Traditional Vietnamese music mixed with Ghanaian dance for first time

Dancers rehearse for the night of "Heave." (Photo: Organising Board)

In the “Heave” show, Vietnamese traditional music and performance, including Chau Van singing in Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship ritual will be blended with folk song in rituals of Accra.

This is the first time a Vietnamese artist has exchanged with those from Ghana. The performance will be livestreamed at 8pm on May 29 (local time), or 3am on May 30 (Vietnamese time). Viewers can watch on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram of the Organizing Committee - Alliance Française Accra (the agency promoting French culture and language in Ghana).

Art reflects the life

The performance is the initiative of Emmanuel Labrande, Director of Alliance Française Accra.

While working as Cultural Charge Affairs at the French Embassy in Vietnam and Director of the French cultural centre in Hanoi, L’Espace, Emmanuel Labrande had a chance to work with Luong Hue Trinh, one of the outstanding acoustic electronic artists of Vietnam’s contemporary music.

Artist Luong Hue Trinh will perform with those from Ghana (Photo courtesy of Luong Hue Trinh)

"Heave" was supposed to take place within the framework of the Music and Dance Festival in Accra this year, but due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Festival could not be carried out as planned. However, Alliance Française Accra decided to produce the show and broadcast it online.

“Online broadcasting will help more people around the world enjoy art,” said artist Luong Hue Trinh.

During one and a half year since arriving in Accra, Luong Hue Trinh has constantly connected with local artists to prepare for this collaboration.

The theme of the show came from the observation of artist Hue Trinh, when people in many parts of the world felt that even breathing became difficult due to pollution, violence, stress and epidemic. The fact is that recently, a lot of people have died from lack of oxygen to breathe. Through the programme, the artists raised the question of what people can do to regain normal breathing.

To artist Luong Hue Trinh, breathing is an expression of existence and all those pollutants have a significant influence on the existence and breathing of each individual.

When the epidemic broke out, she followed the news about the situation in India and was haunted. “As COVID-19 hits society, we become more aware of breathing, of the dangers of lack of oxygen,” added the artist.

Choreographer Sena Atsugah, who collaborates with Luong Hue Trinh, is very interested in the theme of the show, because it reflects the real life today.

Choreographer Sena Atsugah. (Photo courtesy of Choreographer Sena Atsugah)

Through artistic language, Sena hopes people will change their personal behavior to live more usefully for the development of the community.

Connecting culture between Vietnam and Ghana

From that idea, artist Luong Hue Trinh discussed with choreographer Sena Atsugah to bring the movements of the body as well as the sound of breathing on the stage.

Choreographer Sena Atsugah said Luong Hue Trinh was the first Vietnamese musician she collaborated with.

“This makes me very excited and also somewhat nervous. Trinh has been immersed in Ghanaian culture, so I feel very excited and honored to be working with her. I hope I can contribute to spreading the meaning of the program,” Sena said.

The artists all hope that the Vietnamese audience will enjoy the music and contemporary African dance in Ghana and vice versa. Thereby, the relationship of two geographically distant cultures will become somewhat closer./.