Boost more motivation for preservation of Gong cultural space in Central Highlands
“Preserving and developing the value of the space of Gong culture in Gia Lai in the period of 2023-2025” plan is expected to bring a new vitality, boosting more motivation for the heritage preservation in localities in the whirlwind of modern culture threads.
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| Gia Lai province has implemented many solutions and action programs to protect the gong cultural space. (Photo: Hoang Ngoc) |
In recent years, the spaces of Gong culture in Vietnam Highlands in general and Gia Lai in particular, have also encountered massive challenges. Many traditional rituals and indigenous cultural spaces are buried in oblivion in the lives of ethnic communities. The situation of draining gongs, villages completely lacking gong-sinus rhythms, silencing epic melodies that captivate people’s hearts is no longer rare in Gia Lai.
New vitality
Faced with the above situation, Gia Lai has implemented solutions and action programs to protect the gong cultural space. Most recently, the People’s Committee of Gia Lai province issued Decision No.09/QD-UBND approving the Project to preserve and develop the value of the space of Gong culture in Gia Lai in the period of 2023-2025.
Accordingly, the general goal of the Project is to preserve and promote the good traditional values of the gong cultural space in the province, in accordance with socio-economic development, the trend of international integration and association with local tourism improvement; widely promote the gong cultural space in Gia Lai to and international friends.
The Projects aims at 4 goals: Statistics of existing gong sets, artisans practicing gong performances, artisans tuning gongs, traditional gong music; Building 6 traditional “communal house-water wharf” models of the Bahnar and Jrai aimed at restoring the gong space; Renovating a number of traditional festivals using gongs of the Bahnar and Jrai in the province; Maintaining the practice of gong performances in Bahnar and Jrai ethnic villages throughout the province.
The 8 component contents and projects of the Project include: Project to investigate gongs and gongs practitioners in the province; Project to restore a number of rituals and festivals using gongs of the Bahnar and Jrai in the province; Project to organize classes to teach gong playing and tuning for the Bahnar and Jrai in the province; Organize training courses on preserving and promoting the heritage value of the gong space for district and commune level officials; Organize scientific seminars on gongs combined with photo exhibitions of community activities using gongs; Organize the regional gong festival and the Central Highlands gong cultural festival in Gia Lai province twice a year; Project to restore the gong cultural space; Project to build the Gallery of the gong cultural space.
Unique tourism products
In an effort to preserve the gong cultural space, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Gia Lai province organized the “Weekend Gongs” model. This was first held on April 30 – May 1, 2022, at Dai Doan Ket Square, Pleiku city. The model is a rotating activity between artisan troupes of the Bahnar and Jrai, with the participation of about 40 artisans each night, taking place every Saturday night from 7pm to 9pm.
The “Weekend Gongs” program (the Program) each night includes: Gong performance combined with traditional dance (suang), folk singing and dancing, performance of bamboo musical instruments, reconstruction of excerpts of traditional rituals and festivals. In addition, tourists can take photos with artisans, discover traditional culture, experience dancing or playing gongs, and also enjoy wine and grilled chicken prepared by artisan groups.
The gongs, musical instruments, costumes, and props used by artisans in the Program are all original, true to tradition, with basically no modern or innovative elements. The activity takes place in an airy natural space on green grass, under the trees, without a stage. Artisan groups participate with freedom and comfort in expressing the traditional cultural beauty of their people.
The model has initially achieved success in efforts to preserve and promote cultural heritage values, combined with tourism development in Gia Lai province. According to Gia Lai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, every night, “Weekend Gongs” attracts thousands of tourists and locals to attend, many people held hands and danced with Bahnar and Jrai artisans.
Not only domestic and foreign tourists, many students have considered the Program an interesting destination and a necessary supplement to the local educational program they have to learn at school. Most of the audience coming to the Program use social networking sites, therefore, images and videos about gong culture are spread more widely.
The Program is also an occasion for artisans to have a space to practice their heritage and freely create the heritage they hold. The birth of the model has facilitated for gongs to return to their original environment, artisans to naturally express the nations’s cultural beauty. At the same time, it has become a fascinating experience for tourists, contributing to promoting local tourism development, and widely introducing the image of Gia Lai province and people.
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| Artisans join in street gong performances. (Photo: Duc Thuy) |
Adding more catalysts
Coming to Gia Lai this November, tourists will enjoy a lively festival season on the plateau. The Gong Cultural Festival with the theme “Cultural Colors” lasting from November 11 to 12, gather about 1.000 Bahnar and Jrai artisans and ethnic minority communities in some Central Highlands provinces jointly displayed the most unique features of the gong cultural space.
The reunion was even more meaningful when the Jrai artisan group had just returned from performing at the World Sound Festival (Jeonju International Sori Festival) in Korea.
Master, Head of the Cultural Management Department (Gia Lai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism), Head of the artisan group Nguyen Quang Tue said: “Participating in the World Sound Festival, among modern devices and music, out of 11 participating countries, only Vietnam and Chile brought folk music on the stage. That’s why we receive the attention, following and support of a large audience throughout the programs”.
Returning from Korea, each artisan brought with them a great sense of pride and a desire to spread and share their own experiences in the “land of kimchi”, thereby arousing in each person the love and desire to perform, bringing gongs beyond the village and enhance values to preserve and promote identity.
The Gong Cultural Festival is a great opportunity for each member to realize the statue, role, and responsibility of the “owner” of the gong cultural space, thereby trying to practice skillfully, bringing the soul into each tone.
Mr. Tue said that the periodic organization of the Gong Cultural Festival plays as a catalyst for preserving and promoting the identity values of Gia Lai in particular and the Central Highlands in general. “Through each festival, people are once again reminded of the unique culture that their ancestors have passed down from thousands of generations, and are encouraged to restore and preserve, learn and further promote”, he shared.
At the Festival, apart from enjoying the distinctive gong performances at the opening night of the Provincial Culture-Tourism Week, residents and tourists can also join in the street festival program with parades and performances by gong groups. Besides, the tree-lined space of Dai Doan Ket Square is an ideal place for units to recreate the village space on festive occasions, bustling with gongs. Some localities will also restore important worship ceremonies in people’s lives following traditional customs of the locals.
Believe that, with efforts, Gia Lai people will love traditional musical instruments, indigenous festivals, and be enthusiastic about preserving and promoting the heritage value of the gong cultural space day by day.
| In 2005, the spaces of Gong culture in Vietnam Highlands was recognized by UNESCO as a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. This title has now been changed to “UNESCO Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage”. |
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