Culture & Association: SIPAR, a tireless conveyor of knowledge in Cambodia

Celebrating over 40 years of existence, SIPAR continues its tireless efforts to promote reading.

In the age of all-digital technology and the omnipresence of screens, the future of paper books is being questioned and seems increasingly under threat. Yet these concerns are belied by the facts, which on the contrary show a clear appetite for books. Crowds flocking to book fairs, publishing successes and an increase in the number of public and private libraries are giving books a welcome boost.

SIPAR is no stranger to this revival: founded in 1982, the association has become a flourishing publishing house and has been promoting reading in all its forms ever since.

Rickshaws and tuktuks loaded with books visit the most remote villages, much to the delight of readers

Dozens of projects underway

Based in Phnom Penh, Béatrice Montariol has just spent two busy days in Siem Reap. In charge of project development, this long-standing companion of the NGO visited the library set up in the PACTICS factory, another located in the town's prison, paid a visit to the SIPAR mobile library and made the 50-kilometre journey from the town centre to the Makara high school, where a multimedia information and guidance centre is to be set up.

Not forgetting a visit to the Siem Reap Bannalay cultural centre to get help and advice on running its library. Neither rain nor fatigue could dampen her frank smile and enthusiasm for these projects, all of which embody values that SIPAR has held dear for four decades.

Since 2020, a library boat has been sailing on the Tonlé Sap

Shared knowledge

There are dozens of such initiatives across Cambodia's provinces, all of which are vehicles for knowledge, culture and sharing. Even in the most remote places, as shown by this biblio-boat criss-crossing the Great Lake and the isolated villages on its surface. Or the two biblio-tuktuks that serve the capital's shanty towns, offering access to reading and culture to as many people as possible.

It all started in France, in 1982,’ says Béatrice Montariol about the genesis of SIPAR. The initial aim was to help refugees from South-East Asia settle in France. Then, very quickly, the association became directly involved in the camps on the Thai border, providing French courses for a dual audience. The aim was to make it easier for Cambodians wishing to come and live in France to settle in the country beforehand, but the French lessons were also given to those who, once back in Cambodia, would have a significant advantage by mastering the language of Molière. Libraries were set up in these camps, and then we started publishing our own books. Education, publishing and promoting books and reading have remained at the heart of our activities ever since.

Letters and numbers

Established in Cambodia in 1991, SIPAR can boast an impressive track record: 580 reading centres have been set up, in addition to 9 mobile libraries, 3 tuktuks and a ‘book boat’, reaching an estimated 330,000 direct beneficiaries. 2,600 librarians have been trained to ensure the smooth running of these cultural centres. 3.1 million copies have been published by the SIPAR publishing house, spread over 250 titles and 20 collections.

‘Just about every theme is covered. Fiction, documentaries, practical subjects, children's books and comics. The latter have been a great success, particularly the translation of Tian's Year of the Hare, History of Science, History of the World, and also Dans la combi de Thomas Pesquet, by Marion Montaigne. All our publications are in Khmer, are suitable for all reading levels and are sold at a very low price to ensure wider distribution.

Why do people read?

Béatrice Montariol gives us a glimpse of some of the issues involved in reading, as she describes the initiatives undertaken in Siem Reap. In the library at the PACTICS factory, which houses almost 3,000 references, novels are the most popular, as are books on health and cooking. As in the 600 textile factories in Cambodia, the vast majority of employees are women from rural areas. Access to reading gives them the opportunity to educate themselves and raise awareness of a wide range of issues.

In prisons, reading is a means of escape, as well as sparking vocations. Through writing workshops and meetings with authors, some prisoners have taken up the pen themselves. The installation of computer workstations has transformed libraries into media libraries, opening the way to a wide range of learning opportunities. Practical life, foreign languages and even training courses leading to qualifications help prisoners to reintegrate at the end of their sentence. Collections of short stories specially dedicated to prisoners have even been published, in collaboration with the Sabay News website.

In the villages served by the minibuses, boat and book-laden tuktuks, a population that is often excluded from culture benefits not only from access to reading, but also from events on topics such as health, nutrition and road safety.

In the kingdom's 27 prisons, combating illiteracy, promoting reading and encouraging the integration of prisoners are all part of SIPAR's remit

An object now very much in vogue with young people

Far from falling into disuse, books are still an irreplaceable vehicle for knowledge. And they're even becoming fashionable: ‘Having a book in your hand is extremely trendy,’ says Béatrice Montariol. Much more so than holding a smartphone.

In Phnom Penh, the last Book Fair, held at the National Library in December 2019, attracted 180,000 visitors in the space of three days, who crowded around 80 stands. That's ten times more than ten years ago! And the enthusiasm was the same in the provinces. The public is mainly made up of young people, children, teenagers and students, who are finding an offer that matches their expectations.

This movement is supported by booksellers who have in turn become publishers. The result is a booming dynamism in a sector that was forced, we should remember, to start from scratch.

The recent Siem Reap book fair attracted a large number of visitors, testifying to the vitality of the sector

In the next chapter

Combating illiteracy, instilling a love of reading and stimulating curiosity about all forms of knowledge is a battle that will always be relevant. Among the most vulnerable, such as workers in factories and brickworks, in hospitals and in shanty towns, but also among all social classes.

While paper books have their own specific qualities, other media such as digital or audio books are gradually taking over the landscape and attracting new readers.

But nothing is certain yet: ‘While the enthusiasm for reading among young people is encouraging, we are still seeing a widespread lack of interest among adults’. This lack of interest could fade, however, as the successive confinements caused by Covid have led to a renewed interest in what is, in the final analysis, much more than a leisure activity: it's an experience.

http://www.sipar.org/