which was these few shots (he promises there are more) from historical temple areas in western Karnataka, Belur and Halebid. That means we have added an additional video (we know, it has been a while) to the YouTube channel.

We quoth Jarrod's person blog:

My trip to Belur and Halibid in Karnataka, about 200km east of Mangalore and west of Bangalore, was stunning. Belur was the early capital of the Hoysala Empire. There you find the Chennakesava temple complex which contains the Chennakesava Temple (dedicated to Chennakeshava, meaning handsome Vishnu).

It was an all day affair reaching there--nearly 8 hours in a vehicle. Thank goodness for the Cafe Coffee Days that are springing up on the Indian highways. Not only do they offer the best bathroom facilities while traveling on these roads, they also offer what is my manna--coffee. On the way back I actually had a triple-shot cappuccino--I wanted to make sure I could keep the driver away!

Having said that, we did pass through some beautiful countryside on the way there. We actually stopped by another Jaina hilltop temple, but my company wasn't up for the intense climb to the top of the mountain to my great disappointment, but I'll be sure to go the next time I am heading to Mangalore or Bangalore. On the way, I did pass through some beautiful Deccan countryside, though, and will remember it almost as fondly as the temples themselves.

The Chennakesava Temple was built by king Vishnuvardhana in commemoration of his victory over the Cholas at Talakad in 1117 CE. Legend has it that it took 103 years to complete and Vishnuvardhana's grandson Veera Ballala II completed the task. Luckily, it was saved from defacement and destruction by later Muslim invaders from the north, a fate suffered by many Indian temples. It was not as elaborate as the next temple complex I'd visit, another Hoysala construction, although the carvings it did feature were superb. It is principally a Vishnu temple with it's "cousin" in Halebid being primarily a Shaivite temple.

The next stop was Halebid (or Halebidu, which was previously called Dorasamudra or Dwarasamudra). This was the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th century. It is home to one of the best examples of Hoysala architecture in the ornate Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples. Halebidu literally means ruined city. This name is given because this city was ruined two times by Bahmani Sultanate--the aforementioned Muslim invaders.

The Hoysaleswara temple, dating back to the 1121 C.E., is perhaps the most amazing of all temples I've seen in my years of living in India, and I was astonished I'd not made the time to see them before. While Kanchipuram has a place dear to my heart--and has a more cozy, off-the-beaten-track feel, I did fall in love with this temple, a model for some many Southern Indian carvings I've come to love (I brought back a Durga image carved in this style out of white wood from Chennai). The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of depictions from Hindu mythology, animals, birds, scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharta (which is what attracted me here in the first place), musicians and Shilabalikas or dancing figures. Yet no two sculptures of the temple are the same. This magnificent temple guarded by a Nandi Bull was never completed, despite 86 years of labor. The Nandi is one of the largest--in fact, the temple hosts the sixth and seventh largest Nandis in the world. And of course, I took about three or four hundred pictures that I am cataloging my deity and story as I have the time--which means rarely!

Anyway, as we said, there was at least one positive come out of Jarrod's trip, and that is what we've put together below. Jarrod has more footage, and maybe we'll be able to do something more with it in the coming weeks, but for now consider this the second teaser. A few quick aside: over 6000 people every month are seeing one of our videos or our family of Web sites! We are hoping to double that number over the next five months.

Cameras and Cash, Our Videos in Use in Indonesian Classrooms!

2010-11-17T23:31:00.000-08:00

Hi, everyone. We know, we know--long time no post. Well, here are the updates.

Both Jarrod and Andrea have fallen in love since the project began--though not with each other. Jarrod is leaving for a year in Southeast Asia to be with his wife, Peou, who had her initial visa application to come to the USA denied. He will be building contacts in Southeast Asia that should benefit the project, and he will also be scouting out additional backwater locations for filming. The plan now is to shoot the film in the summer of 2013. Andrea seems to have wedding plans in the works--so congratulations to both happy couples! However, both Jarrod and Andrea are still in love with this project and promise our supportive partners are behind us in making the project a success!

Also, great news is that we have been able to find a generous donor who is willing to contribute $1000 towards the purchase of the camera we so desperately need--the JVC ProHD GY-HM100. However, that still means we need to raise right at $1600 more dollars. If we can raise the money while Jarrod is still in Cambodia, we may be able to shoot Cambodia and Laos next year--something that would eventually save the project almost $4000 in the long run.

Just a side note, the SWB project is already contributing educationally--our YouTube videos are being used in classrooms in Java as students learn about their own traditional performing arts. We recently heard from a student whose teacher has been using our videos in class--and they found them quite humorous, too. We've come a long way, but there is still a long way to go.

We're Still Here! I Promise!

2010-06-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

Hey all, Andrea here. Just realized it's been WAY too long since we blogged here. So sorry, the SWB team has been super busy.

Right now, I'm working on the demo reel to help us gather funding for our project. Jarrod is getting some footage, and doing some location scouting overseas right now, so you should expect some great pictures in a while.

We're also discussing our non-profit status with some lawyers and trying to get that off the ground. Rest assured, we have not forgotten our faithful followers, and we ask that you bear with us while we try and get our ducks in row.

Thanks so much!
Andrea for Stories Without Borders: The Documentary

And He's Off

2010-04-24T02:42:00.000-07:00

So, our intrepid philosopher Jarrod is at it again. This time he itinerary spans India, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam (although he is mixing things up a little bit with a touch of East Asia and a few days in South Korea). He assures us this isn't just his normal around-the-world shenanigans but that he will also do some serious photography and shooting.

One place he will be in Mahabalipuram (மகாபலிபுரம்). Jarrod has been there a few times before, but has never snapped a picture. A little more than an hour from Chennai, this complex was once in a thriving Pallava city, and the mystery of its missing temples, thought to be under the ocean, is a fascinating one. The Great Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 actually uncovered additional submerged temples, and exploration is underway to learn more about what lies beneath the water. The Pancha Rathas or the "Five Chariots" are particularly interesting--they are named after the five Pandavas of the Mahabharata.

Jarrod will also be visiting Northern India--Delhi--but unfortunately, he reports, he will be doing little or nothing on SWB but instead will busy himself in visiting some Muslim shrines, such as the tombs of Khwaza Qutab Bakhtiyar Kaki in the Mehrauli village, and Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud's tomb in the Chirag Delhi Village.

While in Malaysia, it also looks unlikely he will be able to do much, only be there a few days. Is there is more to be uncovered in Cambodia? Only dancing and puppetry performances, Jarrod says, which he is hoping to arrange in advance, including a performance of s'bek thom, or the large shadow puppets of Cambodia. However, it remains to be seen. Jarrod hopes that this will be the last trip for a while, he reports.

"It just feels terrible to be in these places and not have the camera required to actually shoot the film," he said. "Right now, we are trying to assemble an effective board of directors to for our non-profit so that we can really kick into fundraising."

Thanks to WikiMedia for providing these images.

Eye Candy Only

2010-04-09T01:42:00.000-07:00

Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam

2010-04-07T23:35:00.000-07:00

Ramayana and Mahabharata Film Documentary

2010-04-07T01:31:00.000-07:00

The new Web site is underway. We've been very excited to introduce the project to new people, and the reception has been really wonderful. We hope you've visited our repository of SWB film--our YouTube channel! Expect more more in the coming months, as well as as full fund raising reel to be available in early summer! Yeah! We will be hosting screening parties everywhere we go with the gala an eight minute long teaser deserves.

In the meantime, though--check out that YouTube channel? You like shadow puppets?

New Ramayana / Mahabharata Site Coming Soon!

2010-04-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

We wanted to wait for the launch to tell you all, but we were so excited we couldn't help ourselves. We've just purchased a new domain, storieswithoutborders.info (and we'll have an official Stories Without Borders E-Mail!!!). Soon, we'll be navigating the Google Site there as well as trying to develop exciting new content to keep building buzz about the project! We have also added some new products to the Stories Without Borders Gift Shop! We're hoping that we will also be able to post a few short online lectures on certain issues related to the epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as the countries and cultures SWB is involved with.

Our Web presence is the number-one way we generate support and interest. We really, really appreciate anytime you link to us on your Web page, blog, or share information about us on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or your other social networking accounts.

Also, a $5 donation goes a long way, but remember, we credit any donors of over $25 in the film, and we're discussing providing a special signed, limited-edition DVD of the final film for anyone who donates $50 or more. We hope to see your name on that list!

The Mekong

2010-04-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

The Mekong begins in the Chinese Himalayas and empties into the the South China Sea just north of the Gulf of Thailand. In its course, as epic as the Mahabharata, it runs over 4350 km (2703 mi) through the engmatic lands of Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and finally Vietnam and has served as a conduit for exchange or ideas and commerce throughout South Asia. It also supports an enormous population that depend on its bounty for their subsistence.

Tomorrow, leaders of Southeast Asian nations straddling the shrinking lower Mekong River are set to lean on China at landmark talks as controversy builds over the cause of the waterway's lowest levels in decades . . . A crippling drought in the region and the much-debated role of Chinese hydropower dams are due to dominate the summit of the inter-governmental Mekong River Commission (MRC) -- the first in its 15-year history. . . . Nations in the lower Mekong basin are likely to press China for information on the river as well as financial help, said Anond Snidvongs, director of the Southeast Asia START Regional Centre, which researches environmental change. "Dam debate looms large over Mekong summit" by Rachel O'Brien (AFP)

We at SWB will be paying close attention to the developments of this story as part of our own coming journeys will chart part of the path of the Mekong as we capture with our cameras what may very well a disappearing way of life, and one that is displaced not by progress but by devastation. The video below gives you an idea of the challenges that a receding Mekong will pose.

We Are Still At It!

2010-04-02T18:43:00.000-07:00

We apologize for the long delay in getting blog entries up, but there are some exciting moves taking place in the background. Andrea has been working with the film she converted for the fund raising reel. Luckily, we do have a long time-line, but the completion of the fund raising reel will be a major milestone in the project, and we are super excited about that. We appreciate the support that we've received to make that happen.

