After years of working in minimum-wage garment factories, Cambodia's Messenger Band now fights for better working conditions and higher pay through music.
The six-person band, formed in 2005 by a now-defunct local NGO, Womyn's Agenda for Change, showcases the musical talents of a group of women who once lived through the hardships about which they now sing, reports the South China Morning Post.
The women, all of whom are former garment workers, have instead focused their talents on speaking out for women's rights in Cambodia, where the vast majority of the country's 700,000 garment workers are female.
“We went away from our mothers to be employed as household servants, construction or garment workers; we don't have a choice because of our families, we lost the land and the money problems still remained; even if we work hard we can't help at all,” the band sings on their track “No Choice”.
The decision to put their struggles into words came after a deadly riot in 2014, in which Cambodian police opened fire on protesters, killing three. Two of the band's members, Chrek Sopha and Kao Sochevika, were at the protest and felt the need to speak out. Shortly before the protest, a government task force had decided to increase Cambodia's minimum monthly wage from US$80 in 2013 to US$100 in 2014. While this was a positive step forward, many were upset at the modest increase. Given the country's inflation and increased living costs, NGOs had pushed for US$150-160. In 2016, Cambodia's minimum monthly wage stands at US$140.
The group, which has performed for a decade in an effort to promote women's rights in Cambodia, now devotes itself to not only playing music but also working with current garment workers, leading music lessons and helping to advocate for the rights of some of the country's most vulnerable workers.
“We don't take any money from [Cambodian prime minister] Hun Sen's administration, the opposition or unions, and we support only the protests that we consider legitimate,” band member Vun Em told SCMP.
Ten years on, the group is going strong. Some of its members plan to hand over their places to other garment workers in future, ensuring Messenger Band's legacy and keeping its music fresh and relevant.
[Photo via South China Morning Post]
