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Thousands of people attended the 15 th annual Southeast Asian Water Festival in Lowell, Mass., last weekend. They were treated to a wide variety of music, from traditional and folk to rap and hip hop. The music was as diverse as its fans, the divide indicative of two different generations of Cambodian-Americans.
“I prefer traditional dance and music over hip hop,” said Hoeun Chhliv, a 52-year-old who fled Battambang province during the war and settled in the US in 1985. “I’m not interested in rap. It’s music for the youth, or younger generation, only. I can only understand a few words of the rap lyrics. Rap uses curse words. It’s painful to the ear and painful to the eyes.”
But at this year’s festival, which also included a boat race and other ceremonies, a younger crowd emerged in favor of the new music, which requires less costuming and is more casual than older forms.
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