Lesson 1 - Challenging old thinking

VHO - “Losing the Central Highlands” is the comment of many people when looking at the map of new provinces and cities after merging their boundaries and streamlining the administrative apparatus. But in reality, will the Central Highlands change, when all socio-economic activities, especially typical cultural events, still take place stably in the daily lives of the local people?

Even with more people participating in the Central Highlands arts and culture, cultural opportunities in this land will expand even more, with a more creative spatial vision and an opening up of regional cultural integration.

The "preservative" silences

In the fall of 2024, when the story of separating and merging ministries and sectors was raised, some individuals working in cultural activities in Dak Lak expressed their concern that the cultural activities of the provinces and cities would be affected, leading to changes in organizational and creative thinking.

How to connect indigenous cultures between the two lands is a big question for Dak Lak's cultural sector after the merger.

But soon after, a series of very rapid changes in the arrangement and reorganization of the administrative apparatus, provinces, and units took place, making those worries come true. Many people admitted that it was difficult to keep up with the speed of change, putting themselves in a position of being "eliminated" by the old way of thinking and working.

The year 2025 is marked as a year with many prominent historical and social events and issues, a great opportunity for the cultural sector to demonstrate many areas of activity and implement major programs.

Especially for provinces and cities, the 80-year milestone is a grandiose topic, attracting the social community and stimulating creativity in many artists.

In Dak Lak, the story of the liberation of the Central Highlands, which followed the 120th anniversary of the province's founding, was truly impressive, attracting the attention of many people.

The locality has launched a series of impressive programs to promote cultural and revolutionary values ​​of the times, on historical milestones, in harmony with the whole country, especially on the occasion of April 30.

However, hidden behind the excitement of the masses and the general heroic atmosphere, the cultural and artistic community and local artists do not have strong impacts.

Cultural art programs and community performances are widely held, but do not create strong attraction because they lack in-depth scripts and the impressions they should have...

A reasonable reason given is that this period was also the peak of administrative boundary mergers, restructuring of departments and branches in the local administrative apparatus, especially the resonance of activities between the old Dak Lak and the old Phu Yen .

Dak Lak strives to connect socio-cultural values ​​with a new spirit

Art programs, cultural exhibitions… do take place, but the harmonious connection between the two localities is not yet mature. In particular, many local artists choose to “keep quiet” so as not to focus on this specific field of activity, because they have to wait for arrangements, from the organizational apparatus to the role of individuals in the new cultural field.

This passivity is not without reason, even a famous artist when contacting reporters is also cautious, because he is afraid of "collision" in the thinking of cultural management after the merger. Preserving by remaining silent is actually a form of participation of the artist.

Journey of repositioning identity in new space

It is worth noting, according to Mr. Tran Hong Tien, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Lak, that in the face of the new requirements for change and arrangement, in general, cultural and artistic organizations and units, between the two localities and at the commune and ward levels, all agreed to participate.

The cultural apparatus at all levels is being rapidly restructured appropriately. In this, the role of individual artists, artisans, and local cultural activists is being promoted well.

They are the necessary bridges to reconnect indigenous cultural activities and establishments, while the grassroots administrative apparatus and sectors gradually stabilize.

One advantage of the Central Highlands cultural region is the indigenous independence that lies within each village and each traditional family. Dak Lak, as the focal point of convergence of 49 ethnic groups, makes this even clearer.

No matter how administrative management levels are reorganized, between those working in cultural and artistic activities here and the public, there is still a close and understanding relationship.

In the Central Highlands epics, there always exists the image of mountains and sea in harmony.

Therefore, behind the social activities, the local cultural team still creates and organizes its work. When these activities go deep into each village, cooperate with each artisan, each spiritual event, each religious form, they immediately receive a response from the people.

Therefore, in general, cultural activities in the Central Highlands at the grassroots level have not had major fluctuations in the overall picture of current events.

The new point that many artists and artisans are interested in is how to closely connect the basic cultural foundations after the merger, to create a common strength of professional values. In fact, many people believe that between the red soil plateau and the blue sea and white sand, there is a creative psychological gap.

However, according to Mr. Tran Hong Tien, if we follow the cultural imprints, there is always a connection between these two lands. For example, the epics of the Central Highlands always contain the image of the ocean as a community of the same rhythm.

In the epic Dam Di, the images of iron weapons, a cluster of bells and a wind flute used by the hero's brothers showed the close relationship between the plateau and the sea. The brother of Ho Bia, the son-in-law of the Kinh people, when returning to the village brought salt, wine..., all of which were agricultural and marine products.

The battles in the epic not only took place in the mountains and forests but also went into the deep sea; the hero Xing Monga was also loved by the daughter of the Water King...

That is to say, in the stories of Central Highlands culture, the connection between the mountain tribes and the coastal villages is present. Closely connecting that cultural space always means promoting cultural values, which perhaps due to the time context, we have subjectively separated.

Now, after the merger of borders, should Dak Lak and the Central Highlands welcome a new atmosphere, so that new local cultural and artistic pages can gradually manifest, integrating the spirit of mountain winds and sea waves?

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/bai-1-thach-thuc-tu-duy-cu-173188.html