Our intrepid philosopher, Jarrod Brown, is heading overseas, and although actually not going for the express purpose of working on Stories Without Borders: The Documentary, he will be doing a second round of shooting that may make it into a later edition of the fund raising reel. Jarrod's travels will take him across South and Southeast Asia, and we will let you know more about this as it comes together more clearly. Right now, he is up to his ears in the Hitopradesha and Southeast Asia current events.

We did want to leave you with a gift, however: a Kashmiri recension of Gita with commentary by Ananda Vardhan as a scanned book in the archive.org digital library.

Director's Notes:Demo Reel

2010-03-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hi All! Andrea here. Just an update from the SWB Team...

As you may know, Jarrod went to Cambodia over the holidays and took my camera with him to shoot some footage for us to use in our demo reel. A demo reel is something we will use to send to various organizations in the hopes that they will like our documentary idea, and help fund us. With these funds, we will be able to afford our travel expenses and equipment costs.

As the director of this documentary, I feel pressured that it's future lies in my editing skills. I don't doubt my skills, but it's still alot for one to take on. I know I can do this, I just hope I don't break under the immense pressure. I am comforted with the knowledge that we got into this for many reasons, the most important of which was to have fun. The trick is to not become so precious about the project, which is difficult since it's my first documentary film.

The good news is, I am having fun, and I know more fun will follow! Currently, the footage from Cambodia has been digitized (put into the computer for editing) and the demo reel will likely be done in the next month or so. I really want this to be good, so I'm taking my time.

As always, check out our YouTube Channel for video clips, and our website for more information on Stories Without Borders: The Documentary. We also have a gift shop where you can buy SWB merchandise at CafePress.com.

You'll have to excuse us for our gaps in blogging for right now. Jarrod and I are both very busy with our other projects; work, school, and life in general. We do appreciate all of our supporters, and hope you will stay tuned to see what comes of this adventure!

-Andrea

Docutah

2010-02-11T06:32:00.000-08:00

I just found out about this new documentary film festival and I'm very excited about it! Apparently this is their first year, and their first actual festival will be in September. Now, that's too early for Stories Without Borders, but we might be able to catch one in the future.

The festival takes place in Southern Utah, and runs for 10 days. In addition to showing films at indoor and outdoor settings, they also will host seminars featuring guest lecturers on film making! Not only would one get to watch some amazing films, but they would also get to learn from industry professionals!

What I like about this budding film festival is that it's open to all film makers. They have categories for both high school and college students, while welcoming international film makers as well. Docutah has high hopes of becoming one of the must-visit festivals for documentary film makers and viewers and I'd really like to go. Perhaps, a trip is order! Come September 16th, if I have the cash to back it up, I'll go and report to our blog followers how awesome it is.

To learn more about Docutah, visit their website here.

Ramayana On Display in Singapore

2010-02-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

The following is an article I read just moments ago, and I thought it applied well to what Jarrod and I are trying to do with our documentary. This only further proves our "by exploring the stories that we share we can better understand our common humanity across time and cultures" theory.

"SINGAPORE — With numerous heroes and villains and its powerful feel-good message of good triumphing over evil, the Ramayana has been one of the great epic poems of Indian culture for centuries. Originally attributed to the Hindu Sanskrit poet Valmiki, who lived about 400 B.C., the story has been retold and adapted over time by poets, scholars and everyday storytellers.

It has also captured the imagination of many other cultures beyond its origins in India. In Southeast Asia, scenes from the Ramayana can be found in places ranging from Prambanan, a 9th-century Hindu temple compound in Yogyakarta in central Java, Indonesia, to the magnificent 12th-century Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

“Ramayana Revisited: A Tale of Love & Adventure,” an exhibition that is running at the Peranakan Museum, Singapore until Aug. 22, underlines the cross-cultural power of the popular epic.

As it spread across Southeast Asia, the Hindu tale was adapted, with localized versions emerging like the Ramakien in Thailand or the Reamker in Cambodia. Through the display of shadow puppets, papier-mâché masks, sculptures and paintings on paper and cloth sourced from the permanent collection of the Asian Civilisations Museum, this exhibition narrates the Ramayana story according to a 17th-century version from north India. The narrators of this version are Lava and Kusha, the two sons of Rama, and it tells the classic tale of their father’s epic quest to rescue their mother, Sita, from the demon king Ravana with the help of Rama’s devoted friend Hanuman and his army of monkeys."

You can read the full article here.
You can also find more information on the exhibition & museum here.

A Short Lesson on Southeast Asian Languages (from SEA Travel Tips)

2010-01-20T21:30:00.001-08:00

The people of Southeast are diverse linguistically as well as nearly every other possible way. You will run into a lot of ethnic, religious, and national variation. Language affinities can be incredibly important, and if you can understand some of the basic linguist groups your understanding of the human development of Southeast Asia is rich and varied, yet some common linguist backgrounds often unite far-flung communities. There are commonalities as well. For example, Burmese, Thai, Mon and Khmer all took Sanskrit alphabets--the origin of their letters are the same while the origins of the letters are not. Similarly, Vietnamese has a Romanized alphabet as does both the Bahasa Languages, Malay and Indonesian.

Sino-Tibetan: e.g. Burmese (Myanmar); Tai languages: Thai, Lao

The Sino-Tibetan language family has been defined as also including the Tai and Hmong-Mien languages. In the past, Vietnamese and other Mon-Khmer languages were classified under the Sino-Tibetan tree, however, their similarities to Chinese are currently credited to language contact.

Austro-Asiatic: Mon, Khmer (Cambodian); Vietnamese

The Austro-Asiatic languages are a large language family of Southeast Asia, and also scattered throughout India and Bangladesh. The name comes from the Latin word for "south" and the Greek name of Asia, hence "South Asia." Among these languages, only Khmer, and Mon have a long established recorded history, and only Vietnamese and Khmer have official status (in Vietnam and Cambodia, respectively). The rest of the languages are spoken by minority groups.

Austronesian: Malay(sian), Indonesian; Philippine languages: Tagalog, Ilocano; Cham

The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia. It is on par with Bantu, Indo-European, Afro-Asiatic and Uralic as one of the best-established ancient language families. The name Austronesian comes from Latin auster "south wind" plus Greek nêsos "island". The family is aptly named, as the vast majority of Austronesian languages are spoken on islands: only a few languages, such as Malay and the Chamic languages, are indigenous to mainland Asia. Many Austronesian languages have very few speakers, but the major Austronesian languages are spoken by tens of millions of people. Some Austronesian languages are official languages.

Papuan: Timor

You are unlikely to encounter this unless you head to this local. You'll have to research it on your own. Various foreign languages are commonly spoken, including the languages of India, especially Tamil but also Telugu, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi. Chinese dialects (spoken in Singapore and major cities of Southeast Asia) are also widely spoken. English is commonly spoken, especially in Malaysia and Myanmar, former British colonies.

Give Without Borders

2010-01-18T08:12:00.000-08:00

The Stories Without Borders Team would just like to let everyone devastated by the Haitian earthquake know that our hearts and prayers go out to them. If you can, please donate to the Red Cross or use Google's Crisis Response page to direct your donations elsewhere.

Thank You
Andrea, SWB Team

Currently Reading...

2010-01-15T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hi folks! Andrea here, just wanted to leave you a little message before the weekend.

If you're like me, you love to travel. That's why Jarrod and I wanted to do a travel documentary, we just love seeing new places filled with interesting people. As a woman, traveling to far off lands could prove hazardous, if you're not properly acquainted with local customs and laws. I've recently purchased a book by Sheila Swan and Peter Laufer called "Safety and Security for Women Who Travel" which is enlightening me on certain things to do before a big trip, during a trip, and if something bad happens while on a trip. Its not a long book, and it's quite easy to read. I highly recommend it for all lady travelers who are feeling skittish about their first trip out of the country, or even those who've been on long trips before and want to make sure they're doing things properly. It's filled with little tips and tricks that leave a woman feeling more secure on even the largest of excursions.

Also from Travelers Tales publishing company, I got "A Woman's Passion for Travel" for Christmas, and I love it! It's a book short stories, all true, as told by the women who lived them. As I read it, I feel I am with them, seeing Italy, Russia and China, as well as some not-so exotic locales such as Alaska and Tennessee. The book warns you ahead of time: "This book is dangerous. You will quit your job..."

I can't say it isn't tempting to leave everything behind and live on the road, and this book keeps pushing me in that direction. If you're a woman who loves to travel, these books are the greatest companions.

A Woman's Passion for Travel

Safety and Security for Women Who Travel

Don't forget to check out our sites, donate if you can, and keep up with our blog postings. We also have Facebook, Myspace and Twitter accounts, so look for us there too.

Plan Your Puppet Adventure?

2010-01-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

Collaboration between the folks here at Stories Without Borders and others is giving rise to some interesting projects.

Right now, Southeast Asia Travel Tips is looking for people to contribute stories, photography, travel tips, destination suggestions and more for this e-travelzine. The International Man of Leisure franchise is also growing. They've purchased a domain and soon will be launching their comic/video project there, but in the meantime check out their work.

And, not to beat it into the ground, but you should visit the advocacy site at the Stories Without Borders' Site.

Coming Days and New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-12T02:25:00.001-08:00

Jarrod is back from Cambodia now. Welcome home! He even offers that getting back into the USA with high-grade explosives didn't seem any more difficult. In fact, he didn't even have to take his shoes off as he boarded a flight to Taiwan.

He did not have explosives with him, of course: only Andrea is desperately hoping for some explosive footage. Surprisingly (and thankfully), though, making these thousands of years old thousands of pages long epics seem lively is not a problem.

There will be some shooting of interviews in Hawai'i until the end of the month. Then Andrea will have nearly four hours of video to use to put together an 8 minute video clip, or a half an hour of footage for each minute of the fund raising reel. While collaborating on a story line, all the technical editing would be accomplished by Andrea, not to mention converting the video, voice overs, music selection, and a million other details that will turn a bunch of random experiences into something compelling and cohesive. It is a time dedication that is massive, and Andrea is getting ready to take it on shortly. When that is finished, the serious phase of fund raising will move into the forefront and for more than a year the focus will no longer be on film but on finance.

Wish us luck in the year ahead!

Enjoy the teaser while it is up. Since it isn't the reflection of our director and editor extraordinaire, it can't last too long, but it gives you a shoddy glimpse of something beautiful in the future.

