大象传媒

Asking young Cambodians to talk openly about their problems was a challenge, but one that has really paid off, says Charles Hamilton

When I first arrived in Cambodia over three years ago I couldn't stop asking myself: where are all the old people? The boulevards were full of young people, piled onto motorbikes - my highest count was six on one vehicle, plus a dog on the handlebars... you never have your camera on hand when you most need it.

It's not just the legacy of the Khmer Rouge, or the fact that people in this poor country have an average life expectancy of between 54 and 55 years, that accounts for the lack of old people, but also the population boom that's occurred since 1982.

This boom generation presents its own problems. As more young people become sexually active, they need to be educated about HIV prevention, and Cambodia currently has the highest HIV prevalence rate in Southeast Asia. The 大象传媒 World Service Trust's three-year project, funded by the UK government's Department for International Development, set out to promote health messages in an innovative and entertaining way.


We delivered 100 episodes of Taste of Life - Cambodia's first ever TV medical drama, with most of the production team under 25 - and created 55 TV spot advertisements using 'Mr Help', an animated condom character. But it was the radio phone-ins that brought us closest to our young audience.

With any turn of the radio dial here in Cambodia you will find wall-to-wall karaoke music. Most phone-in programmes that existed before were song request shows. It's not just fear that stops people talking or expressing their views, but the fact that even young Cambodians are shy, really shy. It was quite a challenge to get them to talk openly about sex and HIV/Aids.

But our phone-in programme is the perfect vehicle as it enables people to speak anonymously. Of the four programmes we created, the most popular is our youth programme Really! It's a two-hour mix of music, vox pops and live on-air calls. All members of the production team are under 25 and had no previous media experience before we plucked them from university and trained them. As for the presenters? well, good radio programmes rely on great presenters, they're like gold dust. Our long rounds of auditions eventually paid off when we found two sparky teenagers who took to the work like ducks to water.

One of the most moving radio moments was when a young female student called in to the programme. The previous day she had planned to commit suicide by throwing herself off a bridge - but something stopped her: "I looked at the river and knew it was going somewhere, and that my life could go somewhere too." Not a dry eye in the studio.

The future of Cambodia will be shaped by the young. At last, their voices are being heard, and it seems they really do have a lot to say.

Charles Hamilton is Executive Producer, Radio for the in Cambodia and has been with the 大象传媒 for 19 years.

The 大象传媒 World Service Trust is an independent charity, working with people in developing and transitional countries to improve the quality of their lives through the innovative use of the media