The year 2015 saw the release of Banana Pancakes and The Children of Sticky Rice, a gentle and touching story of two cultures colliding with the meeting of a Lao boy and Western girl in northern Laos.
Finally, 2016's Dearest Sister is a disturbing and well-wrought horror set in Laos, directed and written by Laos' first female film director Mattie Do, and tells the story of a rural girl looking after her cousin in Vientiane who goes blind but gains the ability to talk to the dead.
Music & Dance
Lao classical music was originally developed as court music for royal ceremonies and classical dance-drama during the 19th-century reign of Vientiane's Chao Anou, who had been educated in the Siamese court in Bangkok. The standard ensemble for this genre is the sep nyai and consists of kôrng wóng (a set of tuned gongs), the ranyâht (a xylophone-like instrument), the kooi (bamboo flute) and the Ъee (a double-reed wind instrument similar to the oboe).
The practice of classical Lao music and drama has been in decline for some time, as 40 years of intermittent war and revolution simply made this kind of entertainment a low priority among most Lao. Generally, the only time you'll hear this type of music is during the occasional public performance of the Pha Lak Pha Lam, a dance-drama based on the Hindu Ramayana epic.
Not so with Lao folk and pop, which have always stayed close to the people. The principal instrument in folk, and to a lesser extent in pop, is the káan (common French spelling: khene), a wind instrument that is made of a double row of bamboo-like reeds fitted into a hardwood soundbox and made airtight with beeswax. The rows can be as few as four or as many as eight courses (for a total of 16 pipes), and the instrument can vary in length from around 80cm to about 2m. An adept player can produce a churning, calliope-like dance music.
When the káan is playing locals dance the lám wóng (circle performance), easily the most popular folk dance in Laos. Put simply, in the lám wóng couples dance circles around one another until there are three circles in all: a circle danced by the individual, a circle danced by the couple, and one danced by the whole crowd.
Mǎw Lám
The Lao folk idiom also has its own musical theatre, based on the mŏr lám tradition. Mŏr lám is difficult to translate but roughly means 'master of verse'. Led by one or more vocalists, performances always feature a witty, topical combination of talking and singing that ranges across themes as diverse as politics and sex. Very colloquial, even bawdy, language is employed. This is one art form that has always bypassed government censors and it continues to provide an important outlet for grass-roots expression.
There are several different types of mŏr lám, depending on the number of singers and the region the style hails from. Mŏr lám koo (couple mŏr lám) features a man and woman who engage in flirtation and verbal repartee. Mŏr lám jót (duelling mŏr lám) has two performers of the same gender who 'duel' by answering questions or finishing an incomplete story issued as a challenge, similar to freestyle rap.
Northern Lao káan-based folk music is usually referred to as káp rather than lám. Authentic live mŏr lám can be heard at temple fairs and on Lao radio. Born-and-bred American artist Jonny Olsen (also known as Jonny Khaen) has become a celebrity in Laos for his káan-based music.
Traditional Music of the Lao (1985), by Terry Miller, although mainly focused on northeast Thailand, is the only book-length work yet to appear on Lao music, and is very informative.
Lao Pop
Up until 2003 performing 'modern' music was virtually outlawed in Laos. The government had decided it just wasn't the Lao thing, and bands such as local heavy-metal outfit Sapphire, who chose to play anyway, were effectively shut down. Instead, the youth listened to pirated Thai and Western music, while Lao-language pop was limited to the look tûng, syrupy arrangements combining cha-cha and bolero rhythms with Lao-Thai melodies.
Then the government decided that if Lao youth were going to listen to modern pop, it might as well be home-grown. The first 'star' was Thidavanh Bounxouay, a Lao-Bulgarian singer more popularly known as Alexandra. Her brand of pop wasn't exactly radical, but it was decidedly upbeat compared with what went before. In the last couple of years other groups have followed including girl band Princess and pop-rock group Awake.
In recent years, slightly edgier rock bands such as Crocodile and Leprozy have emerged, the latter of which have even played relatively high-profile gigs in Thailand. The hard-rock band Cells is another example of a Lao band for whom success has been much more rewarding in Thailand, where they've played big and relatively lucrative gigs in Bangkok.
