Forum de Rentrée in Phnom Penh: a successful fifth edition, rain and all
Thirty stands, a Khmer folk tale read aloud, theatrical improvisation, a live pottery demonstration and a visit from the French ambassador: the collective Français au Cambodge – Plus Forts Ensemble ! held the fifth edition of its Forum de rentrée on Saturday 12 September at the Institut français du Cambodge. The rain did not spoil the essentials. Interview with Florian Bohême, elected councillor for French citizens abroad and coordinator of the collective, who talks to Cambodge Mag about the day, the upcoming Francophonie Summit and the two projects the collective is taking on this year.
Thirty stands and a fuller programme
The aim of this fifth edition was clear: fewer leaflets, more to see and do. “This year we are trying to offer more demonstrations, more interaction,” explains Florian Bohême. Thirty stands were set up, alongside a programme of activities that ran through the morning.
A reading collective performed a Cambodian folk tale. A theatrical improvisation troupe followed. A live pottery demonstration came next, in front of the public.
The Institut français du Cambodge, partner and host of the event, had substantially expanded the programme of its multimedia library, which was busy all morning. A charity second-hand bookshop was new to this year's programme.
Then there was the weather. “This is an edition with its feet in the water. That's Cambodia, that's how it is,” smiles the councillor. “Unfortunately the weather was not on our side. But we depend on it.”
Two hundred visitors under the downpour
Despite the heavy rain, some two hundred people made the trip. “Reasonably, I would say 200,” Florian Bohême estimated at the end of the morning. Previous editions drew around 350 visitors, in fine weather.
The French ambassador also came. “That is worth pointing out,” insists the organiser, who sees it as confirmation that the event has found its place: “This back-to-school forum is now firmly fixed in people's diaries. We know we will keep running this kind of edition.”
One idea is already on the table for 2027: moving under a roof. “We just need to develop it a little and see whether we can find a covered venue, so that all the exhibitors and stands can present their activities properly.”
A French community in transition
Beyond the forum itself, Florian Bohême describes a community going through significant turnover. “First of all, this is a French community that is renewing itself, because we have had a lot of turnover this year, particularly among teachers, because it runs in cycles.”
The same movement is affecting the consulate and the research agencies. The private sector is no exception: “I would also note that in the private sector, this year, there is a renewal under way as well.”
On the economic front, the picture is more mixed. “When you start a business in Cambodia, the first thing you need is a lot of resilience, because this is a country subject to a great deal of uncertainty,” he explains. French companies, in his view, “are in exactly the same boat as every other business in this country”.
Francophonie: an NGO village, run by the Cambodian side
Asked about the Francophonie Summit, Florian Bohême begins by setting out the framework. “It is first and foremost a diplomatic and political summit. It should be remembered that this summit is organised by our Cambodian friends.” France is a stakeholder, but only one country among all the members involved.
One piece of news came through on the morning of the forum: a village is expected to be offered to associations and NGOs. “If there are French or French-speaking NGOs that are interested, they really need to enquire with our Cambodian friends, because they are the ones running the summit.”
The councillor is hoping above all for a knock-on effect. He points to the Vietnamese precedent some thirty years ago. “It was not the summit itself, but all of that activity marked the start of economic development, a boom in Vietnam.” He hopes for a comparable scenario: “This spotlight on Cambodia will really allow Cambodia to resume its economic development while being a little less dependent on global uncertainty.”
Digital divide and employment: the year's two projects
The collective has identified two files for the months ahead. The first grew out of the summer just gone.
“There is a real disconnect with France today when it comes to the administration, the pension funds, the French banks,” Florian Bohême notes. The collective cannot change the rules, he says, but it wants to support those compatriots who are being left behind. “We are going to try to support our compatriots who are being left out, quite clearly.”
The second project concerns employment. Despite the work done by the chamber of commerce, the question of networks keeps coming back. “I arrive in Cambodia, I am looking for a job, how do I get access to the right network to look for work?” The collective wants to launch a matching scheme, case by case.
The need was visible again during the forum. “This morning, people came to see us because they are arriving in Cambodia. It is often the accompanying spouse. One person already has a job, but the second one does not.”
Setting up a business raises a similar issue. “Creating a company in Cambodia today is relatively simple when you have the means and access to information,” Florian Bohême observes. “But when you are on your own, when you turn up, you do not know anyone and you want to run your small business, you still have to get into the administrative system.”
More photographs here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=cambodgemag2&set=a.1691023049691772
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