In this episode of Death in Cambodia, Life in America, I sit down with Amara Goel, a Cambodian American performing artist, and policy analyst whose journey spans refugee camps, international stages, and global policy work.

Amara shares her experiences growing up as a 1.5 generation immigrant and how her identity has been shaped by a life lived across countries and cultures. We explore her deep connection to Cambodian history and how the lack of education around the Khmer Rouge in the U.S. fuels her passion for storytelling and advocacy.

From her roles in Where Elephants Weep, Sun and Sea, and Winds of Angkor to her work with World Vision and the United Nations International Labour Organization, Amara seamlessly bridges the worlds of art and activism. She opens up about how creativity and policy work are intertwined in her mission to drive social change, particularly in eradicating child labor and addressing the global hunger crisis.

Amara also shares her future aspirations, including developing her voice as a poet and deepening her impact across both the arts and humanitarian fields.

This episode is a powerful reminder that healing, identity, and activism can take many forms and that storytelling is at the heart of lasting change.

Support Amara Goels Work:

• Unprecedented hunger, mental health tragedy, and gender-based violence: The crisis for children and families in Sudan - Sudan | ReliefWeb
• Food prices continue to rise in the world’s poorest countries - World | ReliefWeb 
• Collaboration and Commemoration: Acknowledging the Khmer Rouge Genocide Through Art

** In this episode, Amara Goel refers to earning a master’s degree and joining Sun & Sea in 2003. She has since clarified that she earned a bachelor’s degree in classical voice and joined the cast in 2023.**