Preserving Khmer and Cham culture

As a province with a large population of ethnic minorities, An Giang possesses a treasure trove of unique cultural heritage, in which the culture of the Khmer and Cham people is a valuable resource that is always cared for and developed.

Cultural diversity of Khmer and Cham people

After the merger, An Giang province has the largest area and population in the Mekong Delta, with many ethnic groups living together. Each ethnic group has its own customs, traditions, traditional festivals, crafts, folk performing arts, cuisine , costumes and rich folk knowledge, contributing to creating a vibrant and colorful cultural picture. This is also a great potential for local tourism development.

After the Kinh people, the Khmer and Cham people account for a relatively large number. Originating from the typical culture, many unique tangible and intangible cultural heritages have been formed in the province such as: Bay Nui bull racing festival, knowledge and techniques of writing on palm leaves of the Khmer people, Di Ke performing art (O Lam commune), life cycle rituals of the Cham Islam people, brocade weaving of the Cham people (Chau Phong commune), palm sugar making of the Khmer people. In addition, there are also tangible cultural relics ranked as national relics such as: Mubarak Mosque (Chau Phong commune), Xvayton Pagoda (Tri Ton commune), Soc Xoai Pagoda (My Thuan commune), Four-Master Tower (Binh An commune) and provincial relics such as Snaydonkum Pagoda, Svay Ta Nap Pagoda (O Lam commune)...

The diverse culture of the Khmer and Cham people has contributed to creating a special highlight of An Giang in the eyes of domestic and international friends. Mr. Le Thien Binh, living in Ho Chi Minh City, shared: "We work in the tourism industry and have traveled to many places in the country, but the festivals of the Khmer people in An Giang have left us very impressed, especially the Bay Nui bull racing festival - a unique activity that cannot be found anywhere else."

After enjoying the brocade weaving of the Cham people in An Giang , Mads, a tourist from Denmark, said: "I have recorded many beautiful images of the weavers and will bring these images back to introduce to my friends and relatives so that they can see the skillful hands of the Cham village craftsmen."

Many conservation solutions

In the digital age, living conditions and the impact of the integration process pose many challenges to the work of preserving the culture of the Khmer and Cham people. However, this is also an opportunity to promote and spread cultural values through digital platforms. In recent times, An Giang has developed appropriate projects, plans and solutions to preserve and promote the cultural values of ethnic minorities in modern life.

Every year, cultural, sports and tourism festivals to honor the unique traditional cultural identity of the Cham and Khmer people are maintained and solemnly organized, thereby arousing pride and educating the young generation of Khmer and Cham people about the sense of responsibility in preserving and promoting the traditional values of their nation. In addition, cultural dissemination activities are also promoted through social networks and online platforms.

The effort to preserve and promote cultural values is not only reflected in the province's policies and plans but also comes from the enthusiasm of the Khmer and Cham communities themselves. Mr. Haji Abul Alim - Director of An Giang Cham Village Trade and Tourism Company Limited said: "We built the tourist attraction to introduce the uniqueness and traditions of the Cham people. When tourists come to the Cham village, they can experience our long-standing customs and practices, thereby, we also have the opportunity to spread our ethnic culture more widely."

In order to raise public awareness of the importance of cultural heritage, the Department of Culture and Sports has conducted an inventory, collection, and documentation of typical cultural heritages of the Khmer and Cham people. The collection and inventory focus on preserving the basic, core contents with unique identities, while completing the form for recording information on types of heritage for digitization, storage, and ensuring quick and accurate retrieval.

Khmer Cultural, Sports and Tourism Festival - a place to connect the community and promote cultural values. Photo: MY LINH

The cultural sector and localities also focus on teaching intangible culture such as: Language, writing, folk performing arts, social customs, traditional crafts, folk knowledge to the young generation of Khmer, Cham people and those working in conservation. In addition, traditional festivals are held annually such as Sel Dolta, Ok Om Bok, Roya Haji, Ramadan... along with reenacting the art of Di Ke and the life cycle rituals of the Cham Islam people.

In particular, the province has developed a project to preserve and promote the value of the national intangible cultural heritage of “Knowledge and techniques of writing on palm leaves of the Khmer people in An Giang province” until 2030. The project aims to inventory and classify palm leaf sutras; preserve and restore damaged sutras; provide preservation instructions for pagodas that are preserving them; document and digitize this heritage. In addition, there is a plan to create different versions to serve heritage education and tourism development; translate typical sutras to serve research, propaganda and widespread introduction.

Preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Khmer and Cham people not only contributes to preserving national identity but also opens up opportunities for tourism development and cultural exchange. This needs to be continued to be given attention, invested in long term and widely spread in the community.

MY LINH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/bao-ton-van-hoa-khmer-cham-a425841.html