• Society

France Celebrates 70 Years of Cambodia’s Independence

• By Teng Yalirozy
• November 3, 2023 9:55 AM

PHNOM PENH – The French Embassy is celebrating 70 years of Cambodia’s independence with exhibitions, conferences and films from Nov. 8 to 11. 

The exhibition title, “1953: France-Cambodia, A New Beginning,” will be on display from Nov.8 at Sosoro Museum. This exhibition will showcase Cambodia’s history after it gained independence from France as well as development of the country over two decades.

“Far from being a break from France, the exhibition shows that the years following the independence in 1953 were, on the contrary, marked by an intensification of bilateral cooperation until the early 1970s,” the embassy said.

Another exhibition called “Cambodia from the Air-70 Years of Cooperation” will be installed on the wall of the embassy. The exhibition shows Cambodia's 70-year evolution through aerial and satellite images, highlighting the potential of Earth observation techniques for sustainable development.

The French Institute will screen four French films about Cambodia and other former French Indochina countries by director Philippe Freling from Nov. 8-11.

The French Institute will host a series of conferences led by historian Marie Aberdam, who teaches and does research at the Institut National des Langues et des Civilisations.

The first conference, scheduled for Dec. 5, will look at the background, key players, and procedures that reclaimed Khmer autonomy from nationalism in the 1930s until the Geneva Conference of 1954.

The second conference on Dec. 12 will investigate memories of colonization in Cambodia by looking at narratives, representations, and the connection between memory and history in Cambodian culture.

The Khmer translation will be provided.

In 1863, Cambodia was granted French protectorate status, with French colonial rule lasting 90 years. The country gained independence in 1953 and became the Kingdom of Cambodia, ruled by the late King Norodom Sihanouk.

After years of prosperity followed by conflict, genocide and civil war, the Paris Peace Agreement was put in place on Oct.23, 1991. This led to the establishment of a new Constitution and general elections in 1993, marking the start of the reconstruction of Cambodia.