Southeast Asia Travel Tips

2010-01-10T22:15:00.000-08:00

Here is a blog on Southeast Asia Travel Tips that also includes some travel writing. If you have any travel experience in South or Southeast Asia and would like to contribute, they would be happy to hear from you--and yes, they are us!

Rough Teaser from SWB

2010-01-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

Sneak Peak Teaser!

2010-01-07T15:43:00.001-08:00

There is a sneak peak teaser up on YouTube right now. Pretty soon, this one will get replaced by something a little shorter, but anyone just dying to get a look at what this project might look like, check it out. Otherwise, check out the shorter polished version soon. Oh, yeah--share it! But bad news is you'll have to go to YouTube to see it and share it.

Cambodian Shadow Puppet Performance

2010-01-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

While primarily using the DVC camera provided, I also took some shots with my digital camera just to have some tidbits to share. They are not much, but I am sure you'll being seeing works in project with our editing "team."

Other Projects on Southeast Asia

2010-01-04T19:55:00.001-08:00

There are many works of film in the area of Southeast Asia, but not so many dealing specifically with the Ramayana and Mahabharata. I recently finished the Mahabharata, and I'm about half-way through the Ramayana. (I'd be done with it, but I got a "A Woman's Passion for Travel" for Christmas so I'm reading it as well.)

If you want to see some of the Ramayana/Mahabharata in video form, you can look at some earlier blog posts. Specifically Sita Sings the Blues.

As for some other works regarding Southeast Asia, I really like the BBC's "The Story of India," which walks you through India's history. It's very educational, and I found it quite interesting. I happened upon it at around 3AM here in Kentucky on our local PBS station (Kentucky Educational Television, KET). You follow Michael Woods through six episodes of exploration in India as he discusses historical and cultural hot spots. Great stuff!

Also, here's a great production team I just found out about. They're called DevaVision, and they seem to do great work. They are based in India, do projects about India, and already have some productions completed. Here's some information about an animated version of the Mahabharata. From there you can navigate around their site and learn more about them.

I hope that our documentary is as informative and beautiful as these projects are. I promise to do my very best to make it so!

-Andrea

Cambodia Shadow Puppet Theatre

2010-01-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Nang sbek thom or sbek thom (large leather puppet shadow theatre) corresponds to the nang yai of Thailand. Yet the origin of nang sbek thom is very obscure, some scholars believe that nang sbek thom developed during the Angkor period who other's claim that it came to Cambodia during the 19th century when King Ang Duong introduced this art form as well as lakhon khol and robam kbach boran into the Royal Court. Prince Damrong of Thailand however suggested and asserted that nang sbek thom came from Cambodia to Thailand when Angkor was sacked in the 15th century. Either way it's origin still remains unclear and obscure therefore both countries received an art form which is old as and uniquely beautiful.

Nang sbek thom is an art that involves mime, song, music and having to dance as well as narration to the accompaniment of the pin-peat orchestra. Nang sbek thom would have as many as 10 or 12 puppeteers to who perform in this ancient art form. The leather panels can be 1.5 to 2 metres high and 1 to 1.5 metres wide, weigh as much as 7 kilograms each. The leather panels are intricately incised with heroic figures, princesses, giants, monkeys and other characters as well as palaces, battle scenes, forests etc... Some of them are incised leather version of the bas-reliefs at Angkor Wat showing entire scenes from the Reamker. The leather could be dyed tan and black or left clear, so the shadow or silhouette is seen in varying warms shades of yellow and brown and pure white white where the leather is incised. The leather panels are mounted on two sticks and held by a male puppeteer firmly against a white screen lit that is 9 to 12 metres wide and up to 4.5 meters high lit by flame of torches or burning coconut shells.

Before a performance of nang sbek thom, nang sbek toch or any other kind of dance including lakhon khol or robam boran khmer etc... a salutation and special offerings are made to the spirits and teachers who help to create this art. The salutation and special offerings are made to ask for the spirits and teachers blessing so that they won't be offended in or during the performance. It is always considered important and treated with the utter most respect since many fear that without the proper rites to be performed misfortune could actually happen in one way or another.

Nang sbek thom serves a very fundamental purpose besides entertainment, it is performed on special occasions and ceremonies, such as part of buong soung ceremony which calls on the heavenly deities to ask for their blessing towards the new year, for fertility, prosperity to the land and nation and also for rain. Apart from buong suong ceremony it is also performed at the cremation of the kings corse, kru's corpse (teacher), parental corpse and also to ask the the Gods for rain during a drought .

Before the war in Cambodia, there existed two nang sbek thom troupe in the country, one in Battambang Province and another one in Seam Reap Province. Nang sbek thom was an all male tradition, but however in the 1970s when it was brought to the Royal University of Fine Arts, this changed things a little. The performers would include female puppeteers because, male dancers were far and few. Therefore this was particularly necessary when a troupe of limited sized travelled internationally.

Nang sbek thom performance could last all night with a couple of long episodes with the battle between good and evil that is always a popular theme from the Reamker and other tales. Nowadays modified with the convention of electrical light instead of flame torches and burning coconut shells, the character remained the same.

(All information above compliments of http://www.angelfire.com/art/apsarakhmer/)

HAPPY NEW YEAR: SUR SDEI CHHNAM THMEI

2009-12-30T22:54:00.000-08:00

I'll be making tacos for my friends today and then celebrating the New Year in style here in Siem Reap. The champagne is already on ice. This is of course the Western New Year. The Khmer new year, or Chol Chnam Thmey in the Khmer language, literally "Enter the New Year", is the name of the Cambodian holiday that celebrates the Khmer new year. The holiday lasts for three days beginning on New Year's Day, most commonly April 13th but sometimes on the 14th in keeping with the lunar calendar. This time of the year is at the end of the harvesting season. The farmers enjoy the fruits of their harvest and relax before the rainy season begins. The numbering is based on the Buddhist calendar. For 2009 it is 2553 BE (Buddhist Era).

My entire trip I've been immersed in local culture, staying with the family of a close friend here and getting a crash course in Khmer peppered with Vietnamese. While I still just have about a very practical 20 word vocabulary (yes, no, come and go, et cetera) I recently purchased an interactive learning software produced by the University of Hawaií for learning Khmer that I'm beginning to work through; I must admit I've neglected my Sanskrit over the past week! I've got a busy schedule for the remaining days I am here. I will be attending (and filming) a shadow puppet performance. There are two major forms of shadow puppet theater in Cambodia: Sbeik thom (big skin), which I am hoping I will be seeing, and Sbeik touch (small skin). Sbeik thom traditionally tells the story of the Cambodian Ramayana, the Reamker. The puppets can be as large as six feet and have no moving parts. The narrator of the story also directs the orchestra (pien piet) while the puppeteers themselves remain silent throughout the performance. The puppets are traditionally made right here in Siem Reap. Cow skin is cured and stretched out on a frame to dry for about 2 weeks (unlike in Malaysia where goat skin is used; buffulo is common in Java). For this reason, shadow puppets can only be made during the dry season. The outlines of the puppet are cut using a knife, while the finer details are carved out with a chisel and hammer. It takes about three weeks to complete one puppet. I'm hoping to be lucky enough to find one to purchase. I've also embedded a video (not mine!) so you can have a quick taste of what I will be seeing.

I'll be spending a couple of days in and around Angkor Wat as well, filming and photographing scenes from the Ramayana carved there, and also taking some shots of the country side, everday life of rural folks, and also of some markets and other places that will provide some "stock footage"for the fundraising real. These picture you are seeing from there is of the famous "Churning the Sea of Milk" scene. I wish now I'd arranged for a full day (rather than a full night) in Bangkok to visit and take some video of the incredible murals of the Ramayana at Wat Pho, but maybe when I am back in this part of the world (if all goes as planned) in late spring.

Also, a big thanks to Andrea who has taken over comment moderation for the blog (sorry--I don't see what you have to say unless it makes it through my editor, first!) and is herself busily researching and preparing for the coming year when so much will be happening . . . and she is also preparing herself to deal with hours of video to condense down into an 8 minute video! In January, I will be finishing up some interviews with area experts and then Andrea will feverishly work to put it all together. I'll be working on the storyboard in the interim to hopefully help her out a little bit along the way.

Well, until next year, Lea heuy!

Tell me about terror

2009-12-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

Jarrod here, blogging from Phnom Penh. My "vaction"is over (during which I got a crash course in shooting) and now it is about time to get down to business of making the fundraising real. But at present, I have something on my mind.

Of course, I was overseas in Malaysia (studying Islamic law) when 9/11 hit. And now some crazy Nigerian has again made my flight back home to the USA a potential nightmare as I'm pretty darn sure I'm on that list of 400,000 suspect individuals . . . I'll let you all know.

SWB is not meant to be a very political platform. We certainly believe and support social justice and service initiatives meant to improve the lives of those living in the most challenging circumstances. That being said, we'd like to remind everyone that real terror in the world is taking place largely due to wars being waged by the United States and the destablilization that those wars have caused. Missle strikes this year were carried out in Iraq, Syria, Afganistan, Pakistan, Somolia, and now Yeman. Hundreds of civilians have died in those strikes. Imagine living in a country where death could come raining down on you at any time. Imagine that sort of terror.

Or, imagine the sort of terror that you might lose your home any day despite having legal land ownership, or your village could be raised because of your ethnicity, or that your wedding might be bombed because of your religious sect, or that you might be taken hostage or beheaded because of your nationality. This is real terror, not some fantasy dreamed up by folks with nine fingers in the defense industry and all their personal phone lines tapped.

The year is drawing to a close, and we can only hope that that the next one will bring real change (and not the empty words of a idealogue) . . . wishing you happy New Year from Cambodia . . . I'll blog again soon!

2009-12-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

As a supporter of Stories Without Borders the Documentary, you may find yourself asking many questions. What is SWB? Why a documentary? Who are the SWB Team?

All your questions can be answered by visiting our website, here. By clicking on the links in the navigation bar on the left-hand side of the screen, you can find out all the information you need!

Click on our film timeline to see a detailed plan of where the money goes and how it's spent, as well as our personal goals for each month.

