My Arts & Culture, My Rights

As part of CICADA’s mission to empower artists and cultural practitioners to better understand their rights, we recently completed the “My Arts and Culture, My Rights” workshop, held across five provinces: Phnom Penh, Battambang, Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, and Prey Veng.

Over the course of the program, we engaged with 143 participants—including CICADA members, artists, cultural professionals from diverse fields such as visual arts, film, music, performing arts, digital arts, and literature, as well as youth studying and working in the cultural and creative industries (CCI).

Purpose of the Workshop

The workshops were designed to:

• Promote and strengthen awareness of the rights of artists and cultural professionals.
• Promote access to social benefits provided by the government.
• Provide a safe platform for participants to raise challenges related to accessing those rights and services.

Key Learning Areas

Throughout the sessions, participants learned, discussed, and exchanged their experiences as CCI workers, with a focus on four key areas:

1. Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights: Participants explored how to protect their creations, understand their rights after producing new works, and the government’s role in ensuring artists can fully benefit from their creations.
2. Right to Social Protection: With support from the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) in each province, participants learned in detail about Cambodia’s social protection schemes, especially for informal workers in the cultural sector.
3. Artistic Contracts: The workshops introduced practical knowledge on contracts—what to include, points to negotiate before signing, and safeguards like deposits to avoid last-minute cancellations that could harm artists’ work and livelihoods.
4. Freedom of Artistic Creation: Participants gained insights into the regulations and international agreements supporting freedom of expression, cultural expression, and artistic creation. They also reflected on the equal value of both traditional and contemporary arts, recognizing their shared importance in strengthening Cambodia’s CCI.

Participants’ Quote

Participants shared that the workshops were highly valuable in empowering and helping them understand their rights as cultural and creative workers. They appreciated the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of copyright, social protection, contracts, and creative freedom, while exchanging experiences with fellow artists. Many noted that they had never attended such meaningful workshops before and expressed a strong desire for more programs like this to further empower them.

Below images are some of participant’s quotes:

Moving Forward

The workshops successfully provided not only knowledge and awareness, but also a space for dialogue, where artists and cultural professionals could share their challenges and aspirations for a stronger, fairer creative sector in Cambodia. CICADA remains committed to amplifying these voices, advocating that artists are not only creators but also rights-holders who can access the recognition, protection, and opportunities they deserve.

Click on each province for more pictures: Phnom Penh, Battambang, Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, and Prey Veng.