Women Crews Dwindle at Water Festival
Only three women’s boats took part in the Water Festival this year, part of a downward trend which participants say has lasted more than a decade. Photo: Sem Brakdav
- By Nhek Sreyleak
- November 29, 2023 11:55 AM
PHNOM PENH – Only three women’s boats took part in the Water Festival this year, part of a downward trend which participants say has lasted more than a decade.
Two oaring boats took part, the international women's boat “Daun Penh Sen Chey Baramey Saravan Techo” and “Sam Heng Mohasen Tech Baramey Saravan Techo” of Phnom Penh City.
They were joined by women’s rowing boat, “Preah Pey Srɑp,” from Kampong Chhnang province.
In 2019, five women's boats took part, one oaring boats, two international boats and two rowing boats. This was up on 2018 when there was one oaring boat, one rowing boat and two international boats
“Before, there were a lot of women's boats, but since 2010, women's boats are getting fewer,” said Sopheap.
“I am very worried, and I want more women's boats to participate. Now only two women's oaring boats and one woman's rowing boat are seen as very few.”
However, despite fewer women's boats this year, they showed the courage of women who are not inferior to men, she said.
The decline in women’s crews might be because of the three-year break in the Water Festival boat race, which made it difficult to find women to take part, she said.
Another was that women nowadays do not seem to be interested in racing. This applied also to boat dancers, who were not as feminine as they used to be.
Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this story was translated by Chhuon Kongieng for Cambodianess.
