L.I.S.A.: You have been awarded the Voltaire Prize for Tolerance, International Understanding, and Respect for Differences by Potsdam University. Congratulations on this achievement! Could you let us know more about the prize?
Duong Keo: The Voltaire Prize for Tolerance, International Understanding, and Respect for Differences is the prize organized by the University of Potsdam in Germany under the financial support from the Friede Springer Foundation which is endowed with 5,000 euros each year to the award winner. The prize is for young scholars around the world who contribute to the social dialogue on peace, international understanding, and tolerance, or who have campaigned for freedom in research and teaching or the right of free expression. Additionally, the prize winners also promote diversity in society and oppose racism and discrimination. The award has been given to a number of young scholars around the world since 2017. Those scholars are from Turkey, Guatemala, Afghanistan, Hungary, and Rwanda. I am the first person from Southeast Asia.
I was nominated by my doctoral supervisor, Prof. Dr. Timothy Williams as a candidate for the prize competition which is the first important step. Two main reasons for me winning the award are first of all my work of more than 10 years in contributing to history education and promoting tolerance to the ethnic Vietnamese living in Cambodia. My work contributes to promoting a more nuanced and comprehensive education on past violence in Cambodia. I am a lecturer at the History Department of RUPP. Additionally, I worked for different NGOs, most notably Youth for Peace, Kdei Karuna, and Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center where I wrote a book, reports, research papers, and produced films and multi-media applications. Second, my work promoting tolerance and respect have contributed to a deeper public understanding of the ethnic Vietnamese minority in Cambodia. I am one of a few Cambodian researchers in Cambodia who work on the topic and speak publicly about this ethnic minority, a politically sensitive topic.
The prize means a lot to me. I am so excited to receive it. The prize is not only to acknowledge my work for more than 10 years but it also motivates me to work harder in my research to contribute to the academic, as well as my advocacy community in Cambodia and overseas. During the award ceremony, a member of the jury told me that I was chosen to be the winner of the prize because of my careful research, courageous communication, and committed interaction in Cambodia. More importantly, they foresee my further works that will make a greater contribution.