Singing from "desiring hearts"

(Baonghean)- In 2 days (October 31 and November 1), in Vinh City, the first National Singing Contest for People with Disabilities took place, the final round of the Central Highlands region. The special thing about the contest is not only the excitement and anticipation of the performances, but above all, the sincere, warm, and sharing atmosphere between the delegations of each participating province...

The first National Singing Contest for People with Disabilities was jointly organized by the Vietnam Association for the Support of Disabled and Orphans and central ministries and branches on the occasion of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities (December 3) and to welcome the International Conference on Persons with Disabilities in the Asia-Pacific region held in Vietnam. Gathering for this special contest in Uncle Ho's hometown, there were more than 117 contestants representing thousands of other disabled people from 10 delegations: Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Thua Thien Hue, Khanh Hoa, Da Nang City, Dak Lak, Kon Tum, Lam Dong.

Competition performance of Nghe An delegation.

The Nghe An Guest House Hall was always packed with people. The “heat” of the competition increased after each performance. There were cheers, applause, and handshakes and pats on the shoulders to encourage each other. Below the stage, the audience was still very happy and enthusiastic. There was a group of children standing and clapping loudly, and continuously speaking their own body language with bright smiles, bright eyes, and joyful faces. They were children from the Nghe An Vocational Training Center for the Disabled, belonging to the “home team”. They had finished performing first but still stayed to cheer on the other teams. I approached, signaling that I wanted to talk to one of them with a notebook and a pen. Nguyen Thanh Ngan (16 years old) said: “The children in the dance group, although standing on a big stage, were only a little nervous, then they stopped shaking, and performed very confidently. Even though they couldn’t hear the music, they still danced evenly and correctly, because the teacher was standing below guiding and giving signals, and they had practiced beforehand. Moreover, my eyes are “very sharp” and I “feel” the music in my own way.”

Feeling through the competition, the performances of the groups were all carefully prepared, elaborate, beautiful costumes... with the content praising the glorious Party, the great Uncle Ho, praising the patriotic tradition of our people in the process of building and defending the Fatherland; praising the homeland, the country, the achievements in the renovation process, national solidarity, solidarity between the army and the people. The performances of the groups are also the voice introducing the typical cultural values ​​of each region and area across the country and honoring typical examples of overcoming fate...

Candidates from Dak Lak province at the contest. Photo: Minh Quan

It seemed like the singing voices came from disabled hands, from immobile legs, from eyes that had never seen the sunlight… It was a surprisingly soft, rhythmic dance of young men and women who had never heard a song or any sound of life. Their fates may have been unfortunate, but they knew how to stand up with their strong hearts, passionately loving life, never falling down and giving up their aspirations. It was a strong, powerful singing voice with the sound of the Central Highlands mountains and forests of the troupe from Dak Lak province. It was a beautiful, rhythmic dance, imbued with Cham culture, of the troupe from Da Nang city. There was a self-composed song and self-choreographed dance of Nghe An province, recalling the heroic tradition as well as the deep affection of the land of Nghe An…

When Luong Thi Nga was “carried” onto the stage, the entire hall burst into applause and cheers after a moment of silence. The 14-year-old girl looked like a 5 or 6-year-old child, sitting “in a chair”. Holding the “mic”, she sang the song “Mother’s Hand” confidently, energetically and lovingly. Her voice seemed to echo from the fields, from the remote villages of the sunny and windy Central Highlands… Luong Thi Nga is 14 years old this year, a member of the Xo-dang ethnic group, and is currently in grade 3 at the Kon Tum Provincial Social Protection Center. Her family has 3 siblings, Nga is the eldest daughter. She was affected by Agent Orange from her grandfather, so from the moment she was born, she did not have a healthy, strong body like a normal child. The little girl grew up in a simple wooden house, her parents went to the fields every day, she still could not hide her desire to go to school, to become a useful person for society. In 2009, her parents took Nga to the provincial Social Protection Center, where she was able to play, study with her friends, and discover her own talents. Ms. Le Thi Huong, the teacher and the person who took Nga and her friends to Nghe An to compete, said: “Nga has a very weak immune system, eats little, and is very small, but she is obedient and studies very well, having been awarded the title of excellent student for 3 consecutive years. Nga has a beautiful singing voice, she also draws very well, although her arms and legs cannot move freely. Nga, like many other disabled people, came to the competition today to show off her talents, to receive sharing and encouragement from everyone, to integrate into the activities of the social community”.

Attending the contest, for many people this is the first time they have traveled far away, to Uncle Ho's hometown Nghe An, and have had more interesting experiences. Ms. Le Minh Yem - Vice President of the Association of People with Disabilities in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province said: After the provincial round, her group was selected to perform in the final round of the Central Highlands. This is the first time she and 11 other members of the group have been to Nghe An, so the group left 2 days in advance. Arriving in Nghe An, everyone visited Ho Chi Minh Square, went to Uncle Ho's hometown in Kim Lien (Nam Dan) to offer incense and report to him. "I found the people of Nghe An very sincere, I feel very attached and love the people here. We went to burn incense for Uncle Ho in Kim Lien village (Nam Dan), hoping that he would bless us to perform successfully. Among the performances, we also have 2 songs about Uncle Ho". Sharing about the training process for the competition, Ms. Yem added: “Our team practiced for a month and a half, mainly in the afternoon and evening. Because during the day everyone still has to go to work, everyone has their own job to earn an income to support themselves and their families. It was very hard, but everyone was happy and tried their best. Being selected by the province to compete in the regional final round, everyone was very happy. Coming here, we saw that many teams from other provinces were also excellent.”

At the end of the competition in the Central Highlands region, there will be excellent performances awarded by the Organizing Committee with gold medals, silver medals, certificates of merit, and selected to represent the Central Highlands and Central Vietnam to participate in the national finals in Hanoi this coming November. There are also groups that will return without continuing. But the competition has left a deep common feeling that for people with disabilities, today's smiles may still contain many tears, many hidden pains, many unrealized desires in everyday life, but the most important thing is that they always try to integrate, to live meaningfully, without feeling inferior or self-conscious... Maybe today, on this stage, the singing of those strong hearts in disabled bodies is not as professional as the singers, the dance is still a bit clumsy, but they have devoted themselves, full of passion. Those songs and dances will not only be on the stage of a competition, but will also be sung in the normal days of life.

And perhaps, the most important thing is not winning or losing, but those “desiring hearts” have sung, to believe in love, to have joy in life. The contest is a playground for people with disabilities. But I believe that we all once again understand: Physical disability is a disadvantage of fate, the most important thing is to keep our souls from being defective, with a heart that never stops loving and aspiring.

Article and photos:Lake Lai