Du ke, a style of musical theatre created by Khmer people in southernVietnam in the early 1920s, is returning to the stage in its nativeregion thanks to a handful of dedicated troupes.
"It is not a mission impossible," said Thach Muni, member of theSouthwest Region Steering Committee and former manager of Anh Binh Minh,a Khmer art troupe.
"It is even easy if we follow aclear plan because Du ke has not fallen into oblivion yet. It is just ata standstill, and has not been able to keep pace with the fast modernlife."
Du ke, or L'khon Ba Sac singing drama of theBa Sac river region, was created by ethnic Khmer people in the south ofVietnam in the early 1920s, and spread widely in the region and toneighbouring Cambodia.
The south of the country hasnot just been blessed with natural beauty and bounty, it has also beenfortunate to enjoy a rich cultural diversity that is reflected in itsfolk art forms.
This can be seen in the singingtraditions of different ethnic communities in the region, be it cailuong and don ca tai tu of the Viet people, Tieu and Quang of the ethnicChinese, the Ro bam and Du ke of the Khmer.
Amongthese, Du ke has a great advantage in comparison with others, reflectinga cultural interaction that sees one art form influenced by the othereven as each retains its distinct characteristics.
Du ke has absorbed the quintessence of cai luong, Ro bam, Tieu as well as Cambodia's Di ke, Muni said.
The singing drama uses poetry based on the great Indian epics, Ramayana and the Mahabharata, he added.
Dr Pham Tiet Khanh, principal of the Tra Vinh University, said Du kehas humble roots. It does not spring from royalty but workers in theMekong Delta.
In the early days, it was performed onland, under a simple roof. Actors were peasants turning into kings,queens and ogresses.
Some accounts say Du keoriginated in Tra Vinh in 1921 by someone called Son Kuu, while otherscredit a person called Ly Kon in Soc Trang. But in general, it is theproduct of the creativity of Khmer people on either banks of the Ba SacRiver.
Before 1980, there was one Du ke troupe forevery two or three hamlets. They performed almost every night toentertain the Khmer people, Muni said.
From theearly 1980s, the art troupes began breaking up as a result of the harshpost-war period, compounded by consecutive droughts and poor crops,pushing people's life into difficulties, said Nguyen Dai Duc, deputydirector of the Tra Vinh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
"Most of these troupes had been established spontaneously, and therewas a lack of tight structure and complete scripts. There was also alack of training, building adequate stage props and professionalism."
However, while amateur Du ke troupes disappeared inthe 80s, there were five State-supported Khmer art troupes - Anh BinhMinh in Tra Vinh, and others in Kien Giang, Soc Trang and Bac Lieuprovinces, Muni said.
He said the Khmer languagetelevision programme of Vietnam Television in the Mekong Delta region,and of radio and television stations of Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu,Ca Mau, An Giang and Kien Giang provinces have done their best topreserve and promote Du ke.
In 1985, Anh Binh Minhperformed Moi tinh Bopha-Rangxay (Bopha-Rangxay love affair) at thenational professional theatre festival in Quy Nhon city, Binh Dinhprovince, and won the gold medal.
Du ke was then recognised by the Ministry of Culture and Information as a national theatre art.
The potential and possibility for reviving the somewhat dormant artform was seen over the first six months of this year when the troupeperformed for a total of 97 nights at 13 communes in four districts withdominant Khmer populations, Duc said, adding the performances attractedaround 44,000 people.
One interesting fact was thatthe troupe was able to sell double the number of tickets forperformances using modern scripts as opposed to those using traditionalscripts.
This showed that the quality of scriptsneed to be tailored to the tastes of a new audience, and that youngpeople do seem to be attracted by "exotic culture", Duc said.
Maybe it is because many young Khmer people have already left theregion for work and do not have the chance to enjoy their own art, Munisurmised.
He added that a Du ke play is about two tothree hours long, and this could make it less interesting forpresent-day audiences.
"Writers should make it shorter so more people can enjoy the art," he said.
Khanh of the Tra Vinh University said that despite the encouraginginterest in Du ke, revival of the art genre faces many challenges -scripts, actors, instrumentalists and a lack of opportunities toperform.
"The reason is that learning to acting and compose Du ke plays is not easy."
He said Du ke is a kind of "general art" that requires actors to haveaptitude and knowledge of singing, dancing and acting, not to mention agood music sense.
He said that at present, the onlyplaces where Du ke can be learnt are with the troupes, which might notbe the most effective way in a fast-paced modern life.
