Manophet: Lonely Buffalo

I had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman in Laos, Manophet, whose life story is pretty amazing. As a farmer, monk, soldier, singer, translator, teacher, and father, his life was full of triumph and tragedy, that should make us all think about our own selfish desires and priorities. I’m saddened to hear that he passed away due to a stroke in Laos. I came to know him through a Phil Borges photo while doing work for Legacies of War, and hope that my own humble attempts at documenting what I thought to be some important moments in my own life, preserve the good will and spirit that he sure did emanate. These are some transcripts from the video that I shot during our group dinners in Xieng Khouang. (Due to the audio quality I might be a bit wrong on some passages, but I transcribed as best as I could) Yeah, good times… ________________________ (Manophet telling us the story about how during the bombing campaign in Xieng Khouang, his village and family was torn apart, and how he lost and reunited with a brother) M: “…and we thought, if he’s alive, he’s probably with mother, and my mother thought, if he was alive [...]