The Unlikely Story of A Thousand-Year-Old Instrument in Cambodia

From: Rachel Louise Snyder
Series: Global Guru Radio
Length: 02:56

A thousand years ago, the image of a strange instrument was carved into the walls of Angkor Wat. It had a lizard scale on one end, attached to a sound box by a single string. For years, no one knew what the memm was, or what it sounded like, or if anyone on the planet could even play it. Then an arts organization found a man far up in the northern provinces of Cambodia. He was a master of the memm, the sole person alive who could play. This is the story... Read the full description.

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Playing: The Unlikely Story of A Thousand-Year-Old ...
From: Rachel Louise Snyder

Picture_1_small The Global Guru is a weekly public radio interstitial that seeks to celebrate global culture, particularly in countries where Americans have either single narrative story lines, like Afghanistan (war), Thailand (sex tourism), Rwanda, (genocide), or perhaps no story lines at all, like East Timor, Moldova, Malta, Lesotho, etc. Engaging and rich in sound, the 3:00 interstitial seeks to enrich our collective understanding of the vastness of human experience. Presenting station is WAMU in Washington, DC and sponsored by American University in DC. Some of our favorite past shows include: How do Cambodians predict the harvest each year? How did Tanzania become the capitol of barbershops? How and why does Thailand categorize food? What is Iceland’s most feared culinary delight? How do you track a Tasmanian devil? What are the hidden messages in Zulu beadwork?

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Piece Description

The Global Guru is a weekly public radio interstitial that seeks to celebrate global culture, particularly in countries where Americans have either single narrative story lines, like Afghanistan (war), Thailand (sex tourism), Rwanda, (genocide), or perhaps no story lines at all, like East Timor, Moldova, Malta, Lesotho, etc. Engaging and rich in sound, the 3:00 interstitial seeks to enrich our collective understanding of the vastness of human experience. Presenting station is WAMU in Washington, DC and sponsored by American University in DC. Some of our favorite past shows include: How do Cambodians predict the harvest each year? How did Tanzania become the capitol of barbershops? How and why does Thailand categorize food? What is Iceland’s most feared culinary delight? How do you track a Tasmanian devil? What are the hidden messages in Zulu beadwork?

Broadcast History

first aired on WAMU 88.5 fm in Washington, DC, June 11, 2010

Transcript

GLOBAL GURU – Memm
Time: 2:47**

SFX: Theme Music (Plush Interiors

Welcome to the Global Guru. I’m Rachel Louise Snyder. Each week, we ask one simple question—just one—about somewhere in the world.

Today we’re in Cambodia, asking , “What is a memm?” (.10)

AX: 1000 years ago, this instrument plays everywhere in Cambodia(.05)

This is Arn Chorn Pond, founder of Cambodia Living Arts.

Their mission is to find the master artists who survived Cambodia’s 1975-79 genocide.

Dancers, musicians, visual artists… CLA has found many and pays them to teach the next generation.

But the memm, well, Pond had never even heard of the instrument, let alone seen anyone play it. (.20)

AX: We’d heard through word of mouth about these instruments. Then when we visit with schools and governments these instruments still exist, but we don’t know where. (.16)

So he went to Angkor Wat, the famous temple c...
Read the full transcript