At previous conferences about preserving the ethnic Khmer culture inthe south, most researchers had spoken of the need to develop a group ofcomposers, directors, instrumentalists, actors and actress, besidesfocusing on writing scripts that correspond to contemporary life.
TV's role
Pham Phi Thuong, director of VTV Can Tho, said that from aprofessional standpoint, his station has been the main force over thepast 20 years in producing Du ke plays for television.
Since 1990, the station has screened nearly 90 plays mostly by AnhBinh Minh and troupes in Soc Trang, Kien Giang and Bac Lieu
"The dramas were then shared with local televisions to meet the demandof Khmer people living in 20 districts of Mekong Delta provinces,"Thuong said.
"Especially noteworthy is that severaltelevision stations of Cambodia asked permission to broadcast several Duke plays of VTV Can Tho."
But Thuong also said that in recent years, producing Du ke dramas for television has faced many challenges.
"Its attraction has gradually faded due to the socioeconomicsituation, and the profusion of modern television entertainmentprogrammes," he said.
"And art troupes havedifficulties in finding scripts, there is lack of composers andwell-trained actors, and not enough investment."
Thuong said most Du ke scripts have been based on Khmer literary works and old stories with similar plots.
"Only two in the total of 90 plays were screened by VTV Can Tho thatdeal with modern society. The rest are all classical," he said.
"There are also scripts modified from Vietnamese language literaryworks and cai luong plays, but these have not made much of an impressionon the audience."
Muni said several composers inthe Mekong Delta have deep knowledge of the art, like Thach Chan, NgoKhi, Son Luong, Dao Chuon, Thach So Vanh Nen and Thach Muni.
Those composers has made important contributions to developing Du kefor the last 30 years, but their number is "not enough".
Very few composers who are experimenting with modern scripts, Thuong said.
He said that in recent years, some troupes were producing "an average of two plays a year", while others did nothing.
This makes it hard for VTV Can Tho to keep producing Du ke plays under a long-term plan, he said.
However, he also asserted that Du ke can develop if it receives properinvestment and clear orientation from the Government.
"In the short term, it needs to have professional training for a largenumber of members of amateur and professional artistic troupes, andgifted young people; and Khmer authors need to be encouraged to write Duke scripts."
Thuong felt a periodical composingcamp should be held to help script writers discuss and motivate eachother to be more creative.
Tourism product
Several research reports have proposed that Du ke is developed into atourism product as a way to preserve and promote the art.
Phan Thi Thu Hien, head of Korean Studies Faculty in the Ho Chi MinhCity University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said Vietnam needs tolearn from the success of other countries in bringing into play thenation's traditions.
"Korean mask dance Hahoe is a model with solutions that should be used as a reference," she said.
Hahoe, which dates back to the 12th century, had fallen into oblivionfor more than 40 years before it was restored in 1973.
It is now performed as a part of traditional festivals in villages, attracting people from all over the country.
Its regular weekend performances have attracted more and more domesticand international tourists to Hahoe village, she said.
Likewise, "Du ke is performed on holidays and festivals of Khmerpeople including Chol Chnam Thmay, Sen Dolta and Ooc-Om-Boc. It attractsnot just Khmer people, but other communities in the region," she said.
"So we can believe that Du ke has the potential and ability to succeed like the Hahoe mask dance."
Hien said Du ke is visually more attractive than Hahoe mask dancebecause its costumes have been influenced by the cai luong (reformedtheatre) art form and by Chinese Tieu singing.
"However, to preserve and develop this art form as a tourism product, itneeds to better exploit its strengths related to the legends, belief,habits and customs of Khmer pagodas and villages."
Nguyen Thi Khanh Tram, who is with the Vietnam Institute of Culture andArt Studies in Ho Chi Minh City, compared Du ke to the dance dramaBarong of Bali Island in Indonesia.
She said bothart forms are attractive and cannot only entertaining, but also open awindow for visitors into local culture.
"If Barong is an attractive tourism product, Du ke will definitely emulate in the near future," she said.
She also suggested that stages to perform Du ke are set up at pagodas and Khmer communal sites.
"A fixed performance place is required for tourism. One performance aweek at a famous pagoda will be a reasonable start," Tram said.
"It can then be increased to twice a week and then once a day as visitor interest increases."
Performances should be short, maybe the most interesting part of a story, she said.
Tram also suggested the development of Du ke plays for children as away for younger generations to access and learn to love this art form.
