[INTERVIEW] “Life must go on, we must not lose hope”

Interview with Dara Huot, Director, Phare Performing Social Enterprise

©Philippe Lissac

CambodiaMag interviewed Dara Huot, Director of Phare "Performing Social Enterprise," a partner of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation. He shared his concerns and hopes for the Phare circus' social enterprise.

Since March 17, performances at the Phare Circus, one of the main attractions in Siem Reap and Battambang, have been suspended...

Yes, we were implementing a government decision against performance venues. Before that, we had implemented all the necessary measures to disinfect the premises between each performance and respect social distancing between spectators. The temperature was checked for each person entering the big top, and hand sanitizer dispensers were placed throughout. But in any case, the number of spectators was gradually dwindling. The government decree only hastened a closure that would have been inevitable.

How did the staff react to this closure?

Phare is a very large social enterprise, split between Siem Reap and Battambang. Here, we have 40 artists and 70 employees. The Battambang school, which offers training in circus, but also in graphic animation, dance, painting, and theater, has 110 teachers for 1,200 students. When the closure was decided, we took the opportunity to resume our "to-do" list—you know, all those little things that accumulate over time and that we generally reserve for the off-season.

We cleaned everything, repainted, and did all the maintenance work... And then, when we finished all that, everyone went home. The vast majority of the staff comes from Battambang, so many have joined their families there. All the artists continue to train hard, for the resumption of shows, but also for the upcoming tours. Some have been canceled, but we hope to be able to do the one planned in France for this winter.

Are salaries still being paid?

All salaries were paid throughout the month of March. Starting in April, they were reduced by 50 %, and this will continue for the following months. It is unthinkable to leave our employees without any income, and we do not hesitate to dip into our cash flow to do so. But how long can we continue like this? After 3 or 4 months, the coffers will be empty... Especially since we still have to pay all our rent.

Do your employees receive support from institutions?

No, it's not like in France, where compensation is granted to people who find themselves unemployed. Nothing is planned for them here, and the situation is all the more difficult because many employees have contracted debts with banks and microfinance organizations. The interest they have to repay each month is very high, and I don't see how they'll be able to get out of it. The only hope would be for these organizations to relax the repayment terms. Perhaps by reducing interest rates, spacing out repayments, or even suspending them until things return to normal. A moratorium on rent could also help many Cambodians see out the crisis. As things stand, repaying a loan, paying rent, and supporting one's family when one has a reduced salary or, worse, when one finds oneself unemployed will pose major problems for a large part of the population.

How will this crisis change Siem Reap?

Since the city opened to mass tourism, that is, some twenty years ago, the number of visitors has only grown exponentially. Infrastructure, however, has not necessarily kept pace. The environment has suffered greatly from the increase in visitors, waste is not always well managed, and access to water and its quality are still problematic in certain neighborhoods. Electricity needs have increased, but outages remain numerous. Why not take advantage of this involuntary "pause" to renew ourselves, question ourselves, and thus beautify the city? We must remain positive, try to see what we can learn from this ordeal. Life must go on, we must not lose hope, and continue to be positive despite the circumstances. We must, more than ever, take care of ourselves and our loved ones, and stay strong. This is important for ourselves, but also for those around us. Everyone hopes that this pandemic will last as short a time as possible. 2019 was a difficult year, and 2020 will be even worse. But we will get through it, and I hope we will come back tougher from this ordeal. Even if it will, of course, be very difficult to get back on our feet.