Preserve and promote village cultural values

(Baonghean) -Village culture is an element that has been formed, supplemented and developed along with the long history of the nation, contributing to the diversity of Vietnamese culture. Currently, facing the trend of integration and development, village culture is facing the decline, a phenomenon that is taking place in many localities in the province.

Changeof the countryside

Since the national target program on new rural construction in the period of 2010 - 2020 was implemented, the face of rural areas in the province has changed in a modern direction, with many improvements. However, the programs are leaning towards economic development, not focusing much on investing in culture. Most communes implementing new rural projects have similar plans. During the planning process, rural spaces are broken, many tangible and intangible cultural values ​​have not been planned to preserve and promote to their full potential. The cultural management team still lacks practical experience, and their professional qualifications do not meet the needs of local cultural activities. The direction of new rural construction is still chasing achievements, so the quality and efficiency are not high. This situation has led to many changes in village and commune culture.

Banyan tree and village well in Xuan Lam commune (Nam Dan). Photo: Bui Van Dung

The typical landscape of traditional rural areas with banyan trees, ferry docks, communal house yards, etc. has almost been reduced. The area of ​​agricultural land has also been reduced, the area of ​​residential and business land has increased rapidly, public works have blurred the residential space and production space which were quite clear in the countryside before. New forms of agglomeration, new industrial zones, new "village streets" concentrating people according to occupation such as households doing business, trading or households providing services, households doing farming have appeared more and more, popular in Dien Hong (Dien Chau), villages in Hung Dong, Hung Hoa (Vinh City), villages in Nghi Tan, Nghi Huong (Cua Lo Town)...

The space of works such as cultural houses, markets, village gates, village roads, alleys, etc. have been built and renovated, making the villages look urban. The current space and landscape of the village is a mixture of village and city, modern and traditional, agricultural and non-agricultural villages. Most villages in the province are moving towards an open economic structure combining production, trade and services. Some villages still maintain traditional agriculture, but add industrial and commercial elements. However, the main economic activities are self-sufficient agricultural activities, commodity production and the current form of production is mainly household economy.

Economic change leads to changes in lifestyle, many villages and hamlets now form independent lifestyles following the city; at the same time, industrial lifestyles that value speed and efficiency, market lifestyles that value enjoyment and fairness... are common phenomena in rural areas. Currently, investment in relic restoration is being promoted, but is influenced by many factors such as actual landscapes, current needs of people, current relic designs have more or less changed in both general landscape and each detail. Besides, the construction of cultural institutions in the new countryside is not really synchronous between facilities and people. Facilities are invested in and built spaciously but are not used effectively. The methods and mechanisms of operation are still formal. The exploitation and use of cultural institutions are not good, there is a lot of waste, many village cultural houses have been invested with billions of dong, but after being built, they only serve a few meetings. Because of the lack of activities, people do not consider cultural houses as places for activities and entertainment for people...

Along with the economic development towards new rural areas, many problems have been left in localities such as: The situation of unemployed workers is a common phenomenon in rural areas. The proportion of people living in rural areas has decreased and there is a phenomenon that a large part of the population, although living in rural areas, is no longer farmers because there is no more land to cultivate, and even no jobs; along with the process of transition to a market economy, the rich-poor gap is also taking place strongly. Although the poverty rate of the whole province has decreased to 12.5% ​​(in 2013), this rate is higher in rural areas; the good relationship of "village love, neighborly love" built by our ancestors for generations is being influenced by the impact of the market economy.

The phenomenon of houses next to each other, closed gates, high walls, closed doors, and bolts; the busyness in business makes rural people have little time to interact with each other, causing the neighborly relationship to somewhat fade. Currently, many communal cadres are not trained in culture, but are in charge of culture, so it has had negative effects on the work of preserving and promoting village cultural values ​​in new rural construction; the rapid introduction of many external cultural streams makes the security situation of villages difficult to control. Social evils are increasing, making many rural areas no longer peaceful. In the process of building new rural areas, many villages have become industrial zones, rural land prices have increased rapidly, leading to internal conflicts that need to be thoroughly resolved.

Traditionaland modern

Effectively promoting village cultural values ​​in new rural construction is a requirement set by all levels, sectors and localities. However, the fundamental solution lies within each village and hamlet. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance people's responsibility for preserving and promoting village cultural values, because people are both beneficiaries and cultural creators. Accordingly, Party committees and authorities need to promote widespread propaganda among the people about building cultural life, cultural lifestyle and building cultural institutions. In that process, it is necessary to replicate models of family culture, village cultural clubs, and typical clans of each region... Solutions need to be associated with specific activities in building cultural life in residential areas, cultural villages, cultural clans, and cultural residential groups; Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of state management in preserving and promoting traditional cultural values, with special attention paid to building a cultural management team and promoting the role of the Steering Committee for the movement for the entire people to unite to build a cultural life.

Based on the guiding viewpoints of the Provincial People's Committee on new rural construction, districts and communes need to have appropriate mechanisms and policies to mobilize maximum resources to build and organize unique traditional cultural activities associated with progressive culture. Build and perfect management mechanisms to implement village cultural lifestyle in new rural construction. Restore and embellish cultural heritages: Local leaders need to coordinate with the Nghe An Monuments and Landscapes Management Board to classify and re-evaluate relics in villages in the province. Based on the assessment of relics, make plans to restore and renovate relics. Focus on building and perfecting grassroots cultural institutions to serve the cultural life of the community. It is necessary to establish a master plan for village space based on the reality of each locality, as well as finding a truly reasonable housing architectural model for modern rural areas.

Preserving and promoting the cultural values ​​of villages in the new rural construction is a necessary condition in every village in the province. The problem is how to promote the value of traditional village culture in the new rural construction, which is a difficult problem for every village. This requires each village to select the cultural quintessence, based on the principles of inheritance, exchange and development. Accordingly, "separating the muddy from the clear" to promote positive factors, eliminate limitations, and create a basis for the practical absorption of new cultural values. Only then can the new rural construction program be effectively promoted and the traditional village cultural values ​​be properly preserved.

Le Hieu