Experts meet to preserve traditional culture

A talk held in Hanoi on September 22 reviewed the year-long media project that warned the public about the fragile existence of traditional arts and culture also attracted senior experts and government officials.
Can traditions continue to “live” in the modern world? What are the challenges for the preservation of culture and traditions in today’s society? What are the solutions to preserve this heritage? How can contemporary elements merge with intangible cultural heritages?
Such issues discussed at the meeting are the result of a series of 40 articles published in The Thao and Van Hoa Weekend (Sports & Culture) and Vietnam News Sunday editions since November 2008. Reporters from both newspapers, as well as some freelance journalists, went on field trips and reported the actual situation and conditions of cultural heritages and traditions, offering ideas for their preservation.
Both newspapers also organized two trips to seek the “treasures” of the Central Highlands in cooperation with two local television channels, VTV3 of the Vietnam Television (VTV) and VTC9 of the Vietnam Multimedia Corporation.
At the talk, researchers argued these heritages must not be separated from their cultural spaces in order to assure their preservation. For example, the cong chieng (gong) culture must remain in its villages and forests and also len dong singing must remain at the temples rather than being brought to the stage for entertainment purposes.
They also asserted that a combination of researchers and managers must be present to preserve cultural heritages effectively and to develop suitable policies to encourage the preservation of intangible heritages.
At the meeting, six artisans from Nam Dinh province gave a unique northern puppetry performance called “Roi Dau Go.”