Transitioning Cambodia will give you a unique insight into the contradictions of modern-day Cambodia.
Over the past years, we have documented Cambodia's society as some embrace fast and sweeping development, while others struggle to keep up. This book is about the real Cambodia. It will feature the unique stories of groups and individuals who are living through this period of rapid change, may it be for the better or worse.
Transitioning Cambodia will combine images and text that illustrate these changes Cambodia has encountered by focusing on four key areas:
- Society and family
- Land rights and development
- Modernisation and the emerging middle class
- Youth and politics
Nicolas Axelrod is a photographer who has been based in Cambodia for more than seven years. When he first got to Phnom Penh, Nicolas started documenting land disputes, which often led to forced and violent evictions and the relocation of already-impoverished communities on barren land. Before long, Nicolas widened the angle: Once the land was taken, what was happening to it? And who are the people the poor had to make room for? Nicolas' work didn't stop there. In projects that would last months, he documented how society was changing overall — from the traditional image of family to single mothers, from uninterested citizens to an engaged youth crying for political change. After seven years in Cambodia, Nicolas has produced an impressive body of work of tens of thousands of photographs — the best of which were selected for Transitioning Cambodia.
Denise Hruby is a journalist who first moved to Cambodia more than four years ago and has worked with both The Phnom Penh Post and The Cambodia Daily. As a freelance correspondent, she has written for international publications such as Al Jazeera, GlobalPost and the Christian Science Monitor. Her reporting has looked at the many aspects of development in Cambodia, and has earned her two journalism awards. From "bar girls" to sugarcane farmers, the stories of people's lives that Denise will tell will weave a narrative for Nicolas' photographs.
Fani Llaurado is a creative consultant and teaches design at Limkokwing University in Phnom Penh. She has been working in Cambodia for the last four years as a designer, photographer and lecturer. She will be doing the design and layout of the book. Fani has worked on the layout for several books and will make sure that the design and layout of Transitioning Cambodia will be perfect.
What We Need & What You Get
We are requesting US$8,000 to take Transitioning Cambodia to print. This will mostly be spent on printing 500 copies. A small portion will go towards writing the text and creating the layout, and to cover the costs for book launches in Phnom Penh and Bangkok, to which we'll invite you.
Crowdfunding is our way of pre-selling the books. We hope to have sold as many copies of the book as possible before it goes to print. We are basically looking for a way to leave just a few copies in our hands for ourselves, while the majority will be shipped out to our backers across the globe.
Please check out our perks! Perks include copies of the book, the e-book, as well as photo tours around the places that will be featured in Transitioning Cambodia, with Nicolas helping you perfect your photography skills. The one-day or five-day photo tours will be catered to your needs; we will travel through Phnom Penh and the outskirts, learning about photography, storytelling and lots of background information on the areas we will visit.
If you have any questions regarding our perks, please do not hesitate to let us know.
Risks & Challenges
At this stage most of the hard work is done. The images are selected and edited, the basic structure for the text is done, and our designer Fani is working on the layout.
Now, our major challenge is getting the word out, pre-selling the books and taking them to the print house in Bangkok.
If we don’t reach our goal of US$8,000, we will still go ahead and get the book printed. That means that no matter how many people back Transitioning Cambodia, you will still get the perks we've promised you for your contribution.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you want to support this project but do not want to do so financially, there are other ways to help. Simply use the Indiegogo share tools to spread the word, or email a few of your friends to let them know about Transitioning Cambodia. We're thankful for every contribution.
Shipping
Please take these fees into consideration when contributing. If you have any questions do not hesitate to send us an email.
Thailand - Cambodia : Free
Southeast Asia: USD 5.-
Aus/NZ: USD 10.-
Asia and Europe: USD 15.-
USA: USD 20.-