Co-held by the Vietnam National University (VNU) Hanoi’sVietnam-Japan University and the Vietnam Cultural Initiatives, the event aimedto gather information and help enhance the audience’s understanding ofdifferent aspects and evolution of folklore in the contemporary era through twokey approaches: folklore in the cultural industries and on digital platforms.
The first session on “Folklorein the Cultural Industries” was intended to bring a diverse perspective on folklorein the cultural industries, from Vietnam’s point of view as well as in comparisonto the region and the world.
It saw the delegates exploringthe connection between folklore and the cultural industries, the role andvalues of folklore in people’s life and livelihoods, the possibilities andchallenges in developing modern day products and services based on folklorematerials, and the ability to promote folklore through the products andservices of the cultural industries.
A presentation by aKorean delegate shared the Republic of Korea’s experience in promoting folkloreculture in people’s life and exporting cultural goods.
In Vietnam, folklore canbe found in almost every aspect of the cultural industries, from cinema, finearts, photography, to architecture, publishing, fashion, literature, music andeven video games, said Dr. Tran Thanh Viet from the VNU Hanoi’s University ofSocial Sciences and Humanities.
Folklore is anabundant source of material for cultural makers to show their creativity andbring it closer to the modern life, he said.
The second session on “DigitalFolklore” explored the expression, preservation and promotion of folk culturalvalues on digital platforms. Speakers presented projects on folklore on digitalplatforms in Vietnam and in the world, in which experts and communities workwith digital multimedia materials on various subjects such as traditionalperforming arts, craft villages, handicraft, objects associated withtraditional customs, architectural heritage, visual arts, etc.
It expected to share good practices, open up new collaborations and initiatives to promote thepreservation and digitisation of folk culture, and enhance people’s experienceof folklore on digital platforms.
The event is part of Vietnam Festival of Creativity &Design 2021 organised by RMIT University Vietnam in collaboration with UnitedNations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), VietnamNational Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS), COLAB Vietnam and otherpartners./.