Image courtesy Morten Traavik
Last year, women maimed by landmines around the world competed for the grand prize of an artificial limb in the Miss Landmine beauty pageant. But this year, the Cambodian government has ordered the organizers of the second annual Miss Landmine pageant “to stop activity immediately in order to keep the honour and dignity of handicapped Cambodians, especially women.”
The pageant’s organizer is Norwegian artist/actor/director Morten Traavik. According to Traavik’s website, the goals of the project include “female pride and empowerment,” “disabled pride and empowerment,” and “global and local landmine awareness and information.”
“Why this situation comes now and not before two years of good relations, I do not know,” said Mr Traavik. “I have requested a meeting with [the social affairs minister Ith Sam Heng] as soon as possible to try to correct the misunderstanding.”
Which, to be fair, seems a little disingenuous. I mean, yes, this appears to be a case of someone not understanding (or appreciating) the whole tongue-in-cheek nature of such an event. But presumably, part of the point of the loaded one-two punch of landmines and pageants was to make people a little uncomfortable, so Traavik had to have expected (and perhaps even wanted?) a reaction like this, no?
