On September 12, Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture and Sports organized a scientific seminar on Khanh Hoa's bai choi (Vietnam's traditional art form).
On September 12, Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture and Sports organized a scientific seminar on Khanh Hoa’s bai choi (Vietnam’s traditional art form). At the seminar, the researchers highly appreciated the efforts of Khanh Hoa in conserving bai choi and proposed some solutions to conserve and up hold the cultural values of this art form.
Efforts to conserve bai choi
Khanh Hoa was one of the nine provinces and cities in the Central coastal area appointed to prepare the nomination file of bai choi in the Central Vietnam to submit to UNESCO for being recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of the humanity. According to the Vietnamese Institute for Musicology, Khanh Hoa performed a high sense of responsibility in preparing the documentation.
The nomination file of bai choi was carried out by the Vietnamese Institute of Musicology and nine cities and provinces from Quang Binh to Khanh Hoa and was submitted to UNESCO in March 2016. This nomination has been examining by UNESCO; the result is expected to be announced at the meeting of UNESCO in South Korea at the end of 2017.
Le Van Hoa, Deputy Director of Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture and Sports, said that the province made a statistical survey on bai choi; incorporated bai choi into the public music festivals; supported the clubs and artisans in teaching bai choi; made documentary films about bai choi. In 2016, the provincial Cultural Center held a program to promote bai choi in schools at many schools over the province. The program partly helped the teachers and pupils to learn more about the formation and development of bai choi, way of playing bai choi, etc. The province’s education sector planed to include bai choi in the schools’ program.
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Reportedly, Khanh Hoa has the fourth largest number of bai choi artisans in the Central, in which there are many competent ones. Additionally, the province has a harmonious ratio between the male and female artisans. These elements are the advantage to conserve and up hold well this folk art form in the locality. “Holding regular bai choi festival at the beach park to serve the locals and tourists is a creative activity of Khanh Hoa, which is a good example in conserving and up holding bai choi,” said Associate Professor – PhD Nguyen Binh Dinh.
Bai choi should be incorporated into education program
As said by the researchers, there have been many difficulties in conserving and up holding bai choi. Some reasons are that most of competent bai choi artisans are growing old; young people are not interested in learning bai choi; there are fewer and fewer bai choi shows or festivals; the format of bai choi singing tends to be simplified.
At the seminar held in September 12, PhD Nguyen Thi Thu Trang of the Department of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) suggested some ideas to promote bai choi. For example, Khanh Hoa should submit a proposal to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to recognize Khanh Hoa’s bai choi as a national intangible cultural heritage; diversify bai choi shows or festivals to introduce this art form to more people; incorporating bai choi into high schools’ education program. Besides, the province should help bai choi artisans who had been recognized as Meritorious Artist to be bestowed with the title People’s Artist; help to open bai choi classes and organize bai choi shows to promote this art form; restore the format and performance styles which have fade into oblivion.
Song writer Dang Ba Oanh (Vietnamese Institute for Musicology) expressed his thought that the conservation of bai choi should be associated with the community. PhD Nguyen Thi Kim Hoa (Khanh Hoa) stated that incorporating bai choi into school’s education program is necessary to provide the students knowledge about the traditional culture. This will effectively help to promote bai choi among young people.
According to Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture and Sports, there are 341 people knowing to sing bai choi and play musical instruments in bai choi performances; and five bai choi clubs over the province.
Xuan Thanh
Translated by H.N
