Kaysone - Man of Many Monuments

A Monument to a Revolutionary Rebel, Party Leader, First President of Laos, Communist Idealist.

 

I visited the museum and monument to Kaysone Phomvihane. It’s big, it’s five minutes from my office, I knew it would be interesting and there was sure to be lot of gold and glory and a lot of blurry old black and white pictures. Maybe some old guns. I was right.

I was greeted by a giant statue of the man himself, arm outstretched, flanked by two powerful soviet-realist statues of the hard-working, hard-fighting Lao people with guns and animals and machines and determined faces. People I haven't met but am often told are the ones who forged this nation into what it is now.

The place was pretty much empty. Around ten staff near the door, a few other lounging around upstairs. I had to leave my camera behind but of course I wasn't expected to part with my phone  so found it fairly easy to surreptitiously take photos of photos and guns and empty corridors.

Blurry Black and Whites

I stepped into a glamourised version of communist rebellion, success and political ideals.

 

I learnt about a boy called Nguyen from the South of Laos. His dad was Vietnamese; he was smart; he went to Hanoi for an education. He got politicised. He became passionate about self-rule, egalitarianism and communist ideals.  His name was changed. Kaysone, along with a growing number of Lao men educated in Vietnam, started to organise. He fought, led, strategized and coordinated rebellions in various forms. Ultimately he won his war and became a man whose home town is now revered and major streets and parks in the nation's capital are named after him.

 

I looked at blurry old pictures and read the small number of English labels. The propaganda was thick and strong. It was all terribly glorious, victorious and heroic.

 

"The 21 year long (1954 - 1975) American ransacked war in Laos is a nasty, barbarian and inhumane war. Nevertheless under the an intelligent leadership of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party leads b its beloved General Secretary - comrade Kaysone Phomvihan all Lao ethnic tribes get up and lead a civil war against American Imperialist and destroy their ransacked plan in this heroic land. The Lao Revolution is successful and victorious, new people's democratic era has been restored in Laos."

 

 

Memorabilia

Apart from the stirring images of rebels and party officials either fighting in the jungles or planning military moves in caves (See my blog post about the revolutionary's caves) or waving their victorious guns or fists in front of images of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, there was a strange array of memorabilia of Kaysone's stuff.

 

 

 

   

 

Bits of Paper from the Revolution

Documents, maps, contracts, personal letters, signed agreements filled the rooms. Some had a few labels, most were left to my imagination. Some were kind of obvious but the rest was a confusing, expansive collection of historical items.

 

If those bits of paper could talk they would probably tell interesting stories. Stories that may be a little less victorious than the labels told. Stories far less heroic and joyous than the history books tell. Stories of death, misery, poverty, hopelessness and the tears of war.

Trophies of War

US Airforce Major Ronca's ID papers

This is the ID card for Major Ronca, father of 6. After a long military career of flying and killing for his country in three separate wars, he was shot down while bombing Laos soon after the US flew in with all guns blazing. In 1965 he shot up a village then crashed into a hillside in the forest of northern Laos. His body was recovered by the Americans but not until the Lao forces had collected maps and other documents. Now his ID card (which ironically refers to the Geneva Convention) sits as a trophy of war - a "nasty barbarian, inhumane war" - in Kaysone's glossy, echoey, cold museum. References online refer to the Major's "extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces". The American emotive language is similar to the Lao. Men and women on both sides shared the same passions, loyalty to duty and were killing each other to gain justice, freedom, fairness and peace. Except most of the ordinary Laos. They were just growing rice and raising families. And dodging bombs.

 

 

Fighting Imperialists

The display wasn't just about what was happening with the Americans. Kaysone had been active since his Vietnamese Uni days fighting for Laos to rule Laos, to kick out the French and free the various royal Lao houses from imperialist influence.

While Lao prisoners of war were shackled and awaiting possible death, someone was taking photos. Colonial officials all look so formal and well dressed as they divided and conquered and eventually got pushed out. This picture (below) was taken before the USA got involved so I assume they are French or English or both.

Apart from reminders of a victorious rebellions, there were historic pictures of old Vientiane and places I recognised. I saw photos taken a hundred years ago of dragon boat races on the Mekong; of the large golden That Luang stupa that's just up the road.

Dragon Boat Racing a long, long time ago

 

That Luang in the 19th Century

An Image of Glory

If I understand this nation based on what these vast halls show me then I see a glorious past and a golden future: a future of equality and democracy, fought for and won by brave and passionate men and women. Excuse my cynicism as I roll my eyes.



 

WWKD? (What Would Kaysone Do?)

I stepped out from the air conditioning into the enormous yard housing those giant metal monuments to people mostly gone. I wondered what Kaysone would really think if he could see what I saw. I suspect he, along with Karl and Vladimir, would join me in rolling their eyes. We all walked away lightly shaking our heads and wondering what this place would look like in another ten years.