Wanna Donate? Go here. We are hoping to be set up for non-profit status very soon after the new year!

Not sure who you're donating to? Cool! Just check out the "People Behind Stories Without Borders" link, or go here.

You can also find links to information on the Mahabharata, as well as the Ramayana. We also link directly to this blog, our online store, and our Human Rights page.

We hope this helps you to further understand our goal.

We're also onFacebook,Myspace, and Twitter.

Thanks for all your support!

Happy Holidays from the SWB Team!

2009-12-24T07:19:00.001-08:00

I realize that I haven't blogged in a few days, but I'm completely swamped with the holidays and such, so I hope you'll forgive me.

It will be after the holidays before I can blog again, so I just wanted to let everyone know I haven't forgotten about SWB, I'm just neck deep in wrapping paper and sugar cookies.

I did find out that Jarrod has made it safely to Cambodia, and we can hope to hear from him soon!

Anyway, Happy Holidays to you and yours from the Stories Without Borders Documentary Team!

-Andrea

Volunteer in India: Sadhana Forest

2009-12-21T10:07:00.000-08:00

On the outskirts of Auroville, India you'll be surprised to find a small commune of folks from all around the world. Their main purpose: planting specific types of vegetation in Southeast India in the hopes that it will not only help the environment, but bring people together.

A friend of mine spent the last few months there and enjoyed it thoroughly. So thoroughly, in fact, that she plans to make it her permanent residence for the next year, or so.

After reading the information they provide on their website, I am positive that I will, sometime in the future, try to volunteer with them. If you're not sure about volunteering, you really should check out their site here. They offer different volunteer options and the minimum amount of time one can volunteer is two weeks. So if you go, and you hate it there, it's just two weeks.

Also the cost of living there is really cheap. A thousand US dollars could last you a year there, if you're careful. They are a non-profit group, so they do have to charge for food. Everyone pays for the ingredients needed for their vegan meals, so the price for food (for three meals a day) is about 3 US Dollars.

They do have solar panels set up for power, and they are hooked up to the internet so contacting loved ones back home is simple. You work a 20 hour work week(4hrs a day, 5 days a week) and that pays for your accommodations.

They offer classes, workshops and do more than just plant trees. Please check it out, it could be just what you're looking for. Perhaps Jarrod and I can even visit there while shooting, and put them in our documentary somehow. We'll get back to you on that.

I've posted their slide show at the bottom of this post. I hope it helps see what good work is being done!

“May there be many forests to grow people” - Former Sadhana Forest volunteer

News from Southeast Asia

2009-12-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

Here in Kentucky, it's cold. It's been snowing off and on since last night. The majority of people who live in my area continue to worry about road conditions, especially at night when the temperature drops and the water on the road freezes.

This, however, is typical winter weather for Kentucky. We do not experience extreme weather situations often, and we sometimes take that for granted.

Earlier this year, a typhoon hit Manila. For me, this really confirms that whole global warming thing.

Here's an article from VOANews.com:
Read the Article Here

Southeast Asia Faces Rising Risks From Severe Weather
In Southeast Asia, people know well the risks that extreme weather can bring, and they worry that a warmer climate will increase those risks.

When Typhoon Ketsana hit Manila this year, the crowded city's planners were stunned at the amount of rain that poured down in a short time. Houses here sit close to the ground, even though the land is lower than a lake nearby.

"The most concerned extreme events in Southeast Asia is probably storm - typhoon and tropical storm," said climate scientist Anond Snidvongs.

Dr. Anond Snidvongs, who has studied climate change for more than a decade, has analyzed storm data over the past 60 years. Storm frequency, he says, comes in cycles of 30 years. But, he warns, warmer global temperatures could bring more, and bigger, storms.

"We are going on the rise again, but that's due to normal cycles," he added. "But if you look into the Mekong delta, for example in Vietnam, it has shown the 30-year cycle, but the phase and amplitude is going up and then going up like that."

This means, he says, that the Philippines, the southern part of Vietnam and Cambodia will be hit with more storms than experienced in recent decades.

Here in Can Tho, in southern Vietnam, boats carrying goods converge on the Mekong River to trade.

Cuong is a trader from the nearby coastal province of Ben Tre. His job, he says, is vulnerable to weather changes.

"In the past, everything was fine, but in the last 10 years, there were so many storms," he said.

A storm destroyed his house in 2007, he says. And worse, storm surges have tainted the water supply with salt.

"We already have water shortage before. Now the water shortage is worse," he added.

In Southeast Asia, where millions of people are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as drought or unusually heavy rains, there are growing concerns for the future.

Hassan Moinuddin of the Asian Development Bank's Mekong Sub-Region Program says a warmer climate could cut almost seven percent off the region's gross domestic product by the end of this century, by reducing crops or forcing the relocation of communities.

"It not only will affect the growth and the economic development, but it will have a severe consequence especially on the disaster emergency relief funding that will be required," he explained.

As governments debate who is to shoulder greater responsibility for slowing climate change and paying for the damage, profound change, says Dr. Anond, should come from individuals.

"We need to live in harmony with climate," noted Dr. Anond.

For instance, houses should be built, taking into account their environment.

"Houses in our region used to have stilts a few meters above the ground in order to allow flood to stay there," he explained.

He hopes people will adapt their lifestyles according to the nature of their environment, and help them lessen the effects of climate change.
--------

I'm big on the environment and what we can do to help it. I hope this helps show everyone that Global Warming isn't an American problem. It's everyone's problem. In the future, it would be nice if other people could do documentaries on Southeast Asian culture and whatnot, but it won't be as interesting if it's under water.

Here's a short video from Current TV explaining the actual damage done:

-Andrea

Off to Cambodia!

2009-12-18T03:49:00.000-08:00

Jarrod here . . .

I'm a bit frayed as I've only slept two out of the past 48 hours. A nice chunk of that was spend doing Sanskrit translations to English . . . a good start to a trip to learn more about the roles that Sanskrit epics continue to play in the life and arts of Cambodia.

I'm also armed with hundreds of dollars of camera equiptment . . . tripods, SD cards, digital and DVC for still shots, cables, a laptop, 1020HD digital for some YouTube uploads, and the DVC so that film maker extraordinaire Andrea will be able to put together an 8 minute fundraising reel from the tens of hours of footage she will be getting! Thanks to those who have helped make this first important step possible with your generous support of this project.

I've got to shower before I catch my ride the airport for a 22 hour trip via Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand. Stay tuned as I will be blogging as I can. In the meantime, you can look forward to the world through the eyes of Andrea as she stays abreast of news in the area and continues to provide insights, advocacy, and slightly veiled begging to help make this all a success.

You should here from me again before Christmas!

Have You Checked Out the Informational Site Lately?

2009-12-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

There is a lot more going on at the Stories Without Borders Documentary Web sit e. In case you haven't visited in a while, you might want to check it out.

The Ramayana and Mahabharta Web pages have lots of new links that lead to some really great informational sites and also places where you can download full translations of both of these texts.

The Countries Page is still a work in progress, but we're putting a lot of work into them as well. You can download traditional Cambodian music or watch a movie about the Khmer Rouge, watch part of an Indonesian ballet based on the Ramayana, and more. If there is any content you would like to see added, let us know.

And of course there is the Cambodian Human Rights page that we've already blogged about. It is being updated daily with the latest information relating to forced evictions in Cambodia, lots of resources and reports on the situation, as well as directions for what you can do to help. All it takes is a few minutes and a couple of stamps to help give these people a stronger voice. It is our hope over the coming months to build advocacy pages for each of the countries we will be working in, our small way of trying to positively contribute to these communities as we work to tell their stories.

SWB Updates, Lohan Faking?

2009-12-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

Andrea, the Director, here. I just wanted to update our readers a bit on the SWB team and our goings on.

Jarrod has planned his trip to Cambodia and will be gone through Christmas. While there, he will be shooting some footage for us to use in our fundraising reel, which will be a big part of SWB's funding. (Also, if you're all really good, he might post some footage on our YouTube page!)

While he's away, I'll be trying my best to write some awesome blogs and post them daily.

I would like to stress the importance of visiting our many sites once more, if I may. Even if you can't spare any money for donations, you can help us increase our web presence by clicking on our links. That helps us more than you know, and we appreciate each and every time you visit one of our sites. Also, if you have a Digg, Delicious, or Stumble Upon account, please Digg, Delicious, or Stumble Upon us.

You can find links to our sites on the right hand side of this page, or you can click on any of the links below:
Facebook
Twitter
Store
YouTube
Vimeo
Website
Or check out our new Myspace!

Now, our last post was about Lindsay Lohan and how she was, supposedly, working on a documentary about child trafficking in India.

It's being said now that she had nothing to do with helping the some 40 children she claims to have saved "in a day."

So now the BBC and the anti-traffick officials are having a press release battle over who's actually correct.

Here's some of that, as borrowed from The Chicago Sun-Times.

The activist, known as Bhuwan, charged Lohan with claiming to be part of the raid and freeing the children before she even had arrived in India.

Lohan has been in the country fronting a BBC documentary about the horrors experienced by children sold into virtual slavery by their parents.

BBC's statement claimed LiLo's Twitter messages merely focused on the raid as being the subject of the documentary she was filming with the network.

A longtime Lohan associate told me Sunday, ''While it's great Lindsay's trying despearately to change her image -- she sometimes goes overboard. Those tweets are examples of that.''
Even E! Online breaks it down for us.

-Andrea

Director's Updates: Pop Culture Meets Human Rights

2009-12-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

I'm a big pop culture buff, and I like to keep up with what certain celebs are involved with. Charities or worthwhile projects that famous people back are of interest to the general public, and in my opinion if you're going to read TMZ.com or Perez Hilton's site, you could at least be learning something.

People Magazine.com reported earlier today that Lindsay Lohan had just returned from India yesterday, where she was working on a documentary film for the BBC. The film is reported to be about the trafficking of women and children in India.

Though Lohan's reputation in Hollywood is not that of a model citizen, I feel compelled to share this with the followers of Stories Without Borders. The issue is an important one, and if it takes Lindsay Lohan to illuminate it, then I'm on board. The article can be found here, or you may read it below:

Lindsay Lohan returned to the U.S. on Saturday, following a weeklong visit to some of India's most impoverished areas, where she filmed a documentary for the British broadcaster, the BBC, about the trafficking of women and children in the south Asian country.