All the experts agreed that a major tourism boost forDu ke would be its recognition as an intangible cultural heritage byUNESCO.-VNA
"It is not a mission impossible," said Thach Muni, member of theSouthwest Region Steering Committee and former manager of Anh Binh Minh,a Khmer art troupe.
"It is even easy if we follow aclear plan because Du ke has not fallen into oblivion yet. It is just ata standstill, and has not been able to keep pace with the fast modernlife."
Du ke, or L'khon Ba Sac singing drama of theBa Sac river region, was created by ethnic Khmer people in the south ofVietnam in the early 1920s, and spread widely in the region and toneighbouring Cambodia.
The south of the country hasnot just been blessed with natural beauty and bounty, it has also beenfortunate to enjoy a rich cultural diversity that is reflected in itsfolk art forms.
This can be seen in the singingtraditions of different ethnic communities in the region, be it cailuong and don ca tai tu of the Viet people, Tieu and Quang of the ethnicChinese, the Ro bam and Du ke of the Khmer.
Amongthese, Du ke has a great advantage in comparison with others, reflectinga cultural interaction that sees one art form influenced by the othereven as each retains its distinct characteristics.
Du ke has absorbed the quintessence of cai luong, Ro bam, Tieu as well as Cambodia's Di ke, Muni said.
The singing drama uses poetry based on the great Indian epics, Ramayana and the Mahabharata, he added.
Dr Pham Tiet Khanh, principal of the Tra Vinh University, said Du kehas humble roots. It does not spring from royalty but workers in theMekong Delta.
In the early days, it was performed onland, under a simple roof. Actors were peasants turning into kings,queens and ogresses.
Some accounts say Du keoriginated in Tra Vinh in 1921 by someone called Son Kuu, while otherscredit a person called Ly Kon in Soc Trang. But in general, it is theproduct of the creativity of Khmer people on either banks of the Ba SacRiver.
Before 1980, there was one Du ke troupe forevery two or three hamlets. They performed almost every night toentertain the Khmer people, Muni said.
From theearly 1980s, the art troupes began breaking up as a result of the harshpost-war period, compounded by consecutive droughts and poor crops,pushing people's life into difficulties, said Nguyen Dai Duc, deputydirector of the Tra Vinh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
"Most of these troupes had been established spontaneously, and therewas a lack of tight structure and complete scripts. There was also alack of training, building adequate stage props and professionalism."
However, while amateur Du ke troupes disappeared inthe 80s, there were five State-supported Khmer art troupes - Anh BinhMinh in Tra Vinh, and others in Kien Giang, Soc Trang and Bac Lieuprovinces, Muni said.
He said the Khmer languagetelevision programme of Vietnam Television in the Mekong Delta region,and of radio and television stations of Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu,Ca Mau, An Giang and Kien Giang provinces have done their best topreserve and promote Du ke.
In 1985, Anh Binh Minhperformed Moi tinh Bopha-Rangxay (Bopha-Rangxay love affair) at thenational professional theatre festival in Quy Nhon city, Binh Dinhprovince, and won the gold medal.
Du ke was then recognised by the Ministry of Culture and Information as a national theatre art.
The potential and possibility for reviving the somewhat dormant artform was seen over the first six months of this year when the troupeperformed for a total of 97 nights at 13 communes in four districts withdominant Khmer populations, Duc said, adding the performances attractedaround 44,000 people.
One interesting fact was thatthe troupe was able to sell double the number of tickets forperformances using modern scripts as opposed to those using traditionalscripts.
This showed that the quality of scriptsneed to be tailored to the tastes of a new audience, and that youngpeople do seem to be attracted by "exotic culture", Duc said.
Maybe it is because many young Khmer people have already left theregion for work and do not have the chance to enjoy their own art, Munisurmised.
He added that a Du ke play is about two tothree hours long, and this could make it less interesting forpresent-day audiences.
"Writers should make it shorter so more people can enjoy the art," he said.
Khanh of the Tra Vinh University said that despite the encouraginginterest in Du ke, revival of the art genre faces many challenges -scripts, actors, instrumentalists and a lack of opportunities toperform.
"The reason is that learning to acting and compose Du ke plays is not easy."
He said Du ke is a kind of "general art" that requires actors to haveaptitude and knowledge of singing, dancing and acting, not to mention agood music sense.
He said that at present, the onlyplaces where Du ke can be learnt are with the troupes, which might notbe the most effective way in a fast-paced modern life.
