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 OFFICE OF THE MAYOR PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, the people of Cambodia have a long and venerated history reflected in a culture that cherishes architecture, art, music and dance; and WHEREAS, Khmers (Cambodians) are descendants of some of the world's finest architects and craftsmen, who created the massive, beautiful temple complexes of the Angkor period (from the 9th through the 15th centuries) in northern Cambodia; and WHEREAS, Khmer melodies and performance methods have been passed from one generation to the next for hundreds of years, and the arts have become to integral to life that they have become inextricably connected to the core of Khmer identify; and WHEREAS, Cambodian society was devasted when the communist Khmer Rouge took power from 1975 through 1979, brutally murdering tens of thousands of citizens and suppressing musicians, dancers, painters and sculptors; and WHEREAS, thousands of Khmers escaped the reign of terror in their country, and an estimated 145,000 resettled in the United States as refugees, with about 60 families immigrating to Hawaii; and WHEREAS, the Khmer New Year, to be observed on April 15, provides Khmers in our islands a vital opportunity to celebrate their culture, bond as an ethnic community, and heal from the terrible trauma suffered in their ancestral home; and WHEREAS, festivities will be held at Puuhale Elementary School and will feature Khmer ritual ceremonies, songs, dances, storytelling, music, food, games and fashion, NOW, THEREFORE, I, MUFI HANNEMANN, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, do hereby proclaim April 15, 2006, as KHMER NEW YEAR DAY in the City and County of Honolulu to honor our citizens of Khmer ancestry, and I extend best wishes for a memorable event as they reaffirm their proud cultural traditons. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City and County of Honolulu to be affixed. Done this 10th day of April, 2006, in Honolulu, Hawaii. MUFI HANNEMANN |
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