Cham Voices Through Fire

This talk looks at a 19th-century Cham text called The Rhyme of Looking Forward, which was republished in 1968 by Cham intellectuals shortly after the Tết Offensive. This well-known verse narrative works both as a historical account and a reflection on moral and social issues. It mourns the destruction of the last semi-independent Cham polity, while also dealing with themes like colonial violence, forced assimilation, religious repression, and the breakdown of family and community life. At the same time, it carries a message of healing, encouraging a return to traditional values and a sense of communal renewal. Its republication during the Vietnam War gave it fresh meaning, especially for Cham people facing displacement, loss, and internal conflict. By reclaiming this literary heritage, Cham intellectuals in 1968 were making a powerful statement—asserting their identity and agency during a time of global political, religious, and cultural crisis.

Nicolas Weber received his Ph.D. from INALCO (National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations), Paris, France, in 2005. His first monograph, published in French in 2014, features the first synthesis of ten centuries of Cham diasporic history in Southeast Asia. He has also published in peer-reviewed academic journals such as Journal of Economic and Social History of the Orient, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, SOJOURN and Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Asiatic Society, as well as Bulletin de l’École Française d’Extrême-Orient, Archipel and Péninsule.

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