23 February 2008 Epic Arts is the organizer of the Spotlight Festival and has attracted performers with disabilities from around Asia to take the stage during this week. Epic Arts has also sought to raise the awareness of the local people of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap about disabilities. One prominent slogan on T-shirts and elsewhere is See ability, not disability. The goal is both awareness of the abilities of people with disabilities and the participation of the Phnom Penh population in the various festival activities. |
 |
A necessary part of any large-scale event in Phnom Penh are the street banners stretched across major thoroughfares. This Spotlight banner across Mao Tse Tung Boulevard gives the dates for the festival. | |
 |
The Nippon Foundation funds the sign language dictionary project of the Deaf Development Programme as well as the Spotlight Festival. The chairman of the Nippon Foundation, Mr. Yohei Sasakawa (center), promoted both events at a press conference set up to announce the publishing of the dictionaries. | |
 |
Dr. James "Woody" Woodward (with tie) answered reporters' questions after the formal announcement. Woody, a PhD sign language linguist, is the director of the sign language project for Nippon in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Cambodia. | |
 |
After the press conference, Epic Arts organized a colorful parade of people with disabilities to the Chatamouk Theater where the opening ceremony was to take place. These are deaf people from the Krousar Thmey deaf school. | |
 |
This parade was probably unlike any other in Cambodia's history, with striking floats to catch the public's attention! |
Go to Spotlight Festival homepage
Go to DDP Activities main page
Go to Charlie Dittmeier's homepage