UNESCO experts back ca tru singing for world heritage status

      Two UNESCO experts have said that that the ca tru singing tradition meets five standards for being recognized as the world intangible cultural heritage of urgent protection, according to a senior official.
A newspaper sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism quotes the Deputy Director of the Ministry’s Cultural Heritage Department that the foreign experts recommended that UNESCO add ca tru to its heritage list after a recent study trip to Vietnam.
It appears, therefore, that a campaign by afficianados of the ancient song style has succeeded.
Ca tru singing grew out of folk festivals in the countryside of northern Vietnam where dao nuong, female artists, would ply their trade. The troupe comprised two or three singers with a male accompanist. The women would sing songs based on well-known poems in turn through the night.
By the late 19th century, the style had become popular at high class cabarets and wine shops in Hanoi. The girls who performed in these places acquired a reputation for style and easy virtue – though their lives were hard. After the Vietnamese revolution succeeded in driving the French from the capital, however, the ca tru venues were closed and the singers were rehabilitated.
Now ca tru’s association with the demimonde is all but forgotten, and ca tru singing is remembered as a pure and classical art form.
Vietnam submitted its petition on behalf of ca tru to UNESCO in March 2009. Once the UN agency had verified the completeness of the documents, it sent researchers to verify that the ca tru tradition is in fact sustained by communities in Vietnam. These experts from the International Traditional Music Council confirmed commitments by 22 ca tru music clubs to protect ca tru through their action plans.
The Culture Ministry official, Le Thi Minh Ly, said that her agency has received the UNESCO evaluation reports, which will be published on UNESCO’s website in late August.
“Reading their evaluation reports, I see that the experts deeply understood the history and vitality of ca tru,” Ly said. “They analysed it carefully with reference to each of the five standards set by UNESCO.. They had several comments and asked Vietnam to make clear or emphasise some points. Briefly, they agreed with Vietnam’s self assessment. In their conclusions, both stressed that Vietnam’s ca tru style should be recognized as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage that needs urgent protection.”
Other traditions will also be nominated
Like another Vietnamese song style, the quan ho (love duet) tradition of Bac Ninh province, ca tru awaits the UNESCO Council’s formal recognition at a meeting on September 29 to October 2.
A file for another traditional northern singing style, hat xoan, which developed in Phu Tho province, will be submitted to UNESCO next March. According to Ly, Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) epics, water puppetry, Bau Truc pottery, and the Thanh Giong ‘mother goddess’ Festival are potential nominees.