On the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons (October 1), Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Thi Tam (Son Ha village, Thanh Linh commune, Thanh Chuong district) - one of three people selected to be featured in the photo book of 11 intangible cultural heritages of Vietnam honored by UNESCO, shared her thoughts about the work and life of a determined rural woman.
PV:Madam, at the age of 70, you have grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but I still see you as very young, younger than your own age. Surely, your youth also has many special memories?
Meritorious Artist Nguyen Thi Tam:I was born into a poor farming family in Thanh La village (now Thanh Linh commune, Thanh Chuong). My mother worked hard but still tried to let me and my sisters go to school. In grade 8, while I was in high school, Nghe An Provincial Military Command came to select artists. I passed the selection and dropped out of school to serve in the army. During the years from 1969 to 1971, the war was very fierce. To encourage the forces fighting and protecting the routes, our art troupe participated in performances in many localities in the province, most of which were for the youth volunteer forces. Sometimes, we performed right on the march. When I joined the troupe, I was still young and had not yet been the main singer, but those were unforgettable days. After operating for 3 years, because the art troupe of Nghe An Provincial Military Command was not under the military region's management, it was disbanded. With our conditions at that time, we could have been assigned to many other units, but due to family circumstances, I asked to return to my hometown to be close to my family and take care of my mother.
PV:“Singing drowns out the sound of bombs” is a saying often said during wartime, at the front lines. So, what about the home front, madam?
Meritorious Artist Nguyen Thi Tam:When I was little, I listened to my mother sing lullabies with the melodies of my homeland and the folk songs of Nghe An were absorbed in me every day. Growing up, I loved and sang folk songs as if it were a natural thing, like an inborn talent. That is why, after the Provincial Military Command's art troupe was dissolved and I returned to my hometown, I still enthusiastically participated in cultural and artistic activities at the grassroots level. The art troupe of Thanh Lien commune also began to grow and became famous from that day. Every day, we went to work in the fields, and in the evening we gathered our brothers and sisters in the village to practice and perform. The stage in the past was very simple, sometimes it was oil drums stacked together and covered with boards, but everyone still performed enthusiastically. The good news spread far and wide, and every time we performed, people from other communes came to watch in large numbers. After that, we also performed in many other communes with many famous plays such as Tan Thi Huong Lien, Co Gai Xu Nghe… From then on, I was absorbed in folk songs without any schooling. The plays of that time always conveyed information to bring joy in work, belief in victory, in the day of peace and national reunification.
PV:At that time, she was young, beautiful and had a natural singing voice, so there must have been many suitors. But life was not easy when her husband died early and she had to raise 3 children alone?
Meritorious Artist Nguyen Thi Tam:I was over 20 when I got married, but because my family only had daughters, my mother always wanted me to marry someone from the same hometown who could live in the family.
My husband was a soldier, so he was called a son-in-law, but he was gone forever. After the war, when the South was liberated, he was transferred to Hoang Lien Son for work. We were married for 7 or 8 years and had several children together, but in reality, the time we were together was only 60 days. In 1979, I received news that my husband had died while on duty at the northern border battlefield. At that time, my two children were still young, and the third was only 3 months pregnant, and I had not yet had time to tell my husband. When I received the news of my husband's death, it was like a bolt from the blue. My children and I really did not know where to turn.
At the time my husband died, I was a kindergarten teacher in the village. But then, the salary was too low, while I had 3 small children, so I was forced to quit my job. At first, my mother and I had a small amount of money from my husband's death benefit, which I saved to buy a cow. Two years later, she gave birth to 2 more calves and that was the first capital for the family. Thanks to this first capital, I was bold enough to buy a wooden house, replacing the dilapidated bamboo house. Later, I boldly borrowed money from the bank to sell flip-flops and fabrics. Then I accepted to sing and perform in the hope of being exchanged for rice and food. There was a time when I thought of myself as a man, working hard, building my own house and making my own decisions.
