Will they keep their words this time?

The VC Government Aims to Preserve and Promote Cultural Diversity – Will they keep their words this time?

By Sophac Thach

As we can see, culture becomes more than just part of one’s identity. Culture influences different aspects of people’s perception and aspirations of life. Enhanced knowledge about people’s origin and way of life will inculcate a sense of pride and motivation to preserve positive aspects of one’s culture and in turn triggers a desire to improve living standards and contributes to the development of the country.

On December 15, 2008 a European Commission (EC) representative was speaking at an AsiaEurope Meeting (ASEM) seminar on Cultural Diversity.

According to the news released by vnagency.com, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Mr. Tran Chien Thang had mentioned that Vietnam’s cultural policy aims to preserve and promote the diversity of cultural expressions among its 54 ethnic groups nationwide. He also added that, “A series of policies regarding the preservation of cultural diversity have been implemented in Vietnam, including the development of its traditional handicrafts industries, and the creation and implementation of social and cultural infrastructure and supporting cultural activities.

If the government of Vietnam is serious about promoting cultural diversity and if they worry about the potential loss of the rich and extraordinary diversity of cultural, social, and ethnic manifestations, then they will have to acknowledge the relevant information such as building a museum that can display the cultural indemnities of the ethnic groups in Vietnam. Another thing they could do is to allow the ethnic groups publish textbooks about their ethnic culture and makes it available to the public, especially the students so they could learn about the different cultures. If the Vietnam government truly wants to preserve the cultural diversity in Vietnam, they must allow the ethnic group to independently organize and preserve their own culture without the interference of the government. The ethnic groups know best about their own culture and tradition so the leaders of the ethnic culture must be their own people and not the Vietnamese leaders representing the ethnic groups. In order to achieve the objective, the government must allow all groups to be represented and to be able to communicate on the things that matter to the ethnic groups.

Khmer-Krom culture is currently under the control of the Vietnam Government. The leader of Khmer-Krom Cultural Department is Vietnamese, not Khmer-Krom. Khmer-Krom cultural performers are just like the Vietnam government’s puppets and do whatever and whenever the Vietnam government asks us to do and just gain a tiny fraction of the money that is earned. The Vietnam government should not use our cultural events to gain benefits. There are many examples in regard to this issue. It is always Khmer-Krom people who organize our cultural events such as the dragon boat race in Khleang province, Ox-race in Moth Chrouk province and put on performances such as Khmer traditional dance, but the Vietnam government sells the tickets and makes all the money. We put in our time, energy and even money but we get not even 1% of the money that was made from the event. Vietnam government is making business out of Khmer-Krom culture because our culture is one of the tourist attractions in Vietnam. We want to gain those benefits so that we can develop our community and further education for our younger generation about our culture and tradition.

According to Xavier Troussrad, Head of the EC for Cultural Policy and Intercultural Dialogue, “Vietnam is one of the first countries in the region to ratify the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.”

It is important that Vietnam takes the initiative to preserve and promote cultural diversity, and implementing it is also not an easy task. With that being said, Vietnam must take further steps to do everything like it said it would for the best interest of its citizen.