Public invited to experience Cambodia

The international luncheon, which has been an annual part of Goshen College Afternoon Sabbaticals, will focus on Cambodia this year. April 15 at noon in the College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall, Professor of Bible, Religion and Philosophy Keith Graber Miller and his spouse, Ann, a self-employed design consultant, will present “Cambodia.” The registration deadline is April 4.

Following a traditional Cambodian meal of rice and chicken, the Graber Millers will describe and show photos from the country where they spent four months leading a Study-Service Term unit in the spring semester of 2007. As Keith describes it, “Cambodia is still a post-war culture, nearly 30 years after the Khmer Rouge reign ended.” The Khmer Rouge soldiers led a genocide that left nearly two million Cambodians dead in the 1970s.

“We’re hoping to introduce people to this rich Asian culture that was nearly devastated by the traumatic 1970s and 1980s, and that is still regaining its foothold,” Keith said.

But there’s much more to Cambodia than its violent past. “We’ll talk about the ancient wonders of the Angkor temples and the rulers who built them, the French colonial era and the tempestuous 20th century. We’ll also examine the impact of Buddhism on Cambodia and the fledgling Christian church,” Keith said. “In a time when our nation is at war, it’s important to look at the long-term impact of warfare on a culture and its people. No one alive during the Khmer Rouge period was left unscarred, and thousands are still dealing with various forms of post-traumatic stress.”

The meal and program cost $20.To register for the event, call College Relations at 535-7565 or e-mail edutravel@goshen.edu.The next program in the Afternoon Sabbatical series is May 20 — a spring bus trip to South Bend. The cost is $50.