Project Breif

In learning about the Montagnards, a topic that continually strikes me as intriguing is the idea of their persecution.  In a world that constantly preaches of equality and justice it becomes mind-boggling to hear about the violence and prejudice that rules certain communities throughout the world.  I am eager to investigate the Montagnards' situation further to try to uncover original key events that turned others against them, the type of persecution that occurred, and what has been done to attempt to restore peace in the region. 

Almost anyone from the Montagnard community would probably be able to assist me with my goal, whether it be through stories of their personal experience or information gathered by simply being part of the Montagnard community.  It would be great to find out what were key motivating factors to leave the homeland -- whether it was simply fear of persecution, or whether they themselves escaped from dangerous situations.


As an artist I feel like issues like this naturally strike me in a more powerful way than others.  As a lot of my time and energy is spent attempting to effect the minds of other people through the use of creative medium,  learning about things that are going on in the world that I disagree with provokes the sense that perhaps there is something I could do to try to change it.  This may sound crazy since I'm not a politician or anyone of any legitimate power to change the world, but artistic influence can be a power in and of itself.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."  -- Dr. Seuss

 

In my minimal research thus far about the Montagnard people I have found several pieces of documentation about the persecution they have faced.   One resource that has been quite valuable is the website for the Montagnard Foundation whose goal is to attempt to restore the rights of the Degar people in the highland region.  With a single visit to their homepage, one can see many accounts of the persecution still going on today, primarily based upon religious orientation.