Celebrating traditional culture
Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Head of the Central Propaganda Department Nguyen Trong Nghia and Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung presented the First Prize to the authors and representatives of the author groups. Journalist Tran Huan (far left), from Van Hoa Newspaper, won the prize with his 8-photo report "People who breathe life into the land to become a World Heritage site". Photo: Son Hai
The story told through these elaborate photographs is about Bau Truc village, located in Ward 7, Phuoc Dan town, Ninh Phuoc district, Ninh Thuan province. Hundreds of years old, it is considered the oldest pottery village in Southeast Asia, still preserving its traditional handcrafted pottery techniques quite well. The Cham pottery art in Vietnam has been included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Photo from the artwork "The Man Who Breathed Life into a World Heritage Site". Photo: Tran Huan
What's special is that the Cham people make pottery using traditional techniques and processes, maintained by families and artisans for generations under a matriarchal system of "mother-to-daughter inheritance." This place is considered a museum of traditional Cham pottery, where people live in Ninh Thuan and other coastal provinces of South Central Vietnam... These unique aspects inspired journalist Tran Huan to visit and explore this area.
Despite experiencing many ups and downs throughout its development, traditional Cham pottery has endured over time, retaining its essence and the pristine, rustic yet artistic beauty of this ancient pottery region. Through skillful hands and traditional techniques, the people here have breathed life into clay, transforming it into products and objects of high artistic and aesthetic value, creating the unique and lasting value of Cham pottery.
Always striving for timely, comprehensive, and up-to-date information, and to promote, introduce, preserve, and enhance the value of national cultural heritage, journalist Tran Huan has dedicated much time to creating the journalistic work "The Man Who Breathed Life into a World Heritage Site" to contribute a small part to the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of our ancestors.
Journalist Tran Huan shared: “This heritage is a unique traditional craft made entirely by hand with skillful techniques and simple tools to create incredibly unique products with high artistic and aesthetic value. The main cultural subjects and practitioners are Cham women. Through information gathering, it has been found that there are currently very few artisans and pottery makers left, and the heritage is at risk of disappearing due to urbanization affecting the space of the craft village, the availability of raw materials, the high cost of materials, the aging of skilled artisans, the lack of interest from the younger generation, and the lack of product diversity… From these ideas, I developed an outline and received support and feedback from the Editorial Board to conduct my creative work in Bau Truc pottery village in Phuoc Dan town, Ninh Phuoc district, Ninh Thuan province.”
With skillful hands and traditional techniques, the artisans have breathed life into clay, transforming it into products and objects of high artistic and aesthetic value, creating the unique and enduring value of Cham pottery. Photo: Tran Huan
Like many of his colleagues, cultural reporters like journalist Tran Huan also face a lot of pressure in choosing and finding topics that attract readers. Participating in cultural, sports, and tourism events also requires quick reporting, objective and truthful information, accuracy, and the fastest possible submission of news articles to the agency.
Journalists working in the cultural field must constantly seek out and explore groundbreaking topics and content that others haven't yet discovered. In addition, each reporter needs to diligently accumulate knowledge and experience to create works that are both profound in content and nuanced, and that are emotionally resonant, making their work captivating from the very first glance.
Preserving the unique and enduring value of the heritage.
The work "The Man Who Breathed Life into the Land to Become a World Heritage Site" was meticulously planned by journalist Tran Huan, from the content concept, composition, lighting, space, and timing of the shoot. However, many difficulties arose in practice. Currently, the number of artisans and pottery makers is very small and they do not work regularly; their work is scattered across a large village area, and the products are not diverse. Moreover, while it's not difficult to photograph this field, capturing beautiful and emotionally resonant images is not easy at all.
According to him, the photos must showcase the diligence and hard work of the potters, from their graceful postures bending at the workbench with skillful hands, to the meticulous polishing techniques that create a beautiful shine on the products, alongside their eyes, soul, and concentration in creating aesthetically pleasing products. In particular, these are passionate artisans dedicated to preserving their craft, wishing to pass on their knowledge to the younger generation, and promoting the art of pottery making to domestic and international tourists, demonstrating that the Cham pottery art will be preserved and endure.
Every moment, composition, lighting, and framing therefore requires careful calculation to create a complete work that leaves a deep impression on the viewer… And that is also a significant creative pressure for photojournalists. To obtain vivid and authentic photos that allow viewers to easily visualize the value of the Bau Truc pottery village in Ninh Thuan, Tran Huan spent more than a week approaching, getting to know, and bonding with the people in this pottery village.
Journalist Tran Huan - Culture Newspaper. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.
Journalist Tran Huan shared: "Through this work, I want to convey to readers and those who love ceramic art and traditional culture the beauty in the labor of pottery makers, their creativity, meticulousness, and dedication to the craft. Despite the ups and downs throughout its development, the traditional Cham pottery has been preserved and has survived over time, retaining its essence and the pristine, rustic yet artistic beauty of this ancient pottery region."
It can be said that in the context of a market economy, negative impacts have created considerable pressure and challenges for the protection, preservation, and promotion of the original value of heritage sites. With their roles and responsibilities, journalists specializing in culture have been contributing to the preservation and promotion of Vietnam's cultural heritage. Each photograph by journalist Tran Huan contributes significantly to raising public awareness and encouraging collective efforts in preserving heritage…
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