"Lindsay is home from India now. I am so proud of her for going," Dina Lohan told PEOPLE Sunday of her daughter, who arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday.

While in India, Lohan's itinerary included a visit to the Sanlaap women's and children's shelter outside Calcutta, which houses young women and girls who were victims of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. While at the facility, Lohan spent about three hours visiting with residents, as well as watching dance performances by the children. At one point, Lohan also donned a bindi – a forehead decoration common in India – after bonding with many of the girls, who wore bindis themselves.

Lohan also visited hospitals, where she met with sick children and gave them gifts.

The actress traveled around India with a four-person BBC crew and her friend, stylist Patrick Aufdenkamp, who tweeted earlier this week, "Can't wait for everyone to see the documentary of [Lindsay] with the incredibly brave children we met on our journey."

And Lohan herself took to Twitter to espouse the virtues of helping those less fortunate. Visiting India was "the most amazing time of my life," she wrote. "Focusing on celebrities and lies is so disconcerting, when we can be changing the world one child at a time.... hope everyone can see that."

Launched: CAMBODIA HUMAN RIGHTS AND FORCED EVICTIONS

2009-12-09T19:44:00.000-08:00

Illegal land evictions have become a major human rights issue in Cambodia with poor populations, both urban and rural, being forced to sign over land at gunpoint, forcibly evicted to make way for developers or plantation owners, and worst.

The recent report from Global Witness, "Country for Sale" implicates corrupt government and big business as major culprits unlikely to respond unless strong international pressure comes to bear on the problem. Losing Ground: Forced Evictions and Intimidation in Cambodia is a book recently published on this issue as well. All of these resources and more can be accessed from http://sites.google.com/site/storieswithoutborders/home/human-rights-in-south-and-southeast-asia/cambodia-human-rights?pli=1

We are focusing on what we are calling "armchair activism" with actionables being mostly limited to letter-writing, phone calls, and to a much lesser extend, e-campaigns, so that those with limited time and financial resources can still make a positive contribution. Our motivating idea is to make it easy for people to contribute positively to campaigns for social justice and therefore try to increase participation in these campaigns while targeting these parts of the globe.

Please log onto our site and see what you can do to help end this flagrant violation of human dignity.

Hanuman Part One

2009-12-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hanuman (sa:हनुमान्, also Anjaneya, Maruti) is one of the most popular concepts of devotees of God (bhakti) (devotion to God) in Hinduism and one of the most important personalities in the Indian epic Ramayana. He is the 11th incarnation (Rudra avtar) of Lord Shiva, and is considered the most powerful and intelligent amongst Gods. His most famous feat, as described in the Ramayana, was leading an army of monkeys to fight the demon King Ravana.

He is also referred to as Bajrang Bali (Sanskrit: Vajranga) because his body was hard like a vajra. Hanuman is also known as Pavan-Putra (son of Pavana) and Vāyu-Putra because Pavan (the Hindu deity of the wind) had played an important role in Anjana's begetting Hanuman as her child.

The Sundara Kanda, the fifth book in the Ramayana, focuses mainly on the adventures of Hanuman and the story is as follows.
[edit] Meeting Rama

Hanuman meets Rama during the latter's 14-year exile in the forest. With his brother Lakshmana, Rama is searching for his wife Sita who had been abducted by Ravana. Their search brings them to the vicinity of the mountain Rishyamukha, where Sugriva, along with his followers and friends, are in hiding from his older brother Vali, with whom he had quarrelled over a mistake.

Having seen Rama and Lakshmana, Sugriva sends Hanuman to ascertain their identities. Hanuman approaches the two brothers in the guise of a brahmin. His first words to them are such that Rama says to Lakshmana that none could speak the way the brahmin did unless he or she had mastered the Vedas. He notes that there is no defect in the brahmin's countenance, eyes, forehead, brows, or any limb. He points out to Lakshmana that his accent is captivating, adding that even an enemy with sword drawn would be moved. He praises the disguised Hanuman further, saying that sure success awaited the king whose emissaries were as accomplished as he was.

When Rama introduces himself, Hanuman reveals his own identity and falls prostrate before Rama, who embraces him warmly. Thereafter, Hanuman's life becomes interwoven with that of Rama. Hanuman then brings about a friendship and alliance between Rama and Sugriva; Rama helps Sugriva regain his honour and makes him king of Kishkindha. Sugriva and his vanaras, most notably Hanuman, help Rama defeat Ravana and reunite with Sita.

In their search for Sita, a group of Vanaras reaches the southern seashore. Upon encountering the vast ocean, every vanara begins to lament his inability to jump across the water. Hanuman too is saddened at the possible failure of his mission, until the other vanaras and the wise bear Jambavantha begin to extol his virtues. Hanuman then recollects his own powers, enlarges his body, and flies across the ocean. On his way, he encounters a mountain that rises from the sea, proclaims that it owed his father a debt, and asks him to rest a while before proceeding. Not wanting to waste any time, Hanuman thanks the mountain and carries on. He then encounters a sea-monster, Surasa, who challenges him to enter her mouth. When Hanuman outwits her, she admits that her challenge was merely a test of his courage. After killing Simhika, a rakshasa, he reaches Lanka.

Hanuman reaches Lanka and marvels at its beauty. After he finds Sita sitting depressed in captivity in a garden, Hanuman reveals his identity to her, reassures her that Rama has been looking for her, and uplifts her spirits. He offers to carry her back to Rama; but she refuses his offer, saying it would be an insult to Rama as his honour is at stake. After meeting Sita, Hanuman begins to wreak havoc, gradually destroying the palaces and properties of Lanka. He kills many rakshasas, including Jambumalli and Akshaa. To subdue him, Ravana's son Indrajit uses the Brahmastra. Though immune to the effects of this weapon Hanuman, out of respect to Brahma, allows himself be bound. Deciding to use the opportunity to meet Ravana, and to assess the strength of Ravana's hordes, Hanuman allows the rakshasa warriors to parade him through the streets. He conveys Rama's message of warning and demands the safe return of Sita. He also informs Ravana that Rama would be willing to forgive him if he returns Sita honourably. Enraged, Ravana orders Hanuman's execution, whereupon Ravana's brother Vibheeshana intervenes, pointing out that it is against the rules of engagement to kill a messenger. Ravana then orders that Hanuman's tail be lit afire. As Ravana's forces attempted to wrap cloth around his tail, Hanuman begins to lengthen it. After frustrating them for a while, he allows it to burn, then escapes from his captors, and with his tail on fire he burns down large parts of Lanka. After extinguishing his flaming tail in the sea, he returns to Rama.

When Lakshmana is severely wounded by Indrajit during the war against Ravana, Hanuman is sent to fetch the Sanjivani, a powerful life-restoring herb from the Dronagiri mountain in the Himalayas, to revive him. Ravana realises that if Lakshmana dies, a distraught Rama would probably give up, and so has his uncle Kalnaimi tempt Hanuman away with luxury. Hanuman is tipped off by a crocodile (actually a celestial being under a curse) and kills Kalnaimi. When he is unable to find the specific herb before nightfall, Hanuman takes the entire Dronagiri mountain to the battlefield in Lanka, thus helping others find the herb to revive Lakshmana. An emotional Rama hugs Hanuman, declaring him as dear to him as his own beloved brother Bharat.

(The photo to the left is a Balinese picture of Hanuman)

Coming Soon: Human Rights Page

2009-12-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't checked out the informational site, please do so. We've added a lot of content over the last few weeks, including building page-specific resources for academics as well as folks who just want to know a little more (Ramayana cartoons anyone?)

But, the purpose of this posting is very serious . . . .

In the next two weeks, we'll be launching a new set of pages on the site devoted to human rights and advocacy in South and Southeast Asia. At Stories Without Borders: The Documentary, we are not only interested in telling stories; indeed, our purpose and mission is to demonstrate that the common stories we share express a common humanity, one deserving of respect. Unfortunately, our area of focus--South and Southeast Asia--is facing many challenges and devastating human rights abuses are present in most of the countries our research and film focuses on. SWB condemns these abuses which disregard our shared experiences, emotions, embodiment, and ethical intuitions. As such, we are launching a new Advocacy and Human Rights initiative. Its mission is:

To disseminate reliable information related to what is happening in these countries (Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia)
To provide actionable information that you can execute from home by signing online petitions, writing appropriate government contacts, supporting aid organizations, or simply by spreading the word via social media like Twitter and Facebook
To showcase organizations for which support, either in terms of time, cash or kind assist these areas and address these problems.

If you would like to see any groups, initiatives, or specific challenges addressed here, please do let us know. We envision this as being a "one-stop shop" for those interested in advocating for human rights and dignity but will specifically target initiatives that you can assist from home in terms of letter campaigns, social media, and other actionables to help lend your voice to those who lack one themselves.

We hope to have this page and its subpages complete before Dec. 17th. Thank you.

Nepali Ramayana (MP3)

2009-12-07T14:57:00.001-08:00

You can listen to the beautiful Nepali version of the Ramayana (in Nepali!) HERE (you can stream or download the full MP3).

Two versions of Ramayana are present in Nepal. One is written by Mahakabhi Siddhidas Mahaju in Nepal Bhasa. The other one is written by Aadikavi Bhanubhakta Acharya. The Nepal Bhasa version by Siddhidas Mahaju marks a great point in the renaissance of Nepal Bhasa whereas the one of Bhanubhakta Acharya is the first epic of Nepali. The version you can download is attributed to Ganga Acharya.

FYI: Vimeo Channel Created

2009-12-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

SWB has set up a Vimeo channel. The same videos will go on it as on YouTube as we try to get the word out. I hope everyone will help us by Digging, Stumbling, bookmarking on Delicious and other ways to spread the word (and links!). You find find the Vimeo channel here: http://vimeo.com/8007540

Giving Back

2009-12-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

Stories Without Borders is proud to support the work of Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC) focuses on improving living conditions for people in Cambodia, Laos and Burma. By working at the local level and focusing on basic needs such as clean water, education, health, emergency relief and other community based issues, JWOC helps to develop projects that start small, but with outside support, gain momentum and change lives.

