ABOUT

Daran Kravanh was born in Pursat province in Cambodia. He grew up in a musical family and is an accordion player, songwriter and singer. While he was attending college, he was taken by Khmer Rouge soldiers to be killed along with other students and intellectuals.  The story of his survival is documented in the book Music Through the Dark: A Tale of Survival in Cambodia, written by Daran and Bree Lafreniere.

Daran arrived in the US as a refugee in 1988. He attended Tacoma Community College, and graduated from The Evergreen State College with a B.A. Degree in 1996. In 1997, he was awarded a Humanitarian Award from the city of Tacoma and has served on the city's Human Rights Commission.

Since 2007, Daran has led the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party, supported by thousands of foreign advisors and investors, and continues to champion the cause of a free and democratic Cambodia. He has testified before the European Parliament in 2017 and gained their support via a resolution condemning the ban on opposition parties by the ruling party in Cambodia.

About the Cambodian liberation and anti-poverty cause:

“The beautiful country of Cambodia is my homeland, and my heart is strong for its people, especially the poor. I desire to make known to the world the tragic past of Cambodia at the hand of its enemies and how we can grow strong and overcome the harm and fear it has caused. There has been a long history of violence and inhumane acts which has devastated our beautiful people and land. As survivors, we choose to move forward in love and support with strong determination to unite Khmer people from every corner of the earth. Working together, we can realize our destiny of healing as a people.” 

Over a million leaders worldwide have joined the movement to restore Cambodia and are working together as a coalition to improve the standard of living and replace fear with hope, while providing resources and information.

Please see my Music and Media page for songs dedicated to the Cambodian people.

Deer Imagery

Why the deer?

The deer depicted on the book cover and throughout this site are not a decorative choice.

During one of my forced crossings along the Thai–Cambodian border, I was ordered to walk in front—through land that was heavily mined. As we moved forward, a small group of deer crossed ahead of us. One by one, they stepped onto hidden landmines.

Their sacrifice revealed the danger and stopped us from moving further.

Because they walked first, I survived.

Years later, I recognized the same animals carved into the ancient stone walls of Angkor — symbols of gentleness, awareness, and life moving quietly through danger.

This book is dedicated to them.