PHNOM PENH, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chapei Dang Veng, a Cambodian long-necked, two-stringed lute, was inscribed on the UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding on Wednesday, said a UNESCO's press release.
The inscription was made during the eleventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia.
Chapei Dang Veng is a Cambodian musical tradition associated with the life, customs and beliefs of Cambodian people, the press release said.
It features the chapei (a lute often played at cultural festivals) accompanied by the performer singing, with lyrics ranging from educational and social commentary to satire incorporating poems, folk tales or Buddhist stories.
Transmitted orally within families and informal master-apprentice relationships, today the art form is practised by few performers and even fewer masters exist, it said.
According to the press release, the committee also approved Cambodia's request for financial support of 230,000 U.S. dollars in order to implement the safeguarding plan.
"There are only two surviving great masters of the chapei, but they do not practise it actively because of their age," it said.
It added that the safeguarding plan submitted by Cambodia, in consultation with artistic and educational organizations, includes a list of places and times when this music is practised, the training of chapei teachers, fellowship programs for young masters, as well as festivals.