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened."
~ Buddha

Help keep the flame of education alive by funding higher education for motivated, talented college students in Cambodia, Laos, and Burma.

Countries in Southeast Asia face many challenges, ranging from the economic and military to challenges in the areas of healthcare, the environment, women's rights, the legal system, and many more. While each nation works to define its own future, education is the necessary foundation, both for the futures of motivated young people and for the futures of entire nations.

Through donations and sponsorships, the nonprofit organization Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC) provides university scholarships to deserving students in Cambodia, Laos, and Burma. Each scholarship covers the full cost of tuition and textbooks. Students attend four-year universities where most study business, finance or English.

All scholarship students volunteer for JWOC five to ten hours a week, helping make the many other programs JWOC runs possible. The hope is that many of these students will become future local and national leaders and the idea of giving back will be something they embrace. The education the students get is not just at school. Through volunteering, they see the power they have to make positive change in their own communities.

You can help! Purchase of this Gift That Gives More™ helps keep the flame of education alive by funding a scholarship for student in Cambodia, Laos, or Burma, profoundly affecting his or her life. Thank you!

* $50.00 funds one month of university
* $500.00 funds one year of university

You can sponsor a student at The Hunger Site.

Contemplations

2009-12-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

Throughout our lives, a large part of our participation in culture is learning and internalizing the stories that we tell. Americans have the stories of their forefathers--the honest of George Washington conveyed through the (fictitious) stories of Irving Washington, the ingenuity of Benjamin Franklin, and the self-made independent man that was Abe Lincoln.

No less so the stories of the Mahabharata and Ramayan define what to strive for in terms of being a person. Sita, for example, is the fiercely loving and devoted wife; Arjuna is the symbol of male martial valor as well as God-loving servant of the divine. Rama is honesty and fidelity embodied.

These stories demonstrate a shared sense of humanity, the values that extend across cultures. They demonstrate at the root, at the center of our humanity, are common values: honestly, faithfulness, bravery, love, devotion, family, respect . . . and in a world in which we are so aware of "the classes of civilizations" it can be helpful to remind ourselves that we all enjoy sitting down and listening to a good story.

Last Wayang Kulit Posting (at least for a while)

2009-12-03T01:16:00.000-08:00

See the postings below for more information. This section is mostly in English.

Behind the Scenes of Wayang Kulit!

2009-12-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

In this "behind the scenes" shadow puppet (wayang) performance Javanese dalang Ki Widiyanto with Sutrisnop Setya Hartana and the University of Hawai'i Gamelan Ensemble perform a selection from the Mahabharata, Babad Alas Mrentani.

Arjuna Versus an Ogre: An Indonesian Shadow Puppet Version of the Mahabharata

2009-11-29T05:31:00.001-08:00

In this shadow puppet (wayang) performance dalang Ki Widiyanto with Sutrisnop Setya Hartana and the University of Hawai'i Gamelan Ensemble perform a selection from the Mahabharata, Babad Alas Mrentani. This scene is of the battle between Arjuna (Permadi) and Cakil the Giant.

Mahabharata Performance: Wayang Kulit

2009-11-28T11:36:00.001-08:00

UNESCO designated Wayang Kulit, a shadow puppet theater and the best known of the Indonesian wayang, as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on 7 November 2003. In return of the acknowledgment, UNESCO demanded Indonesia to preserve their heritage.

Wayang is a generic term denoting traditional theatre in Indonesia. There is no evidence that wayang existed before Hinduism came to Southeast Asia sometime in the first century CE brought in by Indian traders. However, there very well may have been indigenous storytelling traditions that had a profound impact on the development of the traditional puppet theatre. The first record of a wayang performance is from an inscription dated 930 CE which says "si Galigi mawayang," or "Sir Galigi played wayang". From that time till today it seems certain features of traditional puppet theatre have remained. Galigi was an itinerant performer who was requested to perform for a special royal occasion. At that event he performed a story about the hero Bhima from the Mahabharata.

Wayang is also known as Wayang Kulit Kelantan in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, especially those in Kelantan and Terengganu. They are physically different in form, language and music with those in Indonesia. In Malaysia, the Indonesian version of Wayang is known as Wayang Kulit Jawa.

Wayang Kulit is a very unique form of theatre employing the principle of light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen.

Wayang Kulit plays are invariably based on romantic tales, especially adaptations of the classic Indian epics, "The Mahabarata" and "The Ramayana". Some of the plays are also based on local happenings (current issues) or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or "Tok Dalang" to decide his direction.

Jarrod will be attending (and possibly filming!) a wayang performance tonight. Expect video and/or photos in tomorrow's blog post. For those of you in the Honolulu area, you can find out more about tonight's performance below.

Babad Alas Mrentani (The Opening of Mrentani Forest)
Javanese Wayang Kulit (Shadow Puppet Theatre)
with guest artists
Widiyanto, dhalang (puppeteer)
and musician Sutrisno Hartana
UH Gamelan Ensemble
Hardja Susilo, director emeritus
Byron Moon, director
Saturday, November 28, 2009
7:30 p.m., Music Department Courtyard NEW LOCATION
$12 general / $8 students & seniors

In the never ending feud between the Pandhawa and the Kurawa clan, the devious Kurawa Prime Minister, Sangkuni, manages to coerce the young innocent Pandhawa princes into placing their estate as a wager in a Kurawa sponsored fixed game of dice. Losing the game, the Pandhawa are exiled to the treacherous Mrentani forest. The Pandhawa's attempt to open the forest to establish a dwelling place encounters fierce resistance from the genie, ghosts, and ghouls of the forest. With great effort the Pandhawa defeat the denizens of Mrentani, and establish a new prosperous state of Amarta.

Master pupeteer Widiyanto joins the UH Gamelan Ensemble to present this wayang kulit performance in celebration of the 75th birthday of the ensemble's founding director, Pak Hardja Susilo. As a concession to western audiences, the performance time will be reduced in length to around two hours from the traditional eight. The story will be told in both Javanese and English and accompanied by a full gamelan orchestra.

The location of the performance has been changed to the music Department Courtyard outside room 36. The audience will be situated on both sides of the screen - outdoors (ground seating) under a tent on the shadow side of the screen, and inside room 36 (fixed chairs) on the dhalang/gamelan side, and is encouraged to change sides during the performance.

Presented in cooperation with the Hawaii Gamelan Society.

Another wonderful documentary!

2009-11-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share another wonderful documentary about Vietnam and Cambodia--or more appropriately--the Mekong River. The title, "Churning the Sea of Time" is a play on a story that appears in the Mahabharata: In Hinduism, Samudra manthan (Devanagari: समुद्र मंथन) or "The churning of the ocean of milk" is one of the most famous episodes in the Puranas and is celebrated in a major way every twelve years in the festival known as Kumbha Mela. The story appears in the Bhagavata Purana, the Mahabharata and the Vishnu Purana.

Once Indra, the King of Gods, while riding on an elephant came across a sage named Durvasa who offered him a special garland. Indra accepted the garland but put in on the trunk of the elephant. The elephant was irritated by the smell and it threw the garland on the floor. This enraged the sage as the garland was a dwelling of Sri (fortune) and was to be treated as prasada. Durvasa Muni cursed Indra and all devas to be bereft of all strength, energy, and fortune.

In battles that followed this incident, Devas were defeated and Asuras (demons) led by king Bali, gained control of the universe. Devas sought help from Lord Vishnu who advised them to treat asuras in a diplomatic manner. Devas formed an alliance with asuras to jointly churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality and to share it among them. However, Lord Vishnu told Devas that he would arrange that they alone obtain the nectar.

The churning of the Ocean of Milk was an elaborate process. Mount Mandaranchal was used as the dasher (churning tool), and Vasuki, the king of serpents, became the churning rope. The gods held the tail of the snake, while the demons (Asuras) held its head, and they pulled on it alternately causing the mountain to rotate, which in turn churned the ocean. However, once the mountain was placed on the ocean, it began to sink. Vishnu in his second incarnation, in the form of a turtle Kurma, came to their rescue and supported the mountain on his back.

Note that the Mahabharata version of the story differs in many respects. For example, in Mahabharata, it was not Vishnu who took the Kurma avatara, but the Akupara, the king of tortoises, who did it on request from Devas and Asuras.

Finally, Dhanvantari, the heavenly physician, emerged with a pot containing amrita, the heavenly nectar of immortality. Fierce fighting ensued between devas and asuras for the nectar. To protect the nectar from asuras, devas hid the pot of nectar at four places on the earth - Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. At each of these places, a drop of the nectar spilled from the pot and it is believed that these places acquired mystical power. A Kumbh Mela is celebrated at the four places every twelve years for this reason.

However, the Asuras eventually got hold of the nectar and started celebrating. Frightened, devas (demigods) appealed to Vishnu, who then took the form of Mohini. As a beautiful and enchanting damsel, Mohini distracted the asuras, took the amrita, and distributed it among the Adityas, who drank it. One asura, Rahu, disguised himself as a deva and drank some nectar. Due to their luminous nature, the sun god Surya and the moon god Chandra noticed the switching of sides. They informed Mohini. But before the nectar could pass his throat, Mohini cut off his head with her divine discus, the Sudarshana Chakra. The head, due to its contact with the amrita, remained immortal. To gain revenge on the sun and moon for exposing this, the immortal head occasionally swallows the sun or the moon, causing eclipses. Then, the sun or moon passes through the opening at the neck, ending the eclipse.

The story ends with the rejuvenated Adityas defeating the asuras.

During the Samudra Mathan by the gods and demons, a pot of poison, Halahala, also came out of the ocean. This terrified the gods and demons because the poison was so toxic that it might have destroyed all of creation. On the advice of Vishnu, gods approached Shiva for help and protection. Out of compassion for living beings, Shiva drank the poison. It was so potent that it changed the color of Shiva's neck to blue. For this reason, he is also called Neelakantha (the blue-necked one, nīla = "blue", kantha = "throat").

