Coronavirus brings curtain down on Cambodia shadow puppets

Curtain call on Cambodia's shadow puppets

Puppet master Mann Kosal's troupe survived

Location: Phnom Penh

local interest dwindling over the years

But with bans on travel and gatherings

it has also lost its foreign audience

Now Kosal has to pack up the theater

as the government is taking over the company

to ensure the survival of the ancient art

(SOUNDBITE) (Khmer) CAMBODIAN SHADOW PUPPET MASTER, MANN KOSAL, SAYING:"I think about the 26 years period that I've worked here, and I love this art. How can I take it out of my heart and when would I be able to forget it? That was what I thought (to myself) when I posted my message on Facebook. But now I feel relieved that the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts accepted our request and gave us the solution."

Courtesy: Sovana Phum Theater Organization

Shadow puppets date back to the 7th century

It was named a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage in 2005

with only five troupes remaining in the country