Mythic History

History is the myth we hold closest to our hearts.  We regard it as fact though nothing is usually further from the truth.  The King-Father's passing is a wonderful example of this.  He is seen not a man and not as a God.  King-Father Norodom Sihanouk, so far as I can tell, is seen as a powerful, mythic hero.  He is a George Washington, a Charles De Gaulle and an Atatürk.  He's what Cambodians see as the light in a very dark recent past.  In America and the West writ large there is a fascination with tearing down the rich and powerful because we ourselves want riches and power.  But in other places like Cambodia, it makes more sense to build up a human into a hero because after decades of war, genocide and bloodshed, Cambodia doesn't need riches and power but needs someone to believe it.

Independence Monument
Phnom Penh – October 2012