While music and cinema are making breakthroughs in revenue, traditional stages are still struggling to find a foothold. From the spirit of Resolution 80-NQ/TW, according to you, what is the "key" to remove difficulties for these types?
- I think this is a very clear driving force for innovation in the Party and State's policies. Accordingly, innovation in policies for traditional culture and art is very urgent. For a long time, conservation work has actually been done and is always associated with promotion and development. But conservation today is an extremely big challenge.
The first is the issue of people. To preserve, there must be people who understand the profession seriously and deeply. But the reality is that this force is gradually "losing", many older artisans and artists are old and weak, even gone.
The second is the issue of potential. Finding researchers and artists capable of preserving and teaching traditional art is very difficult, while the pressure of "food, clothing, and money" makes them live in hardship. Even units such as the Vietnam Center for Conservation of Traditional Performing Arts also lack stable budgets and have to manage their own funds to maintain operations.
You mentioned a lot about the "funding" factor, so what is the reality of the lives of artists pursuing traditional art today?
- To be honest, it is very difficult. Despite the policy of increasing salaries according to job positions, in the context of rising prices, the pension level of a person with 44 years of service like me, about 10 million VND, is still very difficult to ensure life.
Many elderly artists, despite having talent and titles, still lack opportunities to operate and teach, so they face difficulties in making a living. Some people teach, and travel expenses are even higher than salaries. When they cannot live by the profession, they are forced to do other jobs, causing their passion to gradually fade away.
According to you, what do we need to do to make traditional art such as Cheo, Xam... exist without only relying on the State budget?
- My point of view is to create an ecosystem for art to "live". I do not support completely reforming or doing "scattered" art to sell tickets. Cheo must be Cheo, Xam must be Xam. I am implementing projects combined with tourism, such as cooperating with businesses in Ninh Binh or projects in Bat Trang (Gia Lam, Hanoi).
We build cultural tourism models, bringing Cheo singing, Xam singing, and back-and-forth singing into traditional craft spaces. Businesses have funds, they invest in artists and create real cultural industrial products. Thus, culture is both developed and artists have additional income while still preserving the roots of their ancestors.
Recently, there have been art programs that bring Cheo and Xam to perform on modern stages so that traditional art forms can reach young people, what is your opinion?
- I think that is a good approach for young audiences to know the name of that subject, but it must be noted that if you are not skillful, you will become an "elephant fortune teller".
Cheo has hundreds of melodies, has its own performance models, if only bringing a few innovative performances to the stage, the audience will only see the surface.
I want to emphasize the need to train audiences. The State should invest in formal channels, separating between developing the cultural industry - integrating but not dissolving - and preserving the original in a "living museum". I also hope Vietnam will have theaters that meet international standards, where artists can perform in person, without loudspeakers, to fully introduce the quintessence of traditional art.
The Center for Conservation of Traditional Performing Arts of Vietnam is one of the conservation units that is operating very strongly in the form of socialization, can you share more about recent projects?
- The center gathers veteran artists and experts to orient and at the same time mobilize operating funds. We have digitized classic Cheo plays and hundreds of melodies as materials for future generations.
In addition, organize online Cheo singing and Xam singing contests, livestream to spread to the community; open free and paid classes to maintain operations. In the near future, it is expected to establish a non-staff veteran artists' troupe to restore traditional works.
I am willing to share materials for free if there is a well-invested unit, so that the heritage belongs to the community, avoiding fading.
Thank you, madam!
