50 years of building cultural life at the grassroots level

Organize a variety of activities to build cultural life in the community.

Overcoming difficulties after liberation

The consequences of war in the homeland were clearly seen with a poor economy and countless difficulties in people's lives. Therefore, cultural activities were also lacking. In this situation, the Provincial Party Committee directed the transfer of cultural and artistic activities of the province from wartime to peacetime. Revolutionary culture and art quickly took on the task of improving and nurturing spiritual life, and propagating the building of a new cultural lifestyle for the people.

In the early years after liberation, the cultural, artistic and sports movements, although limited, were widespread, vibrant, had good and healthy content, and attracted a large number of people to participate. In the context of material life being still lacking, causing anxiety in a part of the masses, it was thanks to the revolutionary cultural activities organized and led by the Party that brought people a new source of joy, a comfortable vitality in cultural life. Thanks to that, a number of requirements for revolutionary cultural and sports activities were initially met in time, and the influence of the slave and reactionary culture of neo-colonialism was pushed back.

During this period, propaganda activities were promoted; in which the role of Chien Thang Newspaper (from November 11, 1976, Dong Khoi Newspaper) and Ben Tre Radio (from March 7, 1977) and later Ben Tre Radio and Television (from 1995) were promoted, actively contributing to the propaganda to build cultural life among the people. Cultural and social activities were promoted, especially the popular education movement and cultural supplementary education. The province basically completed the eradication of illiteracy. The cultural and artistic movement developed vigorously every year. In the hamlets, mass art teams were established and operated vigorously, attracting a large number of people to participate. Art troupes and film teams went to the countryside to serve the people.

Entering the Party's renovation process, from 1986 - 1990, 1990 - 1995, people's lives gradually became more stable than before. The economy improved. Spiritual life gradually improved. The level of cultural and artistic enjoyment was richer and more diverse than before. The construction of a civilized lifestyle, cultural families, and new rural areas associated with the people's self-management movement in communes and wards continued to develop. All fields had clear efforts and changes, aiming to promote the role of people as both the driving force and the goal of the country's renovation.

Building a modern cultural life

Resolution No. 03-NQ/TW dated July 16, 1998 of the Central Executive Committee at the 5th Central Conference (VIII term) on building and developing an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity is an important milestone. With 5 guiding viewpoints, 10 specific tasks and 4 major groups of solutions, along with the Party's 1943 Vietnamese Cultural Outline. The implementation of the resolution has contributed to arousing the tradition of patriotism, solidarity, restoring and promoting the traditional cultural beauty of the nation.

The province has developed and issued many policies, contributing to orienting and creating conditions for building and developing a culture in an advanced direction, imbued with national identity. Along with that, the movement of the whole people uniting to build a grassroots cultural life, implemented since 2000, has been a major campaign to build a new cultural life in the community and society. From here, local Party committees and authorities have focused on solutions, resources, and investments in building grassroots cultural institutions and cultural, artistic, physical education, and sports movements, building a healthy cultural environment, implementing a cultural lifestyle, and legal discipline.

The good traditions of the Vietnamese people from ancient times such as: "When drinking water, remember its source", "Repaying gratitude", the spirit of solidarity, mutual love and self-reliance... are always reminded, educated and promoted. Many new cultural values ​​are selected and cultivated, creating ethical standards and the image of modern Ben Tre people.

A healthy cultural environment has been built. The province's literature and art career has made new progress. In terms of both quantity and quality of artists and works, many valuable literary and artistic works have been created, contributing to preserving, popularizing and enriching traditional culture. Cultural, artistic, sports and tourism activities are increasingly diverse and of high quality. The work of preserving and promoting cultural heritage values ​​has been effectively implemented. Cultural institutions have been invested in and gradually improved.

Looking back at the efforts in building cultural life over the past 50 years, there have been remarkable developments in all aspects, serving as a foundation for building an ethical foundation for the whole society.

On May 1, 2002, An Hiep commune, Chau Thanh district was the first commune in the province to receive the title of "Cultural commune". Since then, all communes in the province have implemented the movement of "All people unite to build a cultural life", developing in depth. According to statistics from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, by the end of 2024, the whole province had 490,353/510,207 "Cultural families" (96.1%); 949/953 "Cultural hamlets and neighborhoods" (99.5%); 2/18 wards and towns meeting urban civilization standards; 98/139 communes have standard cultural, sports and community learning centers; 526/850 hamlets in new rural communes have standard Cultural Houses; 1,434 sports fields of all kinds for people to practice...

Article and photos: Thanh Dong

Source: https://baodongkhoi.vn/50-nam-xay-dung-doi-song-van-hoa-o-co-so-07042025-a144796.html