At previous conferences about preserving the ethnic Khmer culture inthe south, most researchers had spoken of the need to develop a group ofcomposers, directors, instrumentalists, actors and actress, besidesfocusing on writing scripts that correspond to contemporary life.
TV's role
Pham Phi Thuong, director of VTV Can Tho, said that from aprofessional standpoint, his station has been the main force over thepast 20 years in producing Du ke plays for television.
Since 1990, the station has screened nearly 90 plays mostly by AnhBinh Minh and troupes in Soc Trang, Kien Giang and Bac Lieu
"The dramas were then shared with local televisions to meet the demandof Khmer people living in 20 districts of Mekong Delta provinces,"Thuong said.
"Especially noteworthy is that severaltelevision stations of Cambodia asked permission to broadcast several Duke plays of VTV Can Tho."
But Thuong also said that in recent years, producing Du ke dramas for television has faced many challenges.
"Its attraction has gradually faded due to the socioeconomicsituation, and the profusion of modern television entertainmentprogrammes," he said.
"And art troupes havedifficulties in finding scripts, there is lack of composers andwell-trained actors, and not enough investment."
Thuong said most Du ke scripts have been based on Khmer literary works and old stories with similar plots.
"Only two in the total of 90 plays were screened by VTV Can Tho thatdeal with modern society. The rest are all classical," he said.
"There are also scripts modified from Vietnamese language literaryworks and cai luong plays, but these have not made much of an impressionon the audience."
Muni said several composers inthe Mekong Delta have deep knowledge of the art, like Thach Chan, NgoKhi, Son Luong, Dao Chuon, Thach So Vanh Nen and Thach Muni.
Those composers has made important contributions to developing Du kefor the last 30 years, but their number is "not enough".
Very few composers who are experimenting with modern scripts, Thuong said.
He said that in recent years, some troupes were producing "an average of two plays a year", while others did nothing.
This makes it hard for VTV Can Tho to keep producing Du ke plays under a long-term plan, he said.
However, he also asserted that Du ke can develop if it receives properinvestment and clear orientation from the Government.
"In the short term, it needs to have professional training for a largenumber of members of amateur and professional artistic troupes, andgifted young people; and Khmer authors need to be encouraged to write Duke scripts."
Thuong felt a periodical composingcamp should be held to help script writers discuss and motivate eachother to be more creative.
Tourism product
Several research reports have proposed that Du ke is developed into atourism product as a way to preserve and promote the art.
Phan Thi Thu Hien, head of Korean Studies Faculty in the Ho Chi MinhCity University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said Vietnam needs tolearn from the success of other countries in bringing into play thenation's traditions.
"Korean mask dance Hahoe is a model with solutions that should be used as a reference," she said.
Hahoe, which dates back to the 12th century, had fallen into oblivionfor more than 40 years before it was restored in 1973.
It is now performed as a part of traditional festivals in villages, attracting people from all over the country.
Its regular weekend performances have attracted more and more domesticand international tourists to Hahoe village, she said.
Likewise, "Du ke is performed on holidays and festivals of Khmerpeople including Chol Chnam Thmay, Sen Dolta and Ooc-Om-Boc. It attractsnot just Khmer people, but other communities in the region," she said.
"So we can believe that Du ke has the potential and ability to succeed like the Hahoe mask dance."
Hien said Du ke is visually more attractive than Hahoe mask dancebecause its costumes have been influenced by the cai luong (reformedtheatre) art form and by Chinese Tieu singing.
"However, to preserve and develop this art form as a tourism product, itneeds to better exploit its strengths related to the legends, belief,habits and customs of Khmer pagodas and villages."
Nguyen Thi Khanh Tram, who is with the Vietnam Institute of Culture andArt Studies in Ho Chi Minh City, compared Du ke to the dance dramaBarong of Bali Island in Indonesia.
She said bothart forms are attractive and cannot only entertaining, but also open awindow for visitors into local culture.
"If Barong is an attractive tourism product, Du ke will definitely emulate in the near future," she said.
She also suggested that stages to perform Du ke are set up at pagodas and Khmer communal sites.
"A fixed performance place is required for tourism. One performance aweek at a famous pagoda will be a reasonable start," Tram said.
"It can then be increased to twice a week and then once a day as visitor interest increases."
Performances should be short, maybe the most interesting part of a story, she said.
Tram also suggested the development of Du ke plays for children as away for younger generations to access and learn to love this art form.
All the experts agreed that a major tourism boost forDu ke would be its recognition as an intangible cultural heritage byUNESCO.-VNA
