Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Ngoc Tam awarded the title of "Honorary Dong Khoi Citizen" to Professor Shimizu Masaaki. Photo: Trung Hieu
From "Honorary Dong Khoi Citizen"
Professor Shimizu Masaaki joined the volunteer delegation of the International Medical Aid Committee and the Japan Cleft Lip and Palate Association from 1993 to 1998, as an interpreter and supporter for the association in implementing humanitarian activities in the province. During this time, the Professor participated in research and study of Ben Tre culture and Southern culture, contributing to the implementation of research projects to preserve Ben Tre cultural heritage later.
In 2007, Professor Shimizu Masaaki taught Vietnamese at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Osaka University, Japan, and was also a researcher on the history of the Vietnamese language. This research helped the Professor receive the Balaban Award from the American Society for the Preservation of Han Nom Heritage in 2017.
The professor also loves Vietnamese specialties and cuisine in general, and Ben Tre in particular, so whenever he has the opportunity, he promotes and introduces the traditional culture and cuisine of the province. In addition, the professor also introduces many areas related to customs, practices, folk beliefs and religions of the province to international friends through research works such as "The Nom Poetry Tale Luc Van Tien, author Nguyen Dinh Chieu, bilingual Vietnamese - Korean"; Mother Goddess worship at Thien YA Na Temple (Ward 7); activities of the Van Tien Poetry Club, bringing Luc Van Tien into water puppetry in Ben Tre. On the occasion of the 200th birthday of the world cultural celebrity Nguyen Dinh Chieu, the professor supported the province to build the film "Cultural celebrity Nguyen Dinh Chieu" (2 episodes). Drafted the document "Teaching Vietnamese through the Nom poem Luc Van Tien by Nguyen Dinh Chieu at Osaka University, Japan" and was selected to report at the International Scientific Conference "Celebrity Nguyen Dinh Chieu in the present era".
A recent cultural historical project of special significance is that the Professor participated at the invitation of Dr. Pham Van Luan - Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture as a professional consultant for the project "Traditional House of Architect Huynh Tan Phat" and the project "Database the Tomb of Scholar Truong Vinh Ky" and a number of cultural research projects in Ho Chi Minh City. In particular, currently, the Professor is the Deputy Director of the Center for Multilingual and Multicultural Studies, Osaka University to implement projects to preserve the heritage language (Heritage Language) or the mother tongue of Vietnamese children living in Japan; participated in the establishment and held the role of Chairman of the Center for Vietnamese Studies in the Vietnam - Japan Economic Cooperation Promotion Association.
With the practical and effective contributions of Professor Shimizu Masaaki to volunteer activities and the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage values in the province, on January 15, 2025, Ben Tre honored and awarded the title of "Honorary Dong Khoi Citizen" to the Professor.
Dream of becoming a citizen of Ben Tre
Professor Shimizu Masaaki has just attended a number of historical and cultural events and sites of the province during the time the Professor came to the province to attend the ceremony to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Ben Tre Province's founding (January 1, 1900 - January 1, 2025), the 65th anniversary of Ben Tre Dong Khoi Day (January 17, 1960 - January 17, 2025), announce the Prime Minister's decision to recognize Ben Tre Province's Traditional Day (January 17), honor and award the title of "Outstanding Dong Khoi Citizen" and "Honorary Dong Khoi Citizen" of Ben Tre province for the fourth time - 2025. According to the schedule, after attending the ceremony, the Professor will visit the Heritage Tree - Thien Tue tree, Phu Nhuan communal house; visit Mr. Huynh Van Cam (Le Huynh), former Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, former Chairman of the Provincial Association for the Support of Poor Patients and the Disabled; visit Truong Vinh Ky Stele House (Vinh Thanh commune) and will end this trip to Vietnam. But after attending the ceremony, he was informed that at 8:00 the next day there would be an inauguration ceremony for the renovation and embellishment of the temple of Female General Nguyen Thi Dinh, so the Professor proposed to arrange a time to attend.
At the ceremony, watching the welcoming performance by Tran Huu Trang Theater, with a cai luong opera about the image of Miss Ba Dinh, summarizing the life and revolutionary career of General Nguyen Thi Dinh... the program touched the Professor's heart. Professor Shimizu took off her glasses and quickly wiped away her tears several times during the 30-minute welcoming performance. It was planned that after the program, she would go to Vinh Thanh (Cho Lach), but suddenly the Professor asked, "Is General Nguyen Thi Dinh's house nearby (a shrine), and if we go there, what means of transportation should we use?" "I want to go to her house to burn incense for her."
At the house of General Nguyen Thi Dinh, Professor Shimizu Masaaki burned incense before the portrait of the General and talked with the third generation descendant of the General to learn more about her family, the daily life of her parents, siblings and her childhood. Especially when hearing that the house had completed the procedures to propose the classification of a provincial historical and cultural relic, the Professor was very interested. In the guestbook during the visit to the house of General Nguyen Thi Dinh, Professor Shimizu Masaaki wrote “… I promise to Ms. Ba that I will try to learn and research about the culture and history of Ben Tre to promote it to the world…”.
| With the feelings and responsibilities of a cultural researcher, a professor at Osaka University, an “honorary Dong Khoi citizen”, Professor Shimizu Masaaki wishes to truly be a citizen of the province to continue researching, teaching and transmitting the unique and typical cultural heritages of Vietnam in general, of Ben Tre, of Ben Tre cultural celebrities in particular, to be taught at universities in Japan and when conditions permit, will expand to some universities in the world... |
Nguyen Loan
Source: https://baodongkhoi.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/an-nghia-que-dua-a141462.html
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