Last month, I was browsing online and came across this blog post, which was published, by one of National Geographic’s bloggers about Deaf-hearing marriage in Cambodia.
I was deeply disturbed by the fact of the blogger happened to be white and how blog post was done in an observer’s perspective. I felt that as a Deaf Cambodian, I possess multiple identities, and the issues are far more complex than an outsider observing our culture, as a Deaf Cambodian could comprehend. Therefore, they are not in a position to write about our complex issues and present them as the truth. Say…we would object to a hearing person (an outsider) write about DDBDDHH culture because they have not lived it through as a Deaf individual, and no matter how much observation they’ve done, they can never be qualified as an expert on our culture. So, why do we normalize and find it acceptable for white Deaf people to come and study other countries’ DDBDDHH community, and present their “observation” as a truth? As I continue to unpack my issues, I realize the need to reclaim the DDBDDHH Khmers space and call out for community accountability.
To reclaim the DDBDDHH Khmer space, I feel compelled to continue writing and refocus the theme of my storytelling to DDBDDHH Khmer. So many marginalized groups have gathered together and create a space for themselves where they could share their stories with each other because through that, we begin our healing journey individually and collectively. I recognize how our Khmer community has been long ignored and silenced, but we are becoming more and more forthcoming and recognizing our identity. Our Khmer folks should tell our stories because if any other outsider is a narrative, they’re defining us. With lack of authenticity in the story, they’re creating a single story. It only adds to a stereotype, which then oppress us. We are fighting for a change, and by sharing our authentic stories; we are pushing for much needed change for our community.
To understand what a single story means, I would recommend to watch this: [note: for a transcript, click on the video and click on "interactive transcript]
[image/video description: Nigerian identified womxn standing on the stage for Ted Talk, wearing a head microphone, beige short sleeve buttoned up shirt and golden small hoop earrings with the white text on bottom that reads "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Danger of A Single Story" and red text next that reads: "TED"]
***term: DDBDDHH = Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafwithDisabilities, Hard of Hearing***
© Leang Ngov Finding My Light, 2015