The message in the music for Cambodian landmine educators

Updated October 13, 2009

There's long been a focus on land mine education in Cambodia, but now the message is being delivered in a new way that's designed to capture the imagination of the country's youth.

Young people from three villages in north-western Battambang province are part of a pilot program to create hip hop and rap music carrying the mine risk message.

Presenter: Sonja Heydeman
Speaker: Kristin Rasmussen, Project Coordinator with the Integrated Mine Action project in Cambodia; Ruth Bottomley, Community Liaison Manager for SouthEast Asia for the Mines Advisory Group

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HEYDEMAN: There have been many different ways to alert young people to the danger of landmines in Cambodia.

But rap and hip hop music is the latest education trend emerging in three heavily mined villages that have experienced the highest fatality rates in the country. And of the victims 38 per cent are children.

Kristin Rasmussen is Project Coordinator with the Integrated Mine Action project .. working with the International Women's Development Agency and World Vision Cambodia with funding from AusAid.

Ms Rasmussen says a song competition was held last weekend bringing young people together.

RASMUSSEN: The concert featured original songs that were composed by youth from three villages in a very heavily mine affected district in Cambodia in Battambang province. And the reason that we decided to do this through rap and hip hop messaging is because we wanted to reach out to one of the highest risk of tampering, which is young boys between the ages of 12 and 22

HEYDEMAN: Cambodia has 40,000 amputees in a population of nearly 14 million. That equates to one person in every 300.

And statistics show young males have the highest incidence of tampering related injuries.

Kristin Rasmussen says they're acutely aware that more must be done .. with different approaches needed to convey the message.

RASMUSSEN: The statistics show that people who have been involved in accidents up to 80 per cent of them actually have attended mine risk education sessions and are aware of the risks of landmines, but they tamper for other reasons. Tampering is really a specific activity, it's a behavioural activity obviously and these are people who tamper really for thrills or in the case of what we're doing, because we an organisation that focuses specifically on gender issues, we believe that young men tamper as a way of forming their gender identity as young men.

HEYDEMAN: Ruth Bottomley is Community Liaison Manager for SouthEast Asia for the Mines Advisory Group.

She says mine risk is woven into Cambodia's national curriculum and also an issue being addressed at a community level.

Ms Bottomley says some young people are aware of the risks but still take a chance .. either for a thrill or for economic reasons.

BOTTOMLEY: Because of livelihood pressures or because in some cases they can make additional money, for example through selling scrap metal. So in Vietnam, Laos and some areas of Cambodia lots of young people are collecting scrap metal which may include items of ordinance. So it's a very high risk activity but people do it because it's an easy access into the cash economy.

HEYDEMAN: The Mine's Advisory Group's Ruth Bottomley says involvement in the arts and music can be an effective method to pass on important information.

BOTTOMLEY: Within the region rap music is up and coming and it's something that the youth are very interested in. And in other countries around the world it's been a good way to raise awareness about HIV-AIDS and other issues that affect young people. So I think it can easily be used as well for mine risk education issues.

HEYDEMAN: The competition organisers hope this rap and hip hop initiative will send a strong message across the country.

Kristin Rasmussen says the winning song from the weekend event will hopefully become an anthem for the cause.

RASMUSSEN: The winning team was a group of kids from (?Chee sun) village and their winning song is going to be used to make a radio ad which will be broadcast over the next six months to one year in the mine affected areas of Cambodia.