While this documentary does not discuss the story itself, it is good background information and is also one of the most famous murals of Angkor Wat.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.joost.com/33l83ka/t/Churning-the-Sea-of-Time"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Churning the Sea of Time&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

25th International Ramayana meet on Nov 27

2009-11-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

MYSORE: The greatest epic Ramayana will be a topic of discussion at an international meet starting November 27.

Delegates from 45 nations will attend the 25th International Ramayana meet and the main speakers are from India, Thailand, UK, US, South Africa, France, Netherlands and Mauritius. The city-based Avadootha Datta Peetham is organizing the meet to explore spiritual dimensions of Ramayana. The Vishwa Sahitya Sanskriti Sansthan will co-sponsor the event that will focus on key components in the Indian epic like spiritual values, unity and human understanding.

Avadootha Datta Peetam secretary Mansadatta on Monday said the meet is spread over six sessions that will focus on subjects like spiritual dimensions, similarities in messages from Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana, Ramayana in Indian languages, Ramayana as basis for global cultural relations and human understanding and Rayanana's divine experiences and inspirations. The meet will also focus on science in Ramayana and management of leadership in Ramayana. Trinidad and Tobago high commissioner Pandit Manideo Prasad is one of the speakers.

International experts in Ramayana studies like Svetlana Dinges from France, Netherlands-based Maharshi University V-C Kush Visser, Birminghams International Gita Foundation chairman P V Nath, Gian Dhunnookchand from Mauritius, professor in Sanskrit from Silpakorn University in Bangkok Chirapat Prapandvidya, Mauritiuss Ramayana Centre trustee Sujata and Ram Mohan Tewari from Holland Medical Academy are the main speakers.

Indian speakers include Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan chairman N Ramanuja, Aralumallige Parthasarathy, who is a scholar in Dasara literature, Ramayana scholars like Maulana Ali from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Chandra Bhushan Mishra from Patna, Y P Singh, who is director of Lucknow-based Ayodhya research Institute and Vedic scholar Jayanti Manohar.

Previously, the meet was held at Thailand, US, Mauritius, Canada, Nepal, Belgium, Indonesia, China, South Africa and UK and other nations. Meera Datta, retired post master general, the organizing secretary of the meet, said the interest about the Indian epic is deep rooted among foreigners.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysore/-25th-International-Ramayana-meet-on-Nov-27/articleshow/5258226.cms

The man behind the mask: saving an ancient tradition

2009-11-23T01:40:00.000-08:00

The man behind the mask: saving an ancient tradition

Thursday, 05 November 2009 15:00 Ou Mom

Many of Cambodia’s oldest stories have been lost, but An Sitha and his students are working to preserve Khmer folklore by reproducing its chief characters

Photo by: OU MOM

Traditional Khmer masks made by master An Sitha.

The ancient techniques are costly and difficult to produce, and require a lot of concentration and time.

GET ready to see an epic battle as Preah Ream and his monkey army wage war on demon king Krong Reap in order to win back the beautiful Neang Seda.

OK, maybe the battle’s a myth, but the tradition of ceremonial Khmer mask-making fuels the mind’s eye; one can imagine the spectacular vision of colourfully masked warriors embroiled in a furious melee.

Although traditional masks may not be the hottest thing to hit the Kingdom this year, or even this century, tutor An Sitha is working to ensure Cambodia’s youths don’t forget the artisanal skill that has helped sustain Cambodia’s traditional stories, such as the clash of the kings in Reamke, for centuries.

An Sitha teaches students in the Department of Plastic Arts at the Royal University of Fine Arts, and his disciples take the preservation of Cambodian’s heritage seriously. Mask-making students, who are required to have graduated from secondary school, must spend two years learning ancient drawing techniques before beginning three years of training in Khmer mask-making.

In An Sitha’s classes, each mask is a masterpiece. First, the basic shape of the monster, monkey or king’s head is sculpted in wet clay. A cement mould is then made of the front and back of the head, and strips of paper soaked in glue are pressed and painted into the mould form, building up the skin of the mask until there are at least 10 layers of paper. The visage is then allowed to dry a little until the basic mask form, still damp, is gently removed and left to harden before the detail is added.

An Sitha said he tries to produce masks that are as historically exact as possible, but it’s not easy. “The ancient techniques are costly and difficult to produce, and require a lot of concentration and time. We always light incense to concentrate our minds before we make a mask.”

A lack of materials also hampers An Sitha and his students in their mission to mimic primeval procedures. Raw materials such as lacquer and rare woods can be expensive and difficult to find.

Photo by: OU MOM

An Sitha talks with TV5 at a showing of his masks at the French Cultural Centre.

The pricey materials and demanding procedures make the masks rather expensive. An Sitha said that most of the buyers are actors, artists, foreigners, middle-class Cambodians and art-lovers. “But for some customers who want cheaper mask, we also make it from cheaper materials,” adding that the more money people pay, the better the quality of the product.

An Sitha’s students must also be well-versed in Khmer traditional stories and know the characters, their specific colours and their particular ornaments. Three hundred years of culture depends on An Sitha’s students. “Our history of masks goes back to the 7th century,” says An Sitha. “We make masks based on the old documents. Until now, we haven’t created or designed new techniques. When we compare the old techniques to new techniques, the old products evoke more emotions and spirit,” said An Sitha.

Neighbouring countries Myanmar and Thailand, where An Sitha has been exhibiting his Khmer mask collection, have different ways of making masks because they refer to newer documents from the 18th century. “We have unique styles and techniques; our masks are smaller than theirs, for example,” said An Sitha.

Smaller they may be, but they are no less important – especially in a country where culture is often all too ephemeral. An Sitha’s family is one of the few still making traditional masks in Cambodia. If you want to take part in the legacy and see their work, visit their shop at No 25, E1 on Street 178 in Phnom Penh.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009110529339/Lifestyle/the-man-behind-the-mask-saving-an-ancient-tradition.html

Learn Khmer?

2009-11-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

Studio Martin offers, no doubt, the best Khmer learning experience out there. With native speaker pronounciations, an alphabet learning tool, dialogues to use as entry points and more, this is definitely the best Khmer (Cambodian) learning site out there.

Jarrod Guest Lectures at HPU

2009-11-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

Jarrod Brown, one of the driving forces behind Stories Without Borders: The Documentary delivered a guest lecture today at the Downtown Campus of Hawai'i Pacific University entitled, "Major Themes in The Bhagavad Gita of The Mahabharata." Jarrod's purpose was to introduce students to some of the major themes of the Bhagavad Gita while also ensuring they understood it was part of, first, a much larger work--in fact, one of the largest--and that also it was part of a much broader philosophical and religious tradition.

Jarrod also shared a short slide show with the students to give them just a taste of at least a little bit of Indian culture in order to situate their reading of these texts. Jarrod has graciously shared that with us on our YouTube Channel. You can also watch it right here!

Updates!

2009-11-20T01:26:00.000-08:00

Jarrod will be headed to Cambodia in less than a month to hopefully do some spectacular shooting for the fund raising reel (expect to see a lot of stuff on the YouTube channel coming in January!). He will be mostly in the Siem Reap area around the famous temples of Angkor Wat. It will be Jarrod's second visit to the area this year.

"I'm happy to be working on a film that showcases the beautify and abundance of Khmer culture rather than focusing on the grim aspects of the previous decades," Jarrod said, referring to the Khmer Rouge rein and Democratic Kampuchea, the name of Cambodia under that regime. One out of six Cambodians died during the fanatic communist rule of the "Pol Pots" as they are sometime referred to by Cambodians today.

"I think that the Stories Without Borders will do it justice, and allow people to see that it is a rich and inviting culture," Jarrod stated. Cambodia was renamed "The Kingdom of Cambodia" in 1993 when the country adopted a new constitution making the country a constitutional monarchy.

The Reamker is the Cambodian version of the Ramayana. There is evidence of the importance of Rama's story in Cambodian culture that dates to the 6th century AD. The earliest references to the Rama story are found in temple iconography and epigraphy. During the medieval centuries several versions of literary texts entitled Ramaker were written. Today we see evidence of the Ramakerti in oral tales, visual, and performing arts, especially classical dance of the Cambodian court.

The bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat depict many episodes of the story of Rama. In fact, we can see in the iconography Indian ideas were adapted to the local culture when Agni, the Fire God, rides on a rhinoceros in Cambodia rather than a ram as in the Sanskrit Ramayana. This is probably due to its fiery temperament and that it is native to Cambodia.

Jarrod will be filming some shots of Angkor, especially some of the murals carved there of the entire Reamkar story and some local scenes and more. He will also be contributing to the film blog as well as sharing his great photos both here and on the SWD Web site. These will eventually be passed along to Andrea Frazier along with interviews and more in order to create the 7-8 minute long reel.

If you haven't checked out the Web site, please do. It has a lot of information about the project, academic and general information about the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and a whole lot more!

Director's Picks

2009-11-19T07:07:00.000-08:00

The following are some short works put together by Penelope Collins, a fellow film fanatic and friend. She did a short stint in film school and during her time there she produced these projects, and I'm a big fan of her work.

They aren't documentaries, but they are well shot and edited works of art. I hope you enjoy.

Soup for One from Penelope Allyn Collins on Vimeo.

Time Lapse Drive from Penelope Allyn Collins on Vimeo.

Hot White Trailer from Penelope Allyn Collins on Vimeo.

Penelope Collins is a native of Flemingsburg, Kentucky. Currently, she is living in San Francisco, California.

Director's Notes: Initial Thoughts

2009-11-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

When the SWB team decided to do an independent documentary, we weren't sure what we were getting ourselves into, and we still aren't sure what will come of all of this, but our hopes remain high.

We knew we wanted to do something about travel with a pseudo-anthropological edge. We pinned down our topic by incorporating our areas of experience. Jarrod is familiar with Southeast Asia's culture and I am familiar with digital video. It seemed only natural that our first project be to record the influence of the Sanskrit epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata across the cultures and religions of South and Southeast Asia.

Being new to this concept, I recently began reading the Mahabharata. I thought it would feel like homework, forced and tedious. As the director of Stories Without Borders: The Documentary, I aim to produce a high-quality film that accurately depicts the diversity of the people and places we visit, as well as the influences of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, which means doing the research. It doesn't, however, feel like an obligation. I'm compelled to finish the Mahabharata each time I pick it up, knowing full well that I haven't the time. (It's taking much longer than any other book I've read, as I'm taking notes as I go in an attempt to educate myself as much as possible before shooting begins.)
So, wish me luck. There's oh so much more to come!

