Singer Truong Phi Nga (left) participates in the Voices of Young People music contest, held in Ca Mau Province to celebrate the National Day.

The Voices of Young People 2009 contest is being held at the Dam Doi District’s Cultural House this week to celebrate the country’s National Day on September 2.

Young musicians, dancers, singers and actors from 120 art clubs are being encouraged to depict their culture and lifestyle through their performances, organisers, said.

“We hope the contest will give our youth, most of whom live in poor conditions, a chance to enjoy life as well as introduce their art to each other,” said Nguyen Hoang Tam, a member of the organising board.

The organisers, as well as their partners and the province’s Youth Union, hope the contest instill a love of traditional music and art in youth and the audience.

The winners will receive support from organisers and sponsors to develop professional careers.

During the contest, singer Truong Phi Nga, 16, has introduced cai luong (reformed opera) by singing songs that are common among villagers in Bac Lieu Province.

For tomorrow’s semi-final round, she will perform Dem Tho Nho Bac (Remember Uncle Ho), a folk song composed by veteran musician Tran Thanh Hoa.

With her powerful voice, Nga is in contention for the contest’s prize for best voice in the folk music talent section.

Her peers, Nhan Thi Lan Nhi and her staff, who are members of the Ngoc Hien District Art Club, will show off their talent in a comedy titled Chuyen Nho O Xa Toi (Stories of My Village).

“We hope to encourage youngsters to turn away from bad customs and live more useful lives,” said Nhi, 18, who dreams of becoming a professional theatre performer after graduation from high school.

The contest, which has attracted several hundred Ca Mau residents, will close on September 2.

To keep their musical tradition alive and introduce future generations to the art, many clubs in Ca Mau are offering free performances and training classes for young people.

The clubs, some of them located in the province’s remote districts like Cai Nuoc and Tran Van Thoi, provide youth with the basic knowledge of cai luong and tai tu (southern traditional music).

They also offer instruction in how to play musical instruments and lessons in singing traditional tunes.

“We believe that pop and hip-hop music are modern and fashionable, but only traditional music is spiritually rooted in the people living in southern provinces, Ca Mau in particular,” says farmer Truong Thanh Teo, head of the Khanh Binh Tay Club.

Teo and his club’s members, including artists like Bay Trung and Ba Do, often hold free performances for young people, many of whom live in remote and poor villages.

VietNamNet/VNS