"Mekong School": "Finding similarities in differences" for better transboundary cooperation

Chak Kineesee, was dressed in simple clothes and sitting with a cup of tea in front of the Mekong River. Now at an elderly stage of his life, Chak recounted his memories of his family living along the Mekong River.

He said that he has the blood of all the Mekong countries from Cambodia, Lao, Vietnam, and Thailand due to his parents' ancestry.

Mekong is our home, our life.

Chak Kineesee suggested that [we] should listen to local voices to understand the real situation, and youth should rethink Mekong development in the future.

The Rak Chiang Khong Group founded the Mekong School in December 2015 to support local communities that depend on the river and provide a venue for learning and collaborating on the effects of development in the Mekong River Basin.

With its philosophy of “respect for nature and faith in human equality,” the school remains a key knowledge hub and learning platform for local and global learning on environmental changes. The school emphasizes the importance of local knowledge and empowering local communities to preserve and manage local cultures and natural resources.

Myths and storytelling are important in the Mekong

The director of the Mekong School, Niwat Roykaew, led the workshop participants on a story-telling exercise to illustrate how we share the Mekong River through myths and legends passed down the generations.

The participants split into small groups to discuss the legend of the Mekong Nāga/Phaya Nāga, which is believed to be a mythical dragon/or snakefish that used to live in the Mekong River a long time ago. All of us were aware of this myth. But this exercise helped us understand how this common myth also has small differences in each of our cultures.

According to legend, local communities in the region believe that the Naga is a semi-divine, half-human said to inhabit the Mekong River as a river protector. Their fierce reputation has scared locals from polluting the river for fear of angering the Naga.

Using the Naga myth, Niwat Roykaew reminded us, "The Mekong River is a god-given river; it belongs to everyone, not just any one individual.”

Transboundary cooperation can be enhanced by these kinds of story-telling and remembering the old legends and myths especially for the younger generations who are often growing up without knowing about the importance of the Mekong River.

Ms. Chindavanh Souriyaphack, a youth from Vientiane, said that she felt more passionate about the Mekong after visiting the Mekong School and sharing ideas about the future of the Mekong.

Nopparat Lamun, Program Manager at Mekong School, said, "it is important for youth to learn about the various threats to the Mekong River ranging from dams to pollution and climate change to help in figuring out solutions."

He added:

Youth are the future of Mekong; they should be involved in real knowledge in the fields and rivers and go beyond just learning in school. Youth should think outside the box to develop new ways to address climate change and environmental degradation in the Mekong. We need to find similarities in our differences and differences in our similarities.

Note

This piece is a reflection based on the 1^st Regional Workshop on Building Water Sector Youth Leadership Network in the Mekong-Lancang Region Project held in Chiang Rai, Thailand, from October 25-27, 2023. More than 40 people from six Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) countries attended the workshop, including youth representatives, government officers, academic institutes, and policymakers.

*Photo 1: Statue of a Naga as a snake in a temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Photo: Sameang Chea.

*Photo 2: An engaging and intense discussion about the different stories about the Naga legends in each country of the Mekong. Photo: Variya Plungwatana / SEI Asia.