Prum Manh () is a Cambodian comedian and ''

ayai ''Ayai'' () is one of the four main musical styles of Culture of Cambodia, Khmer traditional culture, along with ''pinpeat, mahori,'' and ''phleng khmer''. It can be more specifically defined as "repartee singing, usually the theatrical alternation ...

'' singer who survived the

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...

regime and currently has one of the longest careers as an actor in Cambodia along with Dy Saveth.

Biography

Prum Manh was born around 1950 from a family of ordinary peasants in the province of Kampong Speu. He has four male siblings with the first brother specializing in sculpture design, the second brother being a teacher and his youngest brother is a traditional

Bokator Bokator (, ) or Kun L'bokator (, , ) is an ancient Cambodian battlefield martial art. It is one of the oldest fighting systems existing in the world and is recognised as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Oral tradition indicates that ...

boxer. Prum Manh was the only one in his family to start a career in the

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...

. He began his career as an Ayai performer during the

Khmer Republic The Khmer Republic (, ; ) was a Cambodian state under the United States-backed military dictatorship of Marshal Lon Nol from 1970 to 1975. Its establishment was formally declared on 9 October 1970, following the 18 March 1970 coup d'état w ...

in 1970 at the age of 20. During the Khmer Rouge terror regime, all his family members were decimated leaving him alone. He lived in Toek Chor commune on the border of

Banteay Meanchey province Banteay Meanchey (, , ) is a Provinces of Cambodia, province of Cambodia located in the far northwest. It borders the provinces of Oddar Meanchey province, Oddar Meanchey to the north, Siem Reap province, Siem Reap to the east, Battambang provi ...

. Prum Manh had to hide linguistic talents from the Khmer Rouge and was able to survive because he is also a skilled barber. After the end of this dark regime, Prum Manh came back to the stage at the age of 30,performing in the Ayai duo, and to this day, his reputation has spread throughout Cambodia. Prum Manh has performed abroad, in countries such as performing in France, Australia and the United States. In March 2007, Prime Minister Hun Sen referred to Prum Manh as an example of the freedom of expression and movement in Cambodia, as Prum Manh has often been seen expressing his critical opinions in politics. In 2008, Prum Manh was involved in an accident in which his motorbike was hit by a car, which he accused of being an intentional attempt of homicide.. In 2010, Prum Manh took part in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal by acting for Khmer and Cham villagers, in an effort to promote justice and heal trauma among the population. His niece, Srey Pov, is also following his career in Cambodian performing arts.

Style

Prum Manh is a traditional Cambodian singer, who also has foreign influences such as

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

, who in 1935 visited Cambodia where he left a lasting influence. He is notorious for creating new jokes and puns while involving the audience. While he remains widely popular among both men and women, young and old, some consider his humor to have aged, as in the case where he created a controversy by making fun of a

speech disability Speech disorders, impairments, or impediments, are a type of communication disorder in which normal speech is disrupted. This can mean fluency disorders like stuttering and cluttering. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is co ...

in October 2022, and he presented an apology.

Honors

In 2022, while he was suffering from arterial tension at the hospital, Prum Manh received an honorary doctorate for his long career in acting by the Royal Decree dated April 9, 2022 at the request of the Prime Minister of Cambodia Samdech Hun Sen.

Biography

Style

Honors

References

See also