Augustin: Cambodian Language as a Tool Against Forgetting
In the latest episode of RFI's podcast "Ma vie, ma langue," Augustin, a PhD student at Inalco, shares how his journey in learning Khmer has enabled him to piece together his family's past. His mother, a survivor of the Cambodian royal lineage, did not teach him the language following the genocide. By delving into Khmer, Augustin pays tribute to his heritage and reveals the circumstances surrounding his grandmother's murder by the Khmer Rouge in 1975. Having acquired multiple languages, he utilizes Khmer to access his family's untold stories. During visits to Cambodia in 2024 and 2025, he connected with royal relatives and discovered his grandmother's village, collecting soil from the site to honor family memories in the royal necropolis.
Key facts
- Augustin is a doctoral student at Inalco studying Khmer.
- His mother, a survivor of the Cambodian royal family, refused to teach him Khmer after the genocide.
- His grandmother was assassinated by the Khmer Rouge in 1975.
- Augustin has learned multiple languages including Thai, Chinese, English, French, and Turkish.
- He traveled to Cambodia in 2024 and 2025, meeting members of the royal family.
- He made a costume himself in a workshop in Paris's 13th arrondissement.
- He found his grandmother's village and bamboo house, and collected a piece of earth to deposit in the royal necropolis.
- The episode is the eighth in RFI's podcast series 'Ma vie, ma langue'.
Entities
Artists
- Augustin
Institutions
- Inalco
- RFI
- Khmer Rouge
Locations
- Cambodia
- Paris
- France