FAQs about being black in Cambodia.

Hi and welcome to my little blog. I receive a lot of questions through email and I thought it would help if I had an FAQs section. These are some of the most frequently asked, ill keep adding on any more questions I get. Read more indepth information about racism in Cambodia by clicking here

1. What is your opinion about racism in Cambodia.
I will start by saying that I think Cambodia is a very racist country. I say this because I have personal examples of many incidences that show blatant racism- especially from Institutions such as the Immigration office, police officers, Dance clubs, Bars, Schools, Tutoring agencies..the list goes on. These people have the power to affect your life negatively by decisions they make based on your skin color. Simple things like extending my visa is usually a nightmare. I have to submit my house contract, employment contract and an official letter from the police office nearest to where I live(which cost $100). And after submitting all these, I can only extend my visa for 6 months and it costs me between $220- $260 (everyone else extends their visa for 1 year for $280!!) Schools here do not want to employ black people, because the parents( especially Cambodian parents) want their kids taught by a white person. It doesn't matter if said white person is a backpacking drug taking alcoholic. I have nothing against backpackers, but most of them here in Phnom Penh only get  teaching jobs coz they want to make a few more bucks to continue onto Thailand or Laos etc. They will stay at the job for a very short period of time, they do not care about the children/students, they do not care about the job etc, BUT they are white and that's all that matters right?Most of the schools (except a few) will not tell you to your face that they don't employ black people, but they will use the we're looking for "Native English speakers" excuse, which is code for we want a white person. I say this because it has happened personally to me- I wasn't offered a job for this reason at one of the schools and they ended up employing a Polish backpacker.

Also it is near impossible for black people from Africa to get into Phnom Penh at the airport- especially if it's the first time- without paying hefty bribes to the immigration. And by hefty I really do mean it. The current price for any Nigerian coming into Cambodia for the first time is $1200. Yes I said $1200. These obviously excludes the big NGO/company workers etc. I am talking about just normal people like me who are just looking for greener grass. *Before you even start with me, not all Nigerians do drugs and illegal things. I know so many Nigerians here in Cambodia earning an honest living. I also know of so many white convicted pedophiles who go in and out of Cambodia as they wish. At the borders, they also demand bribes, butnot $5 bribes they ask for frm white people, they demand so much more from black Africans. Sometimes if the person doesn't pay up, they are denied entry- which is so fucked up. I know 2 people this happened to at the Thai Cambodia border, each was denied entry into Cambodia despite having valid visas. It almost happened to me too.

 Several bars and clubs have at one point said they will not allow black people in, these clubs/bars later change this policy after sometime..some of them are Riverhouse club, Pontoon and St. Tropez. I know personally people who have been sent away from St. Tropez and from Pontoon. Both clubs currently allow black people in.

 Ok so if you are black in Cambodia, you can expect to be stared at, pointed at and laughed at as you go about your normal business. This has happened to me and to every black person I know here. I am used to it now. They see you coming, they will alert people near them to look at you, they will point at you, they will curse "choi mae" which means motherfucker in Khmer. They will laugh and they will say nasty things about you. I know because I understand enough Khmer. I have heard a woman in the market say that I since Ia m black, I must have a black heart and am therefore an evil person. I was shopping at Lucky once and obviusly was getting all kinds of stares, but especially from this older woman who was there with 3 other people. She kept looking at me and looking and looking. And eventually she came up to my cart, picked up a small bag of green veggies I had on there, looked at it and said to the other people she was with "Oh she eats xx too!!" xx here being the khmer name of the veggies I had picked up. This lady never once looked up at me as she was doing this, neither did she smile at me, she just dug into my shopping cart, was shocked to see I ate a vegetable Cambodians ate too, announced it to the people she was with, put the vegetable back in my cart, and without a word went on her way. Wow, way to make me feel awesome!!

With each year I have gotten over all of this. Nowadays I even stare back when they stare at me lol. don't worry you'll get used to it too :)

2. I am a black person from America/England/Sweden/Canada etc should I expect the same treatment you described above?
No. Not all of it. See a black person from the West has Western privilege that black Africans do not have. So if you're black western man or woman, trust me the immigration at the airport/border will not bother you once they see your passport. Most of the schools will employ you, you will extend your visa with no hustle, buuuuut you will still get stared at, pointed at, laughed at by the Cambodians when you're walking down the street.

3. Where can I meet more Black people.
I really dont know how to answer this lol, but I know there's a big African community here in PP, made up of mostly Nigerians and a few people from other African countries. What I can say is there is an African Club called Do it All on st 174 and although its usually empty on weekdays, if you come on Friday after midnight, the place is full of African people and some white expats as well, all dancing together on the dance floor to some of the best West African music! Do it all is also a restaurant serving up Nigerian, Asian and Western food. I know a friend that organizes dinner every month or two where he invites white and black expats to a Nigerian restaurant for some food,music and getting to know each other. Ill post on the blog when the next one will be held.

4. I am a black lady, where can I get my hair done? Where can I buy hair extension?
There is a couple of black hairstylists here from Africa. Most of them do not have official saloons, they just do it in their house or go to the client's house. Charges vary per hairstyle. My favorite hairstylist and a good good friend of mine is Stella, she is a lovely Cameroonian lady, email me for her contact details.


5. What is the cost of living in Cambodia.
Cambodia is a cheap place. But you can also spend thousands of money if you want to. Apartments rent range from $200- $3,000. So you just need to pick something depending on your budget. Alcohol is cheap too especially during happy hour. It goes for $0.75-$2.50 per glass of draft beer. I sometimes have $2 happy hour cocktails at Touk on Riverside, or $8 cocktails at Elephant bar in Raffles..so again this depends on one's budget. Bills range from $30-100 on the low side and more than that for the more expensive. Same goes for eating out, there's cheaper restaurants and those that are more high end. There's everything for every budget. I personally do not live in an expensive service apartment, I also don't live in neighbourhoods popular with expats (BKK, Toul Kok etc) coz they tend to be more expensive. I live in a very local and cheap neighbourhood surrounded by Cambodians. I've seen only a handful of other foreigners in this hood.







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Comments

  1. Maggie, wow, so glad I met you in Koh Rong Samloem even if briefly. I've often wondered how it must be as a black person traveling the world, particularly in Asia since there are basically no black people there. Not to mention the fact that in their culture being dark at all is considered undesirable. Hello, whitening cream?!! Anyway keep rocking it and I hope to see you next time I'm in PP :D

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    1. Hi Camille! Yeah..being black in Cambodia is really something :) But you know what, I still love this country oh so much, and your post about how you fell in love with Cambodia really resonated with me! I am glad we met in Koh Rong as well, I am sure we will meet again, either in PP or elsewhere :D I will be joining the amazing travellers/backpackers club soon :) I can't wait for your post about how to make/save/spend money on the road :) Cheers ;)

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