In extreme suffering, sometimes when I thought I could not overcome difficulties and hardships, I thought of my children and simply thought about how to prevent them from suffering, so that they could study. I worked tirelessly, worked my whole youth. I did not even have time to feel sorry for myself or feel weak. On the contrary, I always felt strong. Fortunately, God loved me so my business was favorable, my children and I gradually overcame difficulties and stabilized our lives. Up to now, my children have all stabilized their lives, have food and property, I have grandchildren and this year, at the age of 70, I have my first great-grandchild. I am also very happy because my children are all filial. Every day, I still teach my children to live virtuously to have a future, to look back on what they have done every day, if they are wrong, they must correct it, to live honestly, and to work hard.
PV:At 27 years old, she was a widow with orphaned children and had spent more than half of her life taking care of her children and grandchildren. I wonder, in such difficult times, where did she find time for music, for Nghe An folk songs and how did she nurture her passion?
Meritorious Artist Nguyen Thi Tam:I can’t explain it either. Indeed, during the years of raising our children, our lives were very difficult at times. But no matter how hard it was, whenever there was a festival or a program organized by the commune or district, I was always eager to participate enthusiastically.
Not only singing, in 2000 I started writing new lyrics to old folk songs. I also wrote scripts and staged dozens of plays. Even now, at over 70 years old, I still stage 1 or 2 plays almost every month and take charge of the entire script. The first song I still remember is “Praise to Vietnamese Women” on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of International Women’s Day: “The whole country is jubilant and excited today/Vietnamese women are excited and happy/The flag with the red star and the red heart/The festival is so exciting and joyful…”.
PV:She has never attended any school but has written dozens of plays and won many awards at various festivals. Was there any difficulty for such an amateur?
Meritorious Artist Nguyen Thi Tam:No, I have no difficulty. Every time I receive a program or a request, I just need to listen to the topic and I can easily write a script, it's like an instinct. Until now, I don't remember how many works I have written, the most recent is writing a short story for the Farmers' Competition, writing about Family Planning, writing about building a new countryside, drug prevention, traffic safety, writing about good mediators.
I think I am lucky to have talent and to have met my great teachers, my mother and Meritorious Artist Nguyen Trong Dong. They were the ones who helped me with the first foundations so that I could thoroughly understand and master the folk melodies of Nghe An, and then I only needed to rely on the available melodies to incorporate propaganda content. To write well, the writer also needs to have emotions, put himself in each situation to be able to convey all the ideas.
PV:In 2019, you were awarded the title of Meritorious Artisan. What does this mean to you?
Meritorious Artist Nguyen Thi Tam:I have been attached to Nghe An folk songs since very early and have been attached to the songs of my homeland for over 40 years. That is why, compared to many other friends, I was recognized as a Meritorious Artist later. There are many reasons for this, but whatever the reason, I am very happy to have been recognized with this title. My application for recognition is also considered to be solid because I have almost all the awards. Before that, since 2005, I was also awarded the Medal for Cultural Career by the Ministry of Culture and Information...
PV:Along with People's Artist Hong Luu and Meritorious Artisan Trong Dong, she is one of three people chosen to be featured in a photo book honoring 11 intangible cultural heritages of Vietnam recognized by UNESCO. While collecting, performing, composing, and teaching the craft, what is the most passionate thing about the work she has done?
Meritorious Artist Nguyen Thi Tam:Not only me but all those who know how to sing Vi and Giam folk songs must know how to teach them to the younger generation to preserve the heritage left by our ancestors. Personally, I used to teach in kindergartens and primary schools. Every time I stand on the podium to teach the children, it gives me an indescribable feeling, a feeling of joy, especially when the children sing correctly and sing well, I feel that I have succeeded.
In the things I have done, the thing that I am most concerned about is preserving the tradition that our ancestors left us, which is singing folk songs, singing Vi and Giam. Therefore, my wish is to preserve that tradition and to do so, not only I but everyone has the responsibility to spread Vi and Giam to future generations and that is the way we preserve and promote the intangible cultural heritage that we are honored to be recognized by UNESCO.
PV:Thanks for joining the chat!
