Poids Mouche

Christophe Macquet and John Vink

Editions du Mekong, 2006
Available in French
25 USD

Photos by John Vink and texts by Christophe Macquet

"Thai boxing is actually not from Thailand. It comes from Cambodia. It arose in Cambodia’s ancient past and was engraved in Angkor’s stones. Its violence echoes the people’s pain. It recalls the dramatic brutality that only too much restraint can generate. Insecurity pushing the limits of physical pain, poverty (in Cuba, Angola), underprivileged environments (Bronx, Minguettes) necessarily create good fighters. Cambodia is no exception.

This book presents a facet of contemporary Cambodia, which is a country of fluidity and complexity. This is about Khmer people who are tough, rooted in the land of their ancestors. This is about these barefoot farmers who work in the alluvium of the Mekong River and who are ready to fight, suffer and bleed in order to finally emerge."

— John Vink