There's also a tiny but burgeoning school of Lao-language hip hop that until recently was almost exclusively associated with Los Angeles and that city's Lao diaspora. However, in recent years a domestic scene has developed around home-grown acts such as Hip Hop Ban Na and L.O.G., the latter of which scored a chart-topping hit in Thailand.
In Vientiane, recordings by many if not all of the artists mentioned above are available at the open-air market near Pha That Luang and at Talat Sao mall. Some can also be caught live at venues in Vientiane, though you're more likely to see them at outdoor gigs to celebrate major holidays.
Architecture
As with all other artistic endeavours, for centuries the best architects in the land have focused their attention on Buddhist temples. The results are most impressive in Luang Prabang.
However, it's not only in temples that Laos has its own peculiar architectural traditions. The that (stupas) found in Laos are different to those found anywhere else in the Buddhist world. Stupas are essentially monuments built on top of a reliquary which itself was built to hold a relic of the Buddha, commonly a hair or fragment of bone. Across Asia they come in varying shapes and sizes, ranging from the multilevel-tiered pagodas found in Vietnam to the buxom brick monoliths of Sri Lanka. Laos has its own unique style combining hard edges and comely curves. The most famous of all Lao stupas is the golden Pha That Luang in Vientiane, which doubles as the national symbol.
Traditional housing in Laos, whether in the river valleys or in the mountains, consists of simple wooden or bamboo-thatch structures with leaf or grass roofing. Among Lowland Lao, houses are raised on stilts to avoid flooding during the monsoons and allow room to store rice underneath, while the highlanders typically build directly on the ground. The most attractive Lowland Lao houses often have a starburst pattern in the architraves, though these are increasingly difficult to find.
Colonial architecture in urban Laos combined the classic French provincial style – thick-walled buildings with shuttered windows and pitched tile roofs – with balconies and ventilation to promote air circulation in the stifling Southeast Asian climate. Although many of these structures were torn down or allowed to decay following independence from France, today they are much in demand, especially by foreigners. Luang Prabang and Vientiane both boast several lovingly restored buildings from this era. By contrast, in the Mekong River towns of Tha Khaek, Savannakhet and Pakse, French-era buildings are decaying at a disturbing rate.
Buildings erected in post-Revolution Laos followed the socialist realism school that was enforced in the Soviet Union, Vietnam and China. Straight lines, sharp angles and an almost total lack of ornamentation were the norm. More recently, a trend towards integrating classic Lao architectural motifs with modern functions has taken hold. Prime examples of this include Vientiane's National Assembly and the Luang Prabang airport, both of which were designed by Havana- and Moscow-trained architect Hongkad Souvannavong. Other design characteristics, such as those represented by the Siam Commercial Bank on Th Lan Xang in Vientiane, seek to gracefully reincorporate French colonial-era features ignored for the last half-century.
Traditional Khamu houses often have the skulls of domestic animals hanging on a wall with an altar beneath. The skulls are from animals the family has sacrificed to their ancestors, and it is strictly taboo to touch them.
TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE: A TALE OF THREE CITIES
The sǐm (ordination hal
l) is usually the most important structure in any Theravada Buddhist wat. The high-peaked roofs are layered to represent several levels (usually three, five, seven or occasionally nine), which correspond to various Buddhist doctrines. The edges of the roofs almost always feature a repeated flame motif, with long, fingerlike hooks at the corners called chôr fâh (sky clusters). Umbrella-like spires along the central roof-ridge of a sǐm, called nyôrt chôr fâh (topmost chôr fâh), sometimes bear small pavilions (nagas – mythical water serpents) in a double-stepped arrangement representing Mt Meru, the mythical centre of the Hindu-Buddhist cosmos.
There are basically three architectural styles for such buildings: the Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Xieng Khuang styles.
The front of a sǐm in the Vientiane style usually features a large verandah with heavy columns supporting an ornamented overhanging roof. Some will also have a less ornamented rear verandah, while those that have a surrounding terrace are Bangkok-influenced.
