Nghe An literature and art with the issue of building people and culture of Nghe An

In the current process of national innovation and modernization, our Party always pays attention to the role of literature and art. Resolution No. 23 of the 10th Politburo on “Continuing to build and develop literature and art in the new period”; Resolution No. 33 of the 11th Central Executive Committee on “Building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development” both emphasize the role of literature and art in preserving and promoting national cultural identity in the current process of national innovation and international integration.

In the strategy of building Nghe An according to Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW of the Politburo, Nghe An must become an industrial province; a center of finance, trade, tourism, education and training, science and technology, health, culture, sports, high-tech industry of the North Central region; have a synchronous and gradually modern infrastructure system, improve the material and cultural life of the people, a healthy culture and imbued with Nghe An identity. How to promote the good qualities of Nghe An people, meet the requirements of sustainable development of the homeland and the country is a big question that the Party Committee and authorities at all levels in Nghe An are always very concerned about.

The road to Nghe An is winding (photo taken at Cam Bridge). Photo courtesy: Nguyen Thanh Hai

Nghe An is a large province in the North Central region. This is not only the border land of Vietnam in the resistance wars against invaders but also an ancient land rich in cultural traditions. For a long time, Nghe people have cultivated for themselves a unique indigenous culture, strong enough to resist all cultural elements considered strange, foreign, and harmful. The positive and negative aspects of the culture and identity of Nghe people have been of interest to many researchers, from Phan Huy Chu (18th century), Bui Duong Lich (late 18th century, early 19th century), Dang Thai Mai, Phan Ngoc, Ninh Viet Giao, Le Ba Han...

Bui Duong Lich (author of Nghe An Ky) once commented: This land (Nghe An) although "the land is bad, the people are poor" but "the people are happy to work, ready to serve the country, have respect for the king and the emperor, and know etiquette and shame"; "because the land is bad, the people are poor, so they suffer, are patient, diligent, frugal and accustomed to discipline"⁽¹⁾Professor Dang Thai Mai has a profound conclusion about the character of Nghe people:“courageous to the point of negligence, industrious to the point of recklessness, resolute to the point of dryness, and frugal to the point of... wooden fish!”⁽²⁾Professor Phan Ngoc commented:“Nghe people are so clear-cut that they are dry, so extreme that they are conservative. The outward manifestation of that culture is foolishness. In terms of operationalism, foolishness is following the model in the mind, valuing the model in the mind more than reality.”⁽³⁾Professor Pham Duc Duong explains more clearly about the "stubbornness" of Nghe people:“both lovely and admirable but also pitiful because at a certain limit, it becomes an obstacle - the doctor. Is this a mixture of the stubbornness of the patriotic Vietnamese peasant and the Confucian gentleman?”⁽⁴⁾.

Cultural traditions and regional identities are both a strength and at the same time, sometimes an obstacle in building the culture and cultural people of a region. Even at the present time, people still talk about the significant limitations of Nghe’s personality in the cause of building and developing the homeland: conservative thinking, stubbornness, rigidity, lack of flexibility; the mentality of “being foolish is better than being wise alone”; “eating tradition, living on potential”, “hating the rich, looking down on the poor, not using intelligence”… But we should not consider geographical and cultural characteristics as a destiny that cannot be changed.

Vinh City seen from above. Photo: Nguyen Sach

In the context of deep integration today, Nghe people are no longer confined to the bamboo fences of their villages. The distance of 300 km to Hanoi, more than 1,000 km to Ho Chi Minh City, even to European and American countries is no longer too far for many Nghe people. Nghe people are now also settled in many regions of our country and in many countries around the world. In the process of cultural assimilation, besides the reserved aspects, Nghe people also quickly absorb many advantages in the culture of other regions. Many of the most conservative features in Nghe culture have also changed, especially among the young generation.

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There have been many scientific seminars, there have been 2 key provincial topics of Nghe An focusing on the issue of promoting the identity of people and culture of Nghe An in the context of industrialization and modernization of the country today. Many solutions have been mentioned, in which the role of literature and art cannot be ignored. As an important and especially delicate part of culture, literature and art are essential needs, expressing the human aspiration for truth, goodness and beauty; they are one of the great driving forces, directly contributing to building the spiritual foundation of society and the comprehensive development of the Vietnamese people.

The country of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people are a harmonious whole, a combination of many cultural regions, each region contributing the best aspects to the national culture to create a diverse and rich cultural identity of the Vietnamese people. To achieve the above goal, the Provincial Party Committee and the People's Committee of Nghe An province have made appropriate investments in the development of the province's literature and arts in recent years. At the 10th Congress of the Provincial Literature and Arts Association (May 2019), the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee held a friendly meeting with the team of artists, promptly removed difficulties, set requirements for artistic creation, with the spirit that literature and arts must actively accompany the renovation process, building a prosperous homeland.

Scientific seminar “Characteristics of Nghe people and the transformation of outstanding personality traits in current conditions”. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Recently, Plan No. 109/KH-UBND of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee dated March 3, 2021 on implementing Conclusion No. 76-KL/TW dated June 4, 2020 of the Politburo on continuing to implement Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW of the 11th Party Central Committee on building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development also affirmed:“Building Nghe An people with a scientific worldview, personality, beautiful lifestyle, with the basic characteristics of “patriotism, humanity, loyalty, honesty, solidarity, diligence, creativity and integration (…). Promoting the role of literature and art in orienting tastes, aesthetics, nurturing the soul, emotions, intelligence, life skills, towards the perfection of the personality of each individual and society”.

