Creating consensus to better protect cultural heritage

Resolution No. 43-NQ/TW of the Party, "Continuing to promote the tradition and strength of national unity, building our country to be increasingly prosperous and happy," issued on November 24, 2023, sets out the goal of continuing to promote the tradition and strength of national unity, strengthening social consensus, strongly arousing patriotism, national self-reliance, faith, and aspirations to contribute to building an increasingly prosperous and happy country.

Thang Long Imperial Citadel is considered a model for heritage preservation in Vietnam. (Photo: GIANG NAM)

One of the solutions outlined in Resolution No. 43 is to promote socialist democracy, the potential and creativity of the people. Accordingly, it is necessary to build appropriate mechanisms for the people to participate in the policy-making process and in deciding on major and important national issues, issues closely related to people's lives; to uphold the spirit of openness, receptiveness, and accountability of state agencies in responding to people's suggestions and proposals as prescribed; to promote democracy while strengthening discipline and order in society; and to enhance social consensus while promoting a sense of civic responsibility. Regarding the cultural sector, the issues raised in the Resolution have helped those working in the cultural field to have a clearer direction in implementing tasks to protect and promote heritage values, and to effectively carry out the revival and development of Vietnamese culture. Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Hien, Director of the Cultural Heritage Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated: In their daily work, cultural management officials greatly need input and suggestions from the people to ensure that the task of developing and preserving heritage stays on the right track. Cultural officials need to constantly strive to stay close to the situation, truly "living, working, and sharing" with the people, thereby creating consensus among officials and community members regarding their own heritage. By fostering close relationships and understanding the cultural elements within the community, the state management of heritage has been able to promptly detect and address several issues causing public concern, such as: the registration of the Phi Yến Commemoration Ceremony, the introduction of costumes and ritual performances of spirit mediumship onto the stage, the placement of reliefs and ancestral tablets of King Quang Trung in locations lacking sufficient scientific documentation and evidence, and recently, the timely halt to the placement of artifacts in the Vân Cát Palace (Nam Định) in violation of the Law on Cultural Heritage… In reality, in some units and localities, the understanding of heritage and the methods of protecting and promoting cultural heritage values ​​are sometimes still flawed. Regarding historical sites, the increased investment by the State and the community in restoration and preservation in recent years has created many positive changes in the material and spiritual life surrounding these heritage sites and relics. However, in reality, there are still many instances of heritage damage due to cultural management becoming detached from the cultural life of the community, or due to the subjective intentions of some cultural management officials. With intangible cultural heritage, one of the fundamental preservation principles emphasized is: Empowering the communities owning the heritage to decide how their heritage is transformed, developed, and transmitted… this principle is sometimes not given due attention. To properly preserve relics and heritage, first and foremost, cultural management agencies, cultural officials, and the community need to consider the values ​​of relics and heritage as treasures to be cherished and protected, and then promoted, exploited, and transformed into a cultural and tourism highlight. Leaders and managers in cultural management agencies need to fully and deeply understand the important role of the strength of unity and consensus within the community. Cultural officials must understand the thoughts and aspirations of the people, leverage the role of influential figures, and work with the community to protect heritage. To strengthen social consensus, it is also necessary to uphold a spirit of openness, enhance the responsibility of information and accountability of cultural management agencies, and promptly resolve related issues, especially those causing public concern and dissatisfaction. In his speech at the recent National Day celebration on September 2nd, General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized that national unity and sincere international solidarity should be the driving force, strongly mobilizing the people's strength, and closely linking the Party's will with the people's aspirations as the foundation for Vietnam to enter a new era, an era of national progress. According to Comrade Le Thi Thu Hien, the concretization of the General Secretary and President's directives aims to ensure equality, solidarity, mutual assistance among ethnic groups, and the development of internal strengths through caring for the material and spiritual lives of communities, raising the intellectual level of the people, preserving the spoken and written language, cultural identity, and fine traditions of ethnic groups; contributing to helping people truly be the creative subjects and beneficiaries in the cultural field.

Nhandan.vn

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tao-dong-thuan-de-bao-ve-di-san-van-hoa-tot-hon-post837935.html