Connecting communities through cultural identity

Connect from identity, develop from consensus

In Ham Yen district, four administrative units including Nhan Muc, Bang Coc, Tan Thanh communes and Tan Yen town are expected to be merged to form a new commune named Ham Yen according to the plan approved in Resolution 10 of the Provincial People's Council. This is an area with a large population of Tay ethnic people, where the Tinh lute and Then lyrics have become a core part of community life.

As soon as information about the merger was released, the two Then singing and Tinh instrument clubs in Nhan Muc and Bang Coc communes proactively organized regular meetings to create a common playground for members. Folk artists and elders, including Mr. Nguyen Van Hoe, Head of the Then singing and Tinh instrument club in Nhan Muc commune and Ms. Hoang Thi Chanh, Head of the Bang Coc commune club, were the pioneers in connecting the core forces.

“We sing not only to preserve culture, but also to help people from the two communes understand each other better. Culture is what brings people closer together,” said Nguyen Van Hoe, Head of the Then singing and Tinh playing club in Nhan Muc commune. Hoang Thi Chanh, Head of the Bang Coc commune club, said: “When communes are merged, people sing together, have fun together, and are proud of their national identity, then administrative distance is no longer a barrier.”

Then singing and Tinh instrument club of Nhan Muc commune exchanges with Bang Coc commune club (Ham Yen).

The resounding Tinh zither sounds and the heartfelt Then words will transcend old boundaries, connecting the community, helping people in villages and hamlets feel more familiar when preparing to become a new commune. There is no longer the mentality of “our commune, other people’s commune”, instead there are handshakes, nods of promise to build a Ham Yen rich in culture and strong in solidarity.

Combining tradition with innovation

In Ninh Lai commune (Son Duong), on weekends, people in Cay Da 1 village hear the simple, soulful lyrics of the Soong Co tune - a traditional form of love-song singing of the San Diu ethnic group. The leader of the class is none other than the excellent artist Do Thi Man, 64 years old this year, one of the elderly people who has devoted their whole life to preserving the national singing identity.

The class is not only for teenagers and young women, but also attracts women from neighboring communes to come and study. Ms. Man shared: “I want everyone to be able to sing the Soong Co tune together in the future. By merging the new commune according to the common policy, no one will lose anything, only more neighborly love and understanding of each other.”

According to Resolution 10, Ninh Lai commune will merge with two neighboring communes, Thien Ke and Son Nam, to form a new commune called Son Thuy. All three communes have in common a large population of San Diu ethnic people (accounting for over 70%), with many similar cultural features. However, according to local people, each commune still has certain differences in singing style, festival organization, and religious customs. The merger, therefore, is not only a change in boundaries but also a process of harmonizing identities in community life.

Comrade Hoang Van Canh, Secretary of the Ninh Lai Commune Party Committee, noted: “Over the years, Ms. Do Thi Man and many artisans and elderly people in the commune have made many positive contributions to preserving and promoting the traditional cultural identity of the San Diu ethnic group. In particular, maintaining the Soong Co singing class is a good model, of great significance ineducating the younger generation about traditions, while creating cohesion in the community in the face of upcoming administrative changes.

In the coming time, we will continue to encourage and create conditions for artisans and the elderly to have more space and opportunities to spread the values ​​of national culture. The merger of the three communes of Ninh Lai, Thien Ke and Son Nam into the new commune of Son Thuy is a step in line with the province's policy and is very favorable when all three communes have common characteristics with the majority being San Diu people. On that basis, cultural preservation activities will have expanded development space, contributing to enhancing the spirit of solidarity, building and developing the new administrative unit in the direction of serving the people, focusing on the grassroots level".

In the process of merging commune-level administrative units, the role of artisans and the elderly is increasingly evident as cultural “bridges”, preservers of customs, and at the same time create consensus from the grassroots. In Nhan Muc, Bang Coc, Tan Thanh, Tan Yen or Ninh Lai, Son Nam, Thien Ke… the sound of Tinh lute, Then lyrics, and Soong Co melodies continue to resound, persistent, profound, solid and full of humanity.

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/gan-ket-cong-dong-tu-ban-sac-van-hoa-211757.html