Ke Gam Tuong Village

(Baonghean) -Nghe An is famous for its unique folk melodies such as Ho Vi Dam, Hat Phuong Vai, and in some places, there is also Hat Cheo, Ca Tru... Each melodious song, each chant originates from its own traditional identity. In the Ru Gam area, Dinh River (Yen Thanh), there is Ke Gam village, famous for its art of singing Tuong...

Ke Gam village used to have many names, such as Chan Cam, Chan Nguyen, Trinh Nguyen, Xuan Nguyen, Nguyen Thanh, and even Xuan Thanh commune of Yen Thanh district today.

According to history books, Ke Gam village has a long history of culture. Through the periods of building and defending the country, this land still retains many cultural and traditional features. The villages are bustling, the rice fields are full of honey, the scenery is peaceful and poetic, the village is connected to the village, the thatched roofs, the bamboo banks, the banyan tree, the ferry, the communal house yard and the Vietnamese soul are deeply imprinted with legends.

Originally a purely agricultural land, with its fertile mountains and soil, many famous and virtuous people were born here, who passed their studies and became scholars, Confucian scholars, patriotic scholars, and traveled around the world to socialize. They brought back to their homeland many unique cultural products, folk songs, proverbs and folk songs. In particular, ancient plays have contributed to enriching the unique identity of Ke Gam region.

Ke Gam village opera in Spring.

In the memories of the people, the old opera nights are still vividly imprinted. They also do not remember when their village's traditional opera began, but throughout the ups and downs of history, the opera has penetrated deeply into the souls of the villagers, becoming an indispensable spiritual food in daily life.
Despite the war, despite the change of the mechanism, if there are no opera troupes in this or that region, they will sing in the village, in the commune, in the house, "we sing, we listen". From generation to generation, Ke Gam opera has existed for centuries, and it flourishes even more during holidays, village festivals, and every time Tet comes and Spring comes.

In the past, the village had 3 to 4 Tuong troupes operating continuously. The traditional Tuong plays exuded humanity and had profound educational value. During the resistance war, Tuong contributed to encouraging and sending off soldiers, and Tuong nights contributed to encouraging the spirit of children going to the army to fight to protect the Fatherland.

Tuong singers are farmers in plain clothes, barefoot, working in the sun and dew to grow potatoes and rice. Yet when they step onto the Tuong stage, they play their roles very vividly, captivating many people.

Ke Gam Tuong was famous throughout the region, and had toured to serve the Hue Royal Court, collaborating with Tuong troupes in Quynh Luu and Dien Chau to tour everywhere. During the difficult times, under the subsidy mechanism, the stage was built of bamboo, and the light was provided by torches and oil lamps. Yet, at night, the performance was so strange, the upper and lower villages were bustling with excitement, the young and old stood around the entire yard, waiting anxiously, feeling sad and happy, loving and hating each character. The actors and actresses, clowns, kings, mandarins, soldiers, flags, palaces, mountains and rivers were recreated on the stage with a strange appeal.

Stemming from their passion for art, ancient artists such as Mr. Truong Van, Mr. Hoang Tao... thanks to their efforts in researching, learning, practicing and staging, have brought hundreds of performances to the stage, typically the plays "Luu Binh - Duong Le"; "Son Hau De Nhi"; "Luc Van Tien - Kieu Nguyet Nga", "Duoi Co Dai Nghia" (ie the play Trung Trac - Trung Nhi), "Tong Tran Cuc Hoa"... have left their mark, encouraging people in times of hardship and difficulty.

Entering the market economy period, foreign music tapes and CDs were everywhere, the art of singing Tuong was once forgotten, but in Ke Gam village, Tuong still smoldered, waiting for the Spring to explode. Not only the generation of men and women, but also from middle-aged people, teenagers to children of 5 and 6 years old also knew many Tuong tunes, they eagerly waited for the opportunity to restore the village Tuong.

The Resolution of the Central Committee 5 (VIII term) was like a breath of fresh air, reviving the vitality of the Tuong village. With the efforts of the local government and the support of the district's Department of Culture, the villagers voluntarily contributed labor and money, built a stage, and purchased costumes to establish a Tuong troupe, which is now the commune's Tuong club. The farmers, with muddy hands and feet, went to work during the day to plant and harvest, and at night came home to a pot of green tea, and together brought out drums, clappers, flutes, and two-stringed fiddles to practice, making the whole village bustling and excited. The villagers were most fond of the roles of old farmers such as Hoang Thu, Thai Van Luong, Phan Van Lang... Some are still alive, some have passed away, but their Tuong voices and roles are forever imbued in the hearts of Ke Gam people.

One of the artists who is still actively participating in the movement until now is Mr. Phan Van Lang. At the age of 73, he has been participating in the commune's Tuong troupe for 50 years. For nearly 10 years, he has been elected as the Chairman of the Xuan Thanh Commune Traditional Tuong Club. Despite the difficult conditions and his old age and poor health, with his passion, he has devoted all his enthusiasm to guiding the commune's Tuong club to continuously grow, becoming one of the spiritual supports to encourage and guide today's young generation to cherish and preserve the intangible cultural beauty that their ancestors worked hard to create.

The Tuong movement has created a team of young, dedicated actors, such as Ms. Phan Thi Huong, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, Ms. Hoang Thi Dung, Tran Thi Thinh, Mr. Thai Duy Chung, Mr. Le Khac Tai... They are the core members in all activities of local traditional Tuong. Besides, in Xuan Thanh commune, there are currently 10/12 hamlets that have established Tuong troupes, creating a widespread socialization movement among the people. Many families here have up to 4 generations who know how to sing traditional Tuong, the previous generation performs, the next generation knows by heart, that is also the way to pass down traditional Tuong in Ke Gam village.

Anyone who has the opportunity to visit Ke Gam village, not only on village festivals, holidays, or New Year's Day, but also on occasions of clear moon, cool breeze, or a party, will enjoy some exciting and captivating tuồng melodies.

Thank you to the artisans, thank you to the simple, honest people who, despite hardships, still preserve and promote the quintessence of their ancestors in the cause of renewing their homeland and country, so that the Tuong village can live forever with Spring!

Sun (Yen Thanh Station)