'Chapei dang veng' master Kong Nay plays the instrument at the Cambodian Living Arts Association in Phnom Penh in 2016. POST STAFF
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is preparing to launch a three-day National Chapei Dang Veng Festival in October of this year.
This vibrant celebration of Cambodia's national arts and culture will pay tribute to chapei dang veng, a two-stringed, long-necked musical instrument inscribed on UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
According to UNESCO, this musical tradition features the chapei accompanied by singing. Song lyrics range from the educational and a type of social commentary to satire while incorporating traditional poems, folk tales or Buddhist stories.
In an announcement made on July 18, culture minister Phoeurng Sackona revealed that the festival would take place between October 2-4 at the Department of Performing Arts in Phnom Penh.
This festival presents an opportunity for people from across the nation and globe to appreciate and preserve the cultural and artistic values of traditional Khmer musical instruments like the chapei dang veng.
"The event aims to promote our arts, culture and national traditions. It is also a means of reinforcing our national identity, contributing to societal development and enhancing national prestige," said the official announcement.
The festival will particularly honour the chapei dang veng, which gained the UNESCO status on November 30, 2016.
The ministry will seek out participants from all corners of the country for this national festival. Eligible applicants include civil servants, members of the public and previous non-winning contestants of the National Chapei Dang Veng Festival.
Women and people with disabilities are particularly encouraged to participate. Applicants will need to fill out a form and submit a CV. The festival organisers reserve the right to withhold applications from the evaluation committee if a submitted video deviates from the stipulated conditions, said the notice.
The application period began on the day of the announcement and will continue until 5pm on August 25.
Submissions of applications and videos should be made through each capital-provincial culture department, heads of art organisations and associations, or directly to the festival organising committee at the Department of Performing Arts in Phnom Penh.
Candidates will be required to record two 15-minute video performances of chapei dang veng songs on topics of their choosing, one of which must focus on culture and peace.
Once through to the final, candidates will travel to Phnom Penh to participate in the festival in person.
The ministry has declared that the first-place winner will receive a gold medal and six million riel ($1,500).
Runners up will also be rewarded, with the second-placed winner receiving a silver medal and four million riel, and the third-placed winner a bronze medal and two million riel. Fourth and fifth place will each be awarded one million riel.
Semi-finalists are expected to arrive in Phnom Penh on September 30.
