The Department of Culture and Sports of HCMC has kicked off the “Promotion and preservation of the value of the intangible cultural heritage, Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo (southern amateur music) in HCMC from now until 2025”.
A performance of Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo
The plan conducted by the People’s Committee of the city aims to preserve the cultural space of the UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage, Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo (southern amateur music).
The project focuses on conserving performance style, and artists’ activities, promoting folk music in tourism development and training new generations in this traditional performance art at schools.
The “Promotion and preservation of the value of the intangible cultural heritage, Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo (southern amateur music) in HCMC from now until 2025” project will be carried out in accordance with the Law on Cultural Heritage under close connectivity between competent departments and agencies, including the HCMC Cultural Center, HCMC Museum, the General Sciences Library of HCMC, HCMC Exhibition and Information Center, the city’s Department of Cultural Heritages, HCMC Conservatory Of Music, University of Theater and Cinema of HCMC, the People’s Committees of districts and Thu Duc City, researchers and artisans.
UNESCO recognized Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The southern amateur traditional music was recognized for the prize at the 8th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Baku, Azerbaijan in December 2013.
The southern traditional music style has been honored because it is a legacy passed through generations to recreate cultural exchanges between ethnic groups, according to experts in UNESCO.
Born 100 years ago, it has been a long-standing cultural tradition in the Mekong Delta since the end of the 19th century. Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo meets the criteria because it is passed down through generations in southern provinces, re-created via cultural exchanges, and presented a concord and respect among ethnic groups.
By Thuy Binh – Translated by Kim Khanh
