(VOVworld) – At the start of this month, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the Vietnam Television’s ethnic language channel held a joint exhibition of items collected by children who were born in the 90s last previous century and are members of a gong group from KonTum Kpang hamlet in Kon Tum city. A 30-minute film titled ‘Gong rhythms of 90s children’ was screened reflecting the thoughts, feeling, and dreams of the young gong players. VOV’s reporter Bui Hang sheds light on the life and culture of the Ba Na ethnic minority group in HonTum Kpang.

Items on display at the exhibition impress visitors due to their truthfullness. (Photo: Bui Hang)

The leader of the gong group from KonTum Kpang hamlet in Kon Tum City, also the eldest, is 16 years old and the remainder are from 12 to 14. Apart from their daily studies and work, they practice how dance in the Xoang style and play gongs. They are taught how to make a gong and how to play it correctly and competently.

All the village children’s simple daily activities are portrayed through the items on display. These are papooses, gongs, brocade clothes, a lunar New Year pole, and a communal house belonging to the Ba Na ethnic community in Kon Tum province. Nguyen Phuong Thao works at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology saying ‘The items on display are either things that are used by the family or at work in the mountain fields. Most of the photos on display were taken by the children themselves, with each of the photos telling a story. All the stories about the items in the exhibition have been put together in a book for visitors to read.’

The 30-minute-film includes stories narrated by Ba Na teenagers. The film is made in a modern style, depending on the voice of the characters, featuring the thoughts, emotions, and dreams of the 90s gong players. The stories were selected by the children themselves. Nguyen Dieu Huyen, a reporter for Vietnam Television’s ethnic language channel, says ‘The film contains five main topics. Right from the start, the film tells us about the children’s passion for gongs, how they practice, and their dreams about the traditional musical instrument. It also describes the children’s daily lives and activities, and their moments of friendship within the group. They are free to express what they think and wish.’

The children of the gong group were born disadvantaged with some fatherless and others who have lost their mother. But that hasn’t made them pessimistic. Audiences are impressed by the image of carefree children swimming happily in the river or hiking through the mountains.

The children’s dance practice and gong playing have helped to preserve the specific aspects of the community’s culture. Ms. Huyen says ‘Through this film the children want to convey, that despite their living conditions being hard, they love to play their gongs. Activities to preserve this traditional culture should be promoted in any form possible and handed down to the next generation and to introduce to international friends.’

The exhibition and film screening are part of a community-based communications  project in Vietnam funded by the Ford Foundation. Through the stories, the children in Kon Tum Kpang have helped many people to understand their community’s way of life and convey the message that the culture needs preserving for future generations.