At the opening ceremony of the Tay Nguyen Gong Culture Festival 2018 (Photo: VNA)Gia Lai(VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged the administrations andpeople of Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) localities to work harder to preserveand promote the value of their gong culture as well as other traditionalpractices and religious rituals.
Addressing the openingof the Tay Nguyen Gong Culture Festival 2018 in Pleiku city of Gia Lai provinceon November 30, the PM said that the gong culture is a treasure in the culturalheritage of the Vietnamese people and humankind as a whole.
The Party and State entrustthe local communities of Tay Nguyen with the task of preserving the naturalenvironment, the ecosystem and cultural values of the region, which is also acondition for the existence and development of the gong culture, he said.
The PM highlighted thedevelopment vision for Tay Nguyen to become a hub of organic agriculture withbiodiversity and rich culture tradition.
Tay Nguyen must becomea symbol of Vietnam’s tourism with its mysterious charm in the 21st century, he stressed.
The festival draws nearly1,200 artisans from five regional provinces - Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, LamDong, and Gia Lai.
The two-day event aimsto honour the unique value of Tay Nguyen gong cultural space as well as thediversity of traditional cultures of ethnic minorities in Tay Nguyen.
Visitors to the eventwill have chance to enjoy street coffee festival and signature dishes of TayNguyen.
TheCultural Space of Gong of Tay Nguyen was recognised by the UNESCO as amasterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of the humanity in 2005. It isclosely linked to the daily life of local people. Their belief systems form amystical world where the gongs produce a privileged language between men,divinities and the supernatural world.
Currently, Tay Nguyenhas more than 10,000 sets of gongs, over one half of which are kept in Gia Laiprovince.-VNA
VNA
