Artisan Huu Van Kel is 59 years old this year, but he never stops striving to preserve and promote the cultural identity of his ethnic group. Besides being the leader of the large drum ensemble, Mr. Kel is also the leader of the Sa-dam drum ensemble, the head of the folk culture club in Cay Kho hamlet; a respected figure in the village; and a Khmer language teacher in the local area. Having come from a scholarly background, he has a deep understanding of the origins, traditions, and customs of the Khmer people, and he is always dedicated to preserving his ethnic culture. He is currently tasked with safeguarding various types of traditional musical instruments.

In order to preserve and promote the national cultural identity, Mr. Huu Van Kel continuously passes on the traditional dances of his ethnic group to the younger generation, especially to perform during the Chol Chnam Thmay New Year festival in 2025.

In order to preserve and promote the national cultural identity, Mr. Huu Van Kel continuously passes on the traditional dances of his ethnic group to the younger generation, especially to perform during the Chol Chnam Thmay New Year festival in 2025.

In particular, in the days leading up to the traditional Chôl Chnăm Thmây New Year of the Khmer ethnic group in 2025, Mr. Hữu Văn Kel also organized classes to teach traditional dances to the children of the ethnic group to perform and contribute to the festivities during the three days of the New Year.

In the small house of artisan Huu Van Kel's family, the musical instruments are always neatly stored and carefully preserved so that visitors can easily see and learn about them. In addition, Mr. Kel is always ready to serve people from near and far with their needs. Recently, he received many traditional Khmer costumes, some cultural instruments, and a safe for storage from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ca Mau province.

The musical instruments are carefully and neatly stored and preserved by artisan Huu Van Kel.

The musical instruments are carefully and neatly stored and preserved by artisan Huu Van Kel.

Speaking about the preservation of ethnic culture, artisan Huu Van Kel said: “In the context of strong integration as it is today, there are many concerns that the traditional culture of ethnic minorities will gradually fade away if the younger generations do not contribute. I am always concerned about how to preserve and promote the cultural values ​​of my ethnic group, helping people, especially the younger generation, to understand them better so that they do not turn their backs on the traditional culture that our ancestors painstakingly built and passed down to this day. In particular, the large drum is often used in important events taking place in villages and in Khmer Theravada temples. Therefore, the work of preserving and safeguarding it is extremely necessary.”

“To date, I’ve been involved in this profession for nearly 30 years, and it’s because of my passion that after my father and elders passed away, I decided to re-establish the musical instrument ensemble, including the large drum ensemble. In addition, I also teach the younger generation traditional dances (Ram Vong, Saravan, Lam Leo...). I hope to have successors, especially the current younger generation, to contribute to preserving and promoting the traditional cultural identity of our nation. It’s not just the large drum ensemble; we must all work together to preserve and promote the cultural identity that our ancestors left behind,” Mr. Kel shared.

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Source: https://baocamau.vn/nguoi-giu-hon-van-hoa-dan-toc-a38377.html