• Society

Brak Sophanna Breathes Hope In and Out

• By Isa Rohany
• July 18, 2023 5:10 PM

PHNOM PENH – Brak Sophanna’s life has not always been calm and easy. His parents were murdered when he was 8 years old, and at 10, his two legs stopped functioning after a very strong fever. But Sophanna never gave up and started to write and sing motivational songs to inspire others.

When he is not singing in small or large concerts across the country, Sophanna works as a music, English and acting teacher at World Children's Organization. In his small thatched house with a zinc roof covered with old curtains that he rents in Korkranh village, on the outskirts of Siem Reap city, he also raises some chicken, with his family of three.

Sophanna has loved to listen to other people sing since he was a kid, before falling into music as well.

“I liked to sing on the back of a cow. As I got older, I started to write songs to motivate people and reduce depression. Then I started to learn by myself how to write more musical melodies, easier to sing and remember,” he said.

Sophanna, who plays the guitar in his wheelchair, made a name for himself when he had the chance to sing at the opening of the 13th ASEAN Para Games in June 2023. The song he performed for the occasion was called “There is a Breath, There is a Hope.”

He wrote it in 2017 to motivate himself as a tribute to his own life, which has been marked by several tragedies.

After the murder of his parents in Svay Rieng province, in the mid-2000s, he and some of his siblings went to live in a foster family in Phnom Penh. A few years later, they changed houses several times in a short period of time, moving to Siem Reap, then to Battambang, to eventually go back to Siem Reap.

After Sophanna lost the use of his legs at the end of the 2000s, he started to live in Nehemiah, an orphanage in Siem Reap city, where he began to learn music.

In 2015, Sophanna decided to move out of the orphanage and look for a job to become financially independent. His teaching occupation at World Children gave him the stability he was looking for.

But the loss of his parents, combined with his physical disability, left the young man in despair.

Sophanna said he has been constantly depressed for years. It is only through music that he realized that he could still help society, even though he suffers from disabilities. He said that the most important thing is hope and hard work.

“In my first twenty years, I have been suffering from depression most of the time that I can recall. I felt I had lost everything and couldn’t move forward in life,” he said. “But I kept faith in like and I try to keep going as much as I can, looking to the environment surrounding me as a positive way to influence my life.”

The guitar player had a custom-built motorcycle which took into account his handicap. Photo: Isa Rohany

Tailored motorbike to help move around

To have greater freedom of movement, the guitar player had a custom-built motorcycle which took account of his handicap. He can also rely on his adopted brother and his wife, who live in the same house. His wife actually comes from Svay Rieng, just like him.

“We knew each other when we were young, but when we became older, we met again and fell in love,” he said.

He said that he was already disabled when he first met his wife, but she never thought it was a barrier to love.

“People say she is in love with a disabled person, but she only takes me for who I am,” he said.

While he never sought to become famous, the song he performed at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Para Games, put him in the spotlight.

Following the event, he received the visit of Sun Chanthol, the Minister of Public Works and Transportation, who said he enjoyed his concert. After giving him money, the minister said he would buy land and build a house for Sophanna, the singer said.

“What I have done is from my heart to benefit society as a whole,” he said. “But when leaders see the value of my work and encourage me not to stop, I feel excited ... and shed some tears.”

In the future, Sophanna wants to keep singing and encourage people through music. He also plans to set up a new music studio, after he had to let go of his former one in the midst of the pandemic.

Sophanna says he wants to have a small family, have children like others, and have a place to share music knowledge with children for free

His final message to motivate everyone is for people “not to think negatively but positively.”

“We were born on earth and had to do something useful for the earth, even if we have disabled legs or are blind. My legs are disabled, but I have hands; I can play music to cheer everyone up,” he said.

 

Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this story was translated by Te Chhaysinh for Cambodianess.