In recent years, Nghe An has increased investment in literary and artistic activities, in the common home of artists and writers, the Association of Literature and Arts (hereinafter referred to as the Association), and in Song Lam Magazine (the mouthpiece of the Association). Nghe An has quickly implemented the press planning in the province, merged Nghe An Culture Magazine into Song Lam Magazine, handed over the new headquarters to Song Lam Magazine, invested more in facilities, funding, etc. The Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee also agreed to draft the project "Building and developing Song Lam Magazine in the period of 2021 - 2025, with a view to 2030", in the direction of modern and sustainable development, including printed magazines and electronic magazines.

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Taking advantage of the support of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee, promoting the internal strength of a land rich in cultural and artistic traditions, Nghe An's artists in recent years have shown their active participation in the innovation and development of their homeland. Artists have joined many major policies of the Party, the State and the province. Typically, in the new rural construction movement, Nghe An is one of the provinces with the top achievements in the country, the Association has organized 3 creative camps, many field trips, and sent artists to districts and new rural communes throughout the province.

Artists on field trips. Photo: Contributor

Through the creative sessions, many artists have enthusiastically and voluntarily completed many literary, poetic, musical, painting, and photographic works... reflecting the innovation and practical benefits of the people in this movement. Composing on the topic of new rural areas was initially a movement and encouragement, but now it has become a voluntary and enthusiastic activity of many artists. Many works on this topic have won national and regional awards. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic with many outbreaks across the province, especially the 4th outbreak, the Association's Song Lam Magazine has regularly published updated articles, notes, reports, photo series... reflecting the difficulties and losses of the people, especially promptly praising the frontline forces against the epidemic, the examples of sacrifice, the goodwill...

Many reporters and members have truly participated as people standing at the forefront. Song Lam Magazine today has been renewed, truly breathing the breath of social life, while still not losing the identity of a literary and artistic magazine. Therefore, the magazine has increasingly resonated with readers inside and outside the province, the number of magazine publications and the number of visitors to the website have increased rapidly. Many new sections of the magazine show the spirit of engagement and concern for life, which are welcomed by many readers such as: Current Affairs, Voice of Artists, Events and Dialogue, Nghe Land and Nghe People...

The Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts and artists are also not left out of many important and urgent issues of the homeland and the country such as building and rectifying the Party, fighting against "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" within the Party; protecting the sovereignty of sea and island borders; introducing and promoting the image of the homeland and the country abroad... The Association has twice hosted the Fine Arts Exhibition and the Art Photography Exhibition of the North Central region; organized and published a collection of literature and poetry on the theme of sea and islands and protecting the sovereignty of sea and islands; participated in researching, preserving and staging many folk plays... Many members have participated and won many high awards in the awards for composing and promoting press, literary and artistic works on the theme of studying and following the ideology, morality and style of Ho Chi Minh at the central and provincial levels; participated in the songwriting contest on the theme of mountainous areas...

The Nghe An Literature and Arts Association and the Fine Arts Department jointly organized an exhibition at the Association's headquarters. Photo: Huu Vinh

In particular, one of the key tasks during this term is to promote the strengths of a land rich in cultural traditions, promote the strengths of literature and art, actively contribute to the cause of building Nghe An people, Vietnamese people, preserving and promoting the cultural identity of Nghe An. The Association has actively participated in building and criticizing projects to preserve and develop Vi Giam folk songs, bringing Vi Giam folk songs into schools; increasing the composition and promotion of the beauty of the land and people of Nghe An; composing songs about Nghe An...

Many works and compositions of the members have been awarded high prizes by the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Writers' Association, the Fine Arts Association, the Photography Association... such as the research and preservation of the Lai-Tay Thai script by Sam Van Binh, research on the culture and music of the Thai and Mong people by La Quan Mien and Duong Hong Tu, research on the theatricalization of folk songs by Thanh Luu, historical novels about Nguyen Du and Nguyen Cong Tru by Nguyen The Quang... The Association's Song Lam magazine opened a column called Nghe Land and Nghe People with many good articles and valuable documents...

Launching a collection of poems by poet Thach Quy. Photo: Quoc Khanh

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However, besides the advantages, literary and artistic activities in localities in general, and in Nghe An in particular, also face many difficulties. First of all, there are difficulties in the operating mechanism of the Association and the Song Lam Magazine under the Association. The budget for literary and artistic activities is limited, and the mobilization of socialized resources faces many difficulties and obstacles. The Association is also facing the challenge of a generation gap. Most of its members are elderly, with declining creativity. Many majors such as Prose, Poetry, and Critical Theory have very few young writers. Some majors such as Theater and Dance are really struggling to develop. Some young writers with certain abilities are not interested in joining the Association, and there is no funding for training young people... Therefore, to facilitate literary and artistic activities, it is necessary to innovate the management mechanism, create more autonomy for the activities of the Association and Song Lam Magazine, strengthen the ordering and funding mechanism, and facilitate the socialization of some suitable literary and artistic activities.

Nghe An, December 2021

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(1) Bui Duong Lich, Nghe An Chronicle, Translated by Nguyen Thi Thao, Social Sciences Publishing House, Hanoi, 1993, pp. 217, 223.

(2) Dang Thai Mai, Phan Boi Chau's Literature and Poetry, Literature Publishing House, Hanoi, 1960, p. 37.

(3, 4) Quoted from Ninh Viet Giao, On Nghe culture, volume 2, Nghe An Publishing House, 1996, p. 21.