If anyone is interested in reading the Mahabharata, C. Rajagopalachari's version is commendable.
Read C. Rajagopalachari's Mahabharata here.
Read C. Rajagopalachari's Ramayana here.

For more info on SWB, Jarrod and I, or how to help our project, visit our Web Site.

Andrea Frazier,
SWB Director/Editor

2009-11-17T22:48:00.000-08:00

Interview with Kung Nai, the awesome Cambodian musician. We wanted to share him with you through this interview as well as some music available online.

	Phnom Penh - The Ray Charles of Cambodia Preserving Culture .mp3

	Found at bee mp3 search engine

UN urges Thailand to allow Hmong to resettle in West

2009-11-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

* U.N. refugee agency calls for end of three-year detention * Group of 158 face forced deportation to Laos

* Four countries including U.S. have offered to take them in

GENEVA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The United Nations on Tuesday urged Thailand to end the three-year detention of 158 ethnic Hmong from Laos and let them resettle in the West.

The detainees, rounded up in Bangkok for deportation on Nov. 17, 2006, are being held in two cells in an immigration detention centre in Nong Khai on the Mekong River border with Laos, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said.

The UNHCR has recognised them as refugees deserving asylum, but Thai authorities say that they are economic migrants facing deportation to Laos.

"Four countries -- the United States, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands -- have offered resettlement places to the refugees, and we believe they should be allowed to leave Thailand for resettlement," said UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic.

"They have not committed any crime and their detention serves no purpose," he told a news briefing in Geneva.

Known as America's "forgotten allies", the Hmong were recruited by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to fight alongside U.S. forces during the Vietnam War.

When the Pathet Lao communists took power in 1975, the Hmong exodus began. Human rights groups say some of the Hmong could face persecution back home due to possible links to the anti-communist resistance.

The group, which includes babies born in detention, are "part of the legacy left by a troubled past", Mahecic said. "We don't want to see them forcibly returned," he told Reuters. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Jonathan Lynn)

The Wet Market of Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia

2009-11-16T18:41:00.000-08:00

Check out our YouTube channel!! Right now, there is only one video up, but expect a lot more after the first of the year.

Ramayana in Cambodia

2009-11-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

The Reamker is the Cambodian version of the Ramayana. There is evidence of the importance of Rama's story in Cambodian culture that dates to the 6th century AD. The earliest references to the Rama story are found in temple iconography and epigraphy. During the medieval centuries several versions of literary texts entitled Ramaker were written. Today we see evidence of the Ramakerti in oral tales, visual, and performing arts, especially classical dance of the Cambodian court.

The bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat depict many episodes of the story of Rama. In fact, we can see in the iconography Indian ideas were adapted to the local culture when Agni, the Fire God, rides on a rhinoceros in Cambodia rather than a ram as in the Sanskrit Ramayana. This is probably due to its fiery temperment and that it is native to Cambodia.

Although Theravada Buddhism was introduced and accepted in Cambodia during the medieval period, and prince Rama's image was modified to resemble prince Siddharta, Brahmans remained at court and performed specific sacred riturals. Rama was shown to deal with his opponents in a non-violent way, on the model of Buddha. When more aggressive action was needed, Lak (Lakshmana, Rama's brother), or the monkey soldiers would intervene. Although Rama was depicted as Buddha there were abundant references in the epic to many Hindu gods. There are some Cambodian Buddhist monasteries which have preserved palm-leaf manuscripts of Ramaker among their sacred texts.

Besides Ramaker's instructional and religious importance, episodes from the Ramaker are often performed within villages for magical purposes. When there is a drought the people hope that the performance will produce rain.

There is a monastery in Phnom Penh with approximately 193 paintings of the Rama legend. We hope to visit it during our time shooting in Cambodia.

This information was pulled from orias.berkeley.edu/SEARama/RamaCambodia.htm

Getting the Word Out

2009-11-16T01:30:00.001-08:00

When in the early stages of a project like this, it is the little milestones that count. Let us share a few with you.

The players behind SWB have put up $1200 towards the fund raising reel. Sweet. Additionally, generous private donors have contributed $100.

We are got our very first search engine hit on the working site and the blog. We've had visitors from seven different countries. We had 60 visitors to the blog yesterday.

Two press releases came out yesterday on PRLog and Online PR News.

We'd still like to ask folks to please Digg, Stumble, Tweet, Foxiewire, Delicious, and pretty much share our links anyway that you will. Right now, building a Web presence and traffic is one of our key goals as that will pave the path for private fund raising.

Thanks for all your support!

Oh, and if you are feeling bored why not watch the "Gita" segment of Peter Brooke's film adaptation of the Mahabharata?

Check out the film time line

2009-11-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

In case you are just itching to watch our film, you better take a chill pill. Unfortunately, most of the independent film maker's time is not spent behind the camera but instead in trying to raise money to finance their film. "Stories Without Borders: A Documentary" is not aiming to produce a low quality film, either, but expects the final film to high quality and our aim is to produce a PBS or cable quality program. The fund raising reel filming will begin in about one month, but filming for the feature isn't even slated to begin until May 2011. Between now and then SWB hopes to raise over $30,000 to finance filming, production and editing, and distribution costs.

You can read about the time line, fund raising goals, what will be purchased when and more at the working site's Film Timeline page. We seek to provide 100% transparency for where your money goes when you contribute to this project, and never hesitate to contact us.

In other news, we've also set up a fund raising site on IndieGoGo that you can check out for some more pictures, track how we are doing on our latest fund raising goals, and more.

Now You Can Buy Stories Without Borders Stuff

2009-11-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

Now you can support "Stories Without Borders" documentary in even another way--by buying Stories Without Border stuff! That's right. Thinking of a Christmas gift for that certain someone? How about a special journal or maybe a beautiful calendar of shots from SWB's locations across South and Southeast Asia? The journals, calendars, framed photos, and the "Thank You" cards are all great values. Check it out! You can also contact us personally about discounts on this cool stuff!

Meet the folks behind "Stories Without Borders!"

2009-11-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

You can "meet" the folks behind "Stories Without Borders" at the Web site. However, just because those two are involved doesn't mean that they are the only ones involved. An army of experts, academics, and folks on the street will be supporting their work either by providing expert inputs and interviews or the means needed to turn this project into a reality. We estimate that it will take approximately 1500 private donors to support the SWB documentary from start to finish. We want to thank everyone who has already donated or is helping to spread the word over the Internet. If you haven't already, you can donate now, become a fan on Facebook, or simply give us a "Thumbs Up" on Stumble or Digg us! You can even follow us on Twitter!

Stay tuned for more updates. We've got a few things on our plate, including developing a YouTube channel, further developing the Web site as a resource about the film as well as the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the cultures we are exploring, shooting on location in Cambodia next month, and a whole lot more!

First Call for Donations

2009-11-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

You have probably heard the old adage that it takes money to make money. This is true of fund raising as well. "Stories Without Borders" is currently fund raising to create a fund raising reel.

What is a fund raising reel?

A fund raising reel is a short preview of the film we intend to make. It will be used as we appeal for both private donations as well as applications for grants to help finance our educational film. We will also widely distribute it via the Web to attract additional attention to our project, increase Web traffic to our sites, and hopefully receive more donations from individuals and organizations that share our vision of communicating and celebrating these stories and the cultures in which they play a role. The fund raising reel is a vital first step in being able to raise money.

The primary expense in the creation of the fund raising reel is filming on location , basic equiptment costs, and editing to ensure that the reel captures the quality and intention of the forthcoming film. Donations at this point will also fund any application fees for grants, grant writing, and other important steps necessary to secure the funding it will take to produce a high quality documentary with real educational and transformative value. We thank you in advance for your support and encouragement.

Help us . . . DONATE NOW!

Our Google Site!

2009-11-11T17:53:00.001-08:00

For even more information on "Stories Without Borders" you can check out our Google Site at http://sites.google.com/site/storieswithoutborders/. From here you will be able to see some photos, read the profiles of the people behind "Stories Without Borders" and more!

Sita Sings the Blues: A Modern Interpretation of the Ramayana

2009-11-11T12:50:00.000-08:00

Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana. Set to the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, "Sita Sings the Blues" earns its tagline as "the Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told." It also goes a long way in demonstrating that the Ramayana is not by any means a "dead story" but is thriving and has crossed the waters and is infiltrating American pop culture as well!

Great Blog!

2009-11-10T21:01:00.000-08:00

Check out this great blog with some general information about the different versions of the Ramayana in Southeast Asia as well as in India itself.

Here is the posting on the Ramayana in Indonesia.

Cambodia

And Thailand!

There is also a general post on different versions of the Ramayana around the world!

Stories Without Borders Introduction

2009-11-08T19:32:00.000-08:00

"Stories Without Borders" is a documentary project on the influence of Ramayana and Mahabharata, the two greatest Sanskrit epics of India, across South and Southeast Asia.

Covering their origins and contemporary roles in India, it will trace their influence first to Java, Indonesia where reenactments and retellings continue today in this mostly Muslim island. From there, it will travel to the Hindu island of Bali where these epics form a central part of religious identity and worship. From there it heads to the Southeast Asian peninsula to Malaysia where today shadow puppet reenactments continue in the deeply conservative Muslim states of Kelantan and Terengganu. Next, it is to Thailand where it demonstrates how these stories play a role in the lives of Thai Theravada Buddhists from incorporation in architecture to traditional dancing. From there it moves on to the mysterious Kingdom of Cambodia and the communist state of Laos to see how these Hindu epics continue to form a central part of the many of the diverse cultures one encounters there. Other possible stops on the itinerary are Nepal and Sri Lanka.

"Stories Without Borders" will begin actively fundraising in early 2010 and production is slated to begin in Summer 2011. It is the brainchild of Andrea Fraizer, a videographer, filmmaker and editor who is currently with FCA-TV, and Jarrod Brown, a philosopher and scholar who has spent much of the last decade living, researching, and working among these cultures.

Expect photos, videos, updates, links, information and more in the coming months.