In Luang Prabang, the temple style is akin to that of the northern Siamese (Lanna) style, hardly surprising as for several centuries Laos and northern Thailand were part of the same kingdoms. Luang Prabang temple roofs sweep very low, almost reaching the ground in some instances. The overall effect is quite dramatic, as if the sǐm were about to take flight. The Lao are fond of saying that the roof line resembles the wings of a mother hen guarding her chicks.
Little remains of the Xieng Khuang style of sǐm architecture because the province was so heavily bombed during the Second Indochina War. Pretty much the only surviving examples are in Luang Prabang and to look at them you see aspects of both Vientiane and Luang Prabang styles. The sǐm raised on a multilevel platform is reminiscent of Vientiane temples, while wide sweeping roofs that reach especially low are similar to the Luang Prabang style, though they're not usually tiered. Cantilevered roof supports play a much more prominent role in the building's overall aesthetic, giving the sǐm's front profile a pentagonal shape.
Sculpture
Perhaps most impressive of all the traditional Lao arts is the Buddhist sculpture of the period from the 16th to 18th centuries, the heyday of the kingdom of Lan Xang. Sculptural media usually included bronze, stone or wood, and the subject was invariably the Lord Buddha or figures associated with the Jataka (sáh-dók; stories of the Buddha's past lives). Like other Buddhist sculptors, the Lao artisans emphasised the features thought to be peculiar to the historical Buddha, including a beak-like nose, extended earlobes and tightly curled hair.
Two types of standing Buddha image are distinctive to Laos. The first is the 'Calling for Rain' posture, which depicts the Buddha standing with hands held rigidly at his side, fingers pointing towards the ground. This posture is rarely seen in other Southeast Asian Buddhist art traditions. The slightly rounded, 'boneless' look of the image recalls Thailand's Sukhothai style, and the way the lower robe is sculpted over the hips looks vaguely Khmer. But the flat, slablike earlobes, arched eyebrows and aquiline nose are uniquely Lao. The bottom of the figure's robe curls upward on both sides in a perfectly symmetrical fashion that is also unique and innovative.
The other original Lao image type is the 'Contemplating the Bodhi Tree' Buddha. The Bodhi tree (Tree of Enlightenment) refers to the large banyan tree that the historical Buddha purportedly was sitting beneath when he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya, India, in the 6th century BC. In this image the Buddha is standing in much the same way as in the 'Calling for Rain' pose, except that his hands are crossed at the wrists in front of his body.
The finest examples of Lao sculpture are found in Vientiane's Haw Pha Kaeo and Wat Si Saket, and in Luang Prabang's Royal Palace Museum.
Handicrafts
Mats and baskets woven of various kinds of straw, rattan and reed are common and are becoming a small but important export. Minority groups still wear these baskets, affirming that until recently most Lao handicrafts were useful as well as ornamental. In villages it's possible to buy direct from the weaver. Among the best baskets and mats are those woven by the Htin (Lao Thoeng).
Among the Hmong and Mien hill tribes, silversmithing plays an important role in 'portable wealth' and inheritances. In years past, the main source of silver was French coins, which were either melted down or fitted straight into the jewellery of choice. In northern villages it's not unusual to see newer coins worn in elaborate head dresses.
The Lowland Lao also have a long tradition of silversmithing and goldsmithing. While these arts have been in decline for quite a while now, there are still plenty of jewellers working over flames in markets around the country.
Paper handcrafted from sǎh (the bark of a mulberry tree) is common in northwestern Laos, and is available in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Environmentally friendly sǎa is a renewable paper resource that needs little processing compared with wood pulp.
Lao Textiles and Traditions (1997), by Mary F Connors, is useful to visitors interested in Lao weaving; it's the best overall introduction to the subject.
Textiles
Silk and cotton fabrics are woven in many different styles according to the geographic provenance and ethnicity of the weavers. Although Lao textiles do have similarities with other Southeast Asian textiles, Lao weaving techniques are unique in both loom design and weaving styles, generating fabrics that are very recognisably Lao.
Southern weavers, who often use foot looms rather than frame looms, are known for the best silk weaving and for intricate mat-mii (ikat or tie-dye) designs that include Khmer-influenced temple and elephant motifs. The result is a soft, spotted pattern similar to Indonesian ikat. Mat-mii cloth can be used for different types of clothing or wall hangings. In Sekong and Attapeu Provinces some fabrics mix beadwork with weaving and embroidery. One-piece pàh nung (sarongs) are more common than those sewn from separate pieces.
In central Laos, typical weavings include indigo-dyed cotton mat-mii and minimal weft brocade (jók and kit), along with mixed techniques brought by migrants to Vientiane.
Generally speaking, the fabrics of the north feature a mix of solid colours with complex geometric patterns – stripes, diamonds, zigzags, animal and plant shapes – usually in the form of a pàh nung or sin (a women's wrap-around skirt). Sometimes gold or silver thread is woven in along the borders. Another form the cloth takes is the pàh bęeang, a narrow Lao-Thai shawl that men and women wear singly or in pairs over the shoulders during weddings and festivals.
Gold and silver brocade is typical of traditional Luang Prabang patterns, along with intricate patterns and imported Tai Lü designs. Northerners generally use frame looms; the waist, body and narrow sín (bottom border) of a pàh nung are often sewn together from separately woven pieces.
In northeastern Laos, tribal Tai produce yìap ko (weft brocade) using raw silk, cotton yarn and natural dyes, sometimes with the addition of mat-mii techniques. Large diamond patterns are common.
Among the Hmong and Mien tribes, square pieces of cloth are embroidered and quilted to produce strikingly colourful fabrics in apparently abstract patterns that contain ritual meanings. In Hmong these are called pandau (flowercloth). Some larger quilts feature scenes that represent village life, including both animal and human figures.
Many tribes among the Lao Soung and Lao Thoeng groups produce woven shoulder bags in the Austro-Thai and Tibetan-Burmese traditions, such as those seen all across the mountains of South Asia and Southeast Asia. In Laos, these are called nyahm. Among the most popular nyaam nowadays are those made with older pieces of fabric from 'antique' pàh nung or from pieces of hill-tribe clothing. Vientiane's Talat Sao is one of the best places to shop for this kind of accessory.
Natural sources for Lao dyes include ebony (both seeds and wood), tamarind (seeds and wood), red lacquer extracted from the Coccus iacca (a tree-boring insect), turmeric (from a root) and indigo. A basic palette of five natural colours – black, orange, red, yellow and blue – can be combined to create an endless variety of other colours. Other unblended, but more subtle, hues include kha
ki (from the bark of the Indian trumpet tree), pink (sappanwood) and gold (jackfruit and breadfruit woods).
Sport
Laos has a few traditional sports and these are often as much an excuse for betting as they are a means of exercise. Gá-đôr and móoay láo (Lao boxing) certainly do involve exercise, and these are taken increasingly seriously as international competition raises their profiles.
Cockfighting, however, does not involve exercise. Cockfights follow the usual rules, except that in Laos the cocks are not fitted with blades so they often survive the bout.
In ethnic Tai areas you might find the more off-beat 'sport' of beetle fighting. These bouts involve notoriously fractious rhinoceros beetles squaring off while a crowd, usually more vociferous after liberal helpings of lòw-lów, bets on the result. The beetles hiss and attack, lifting each other with their horns, until one decides it no longer wants to be part of this 'entertainment' and runs. If you bet on the runner, you lose. Beetle bouts are limited to the wet season.
Kids in Laos are likely to be seen chasing around a soccer ball (football). Opportunities for pursuing football professionally are few, limited by an almost complete lack of quality coaching, pitches and youth leagues where players can get experience of proper competition. Interprovincial matches at the National Stadium in Vientiane or in modest stadium in provincial capitals draw relatively large crowds.
Environment
Laos' environment has up until now been largely threatened by legal and illegal logging, and while this may have been given temporary respite with the recent ban on logging, increased mining and agriculture and the widespread construction of hydroelectric dams is exerting considerable stress on the land. Tourism is recognised as a lucrative natural resource and may be the key to preserving Laos' remaining natural areas, but currently commerce seems to be winning against conservation.
Lonely Planet Laos Page 52