VO Lifestyle of Lao people portrayed through arts
INTRO: The Lao People's Democratic Republic is marking its 40th anniversary with a series of achievements in various fields highlighting the progress made in national development over the past four decades. Our LNTV English News Bulletin is telecasting a series of stories on the achievements of the Lao PDR to mark the 40th anniversary celebrations. Today we have Lifestyle of Lao people portrayed through arts
STORY: For thousands of years the everyday customs and traditions of the Lao people have been reproduced in paintings, sketches and weavings by skilled artists and talented people from the National Institute of Fine Arts.
Through the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, the Party and state have continued to enhance and preserve the fine arts as the legacy of our ancestors, who practised many different kinds of art forms. Painting, embroidery, woodcarving, pottery, sculpting, moulding and casting using methods developed centuries ago have all been conserved and promoted throughout the country's history
Interview: Dr Maising Chanboutdy, Director, National Institute of Fine Arts
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According to NIFA Director Dr Maising Chanboutdy, over the past 40 years, the fine arts have developed quite fast. Officials working as teachers in this field have learnt a lot, both in Laos and overseas. Laos now has a doctorate degree in fine arts. A number of fine arts schools were built following national liberation in 1975.
NIFA Director Dr Maising Chanboutdy said that in 2002, the fine arts school became the National Institute of Fine Arts (NIFA) and introduced more subjects. The institute now teaches courses in painting, graphic arts, sculpture, traditional art and restoration, and communication art and design.
Fine arts schools have opened in Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Champassak provinces to teach advanced courses to young people, to preserve Laos' fine culture and provide jobs for people skilled in this work.
Dr Maising said the Party and state have focused on building infrastructure and conserving cultural traditions over the past 40 years to ensure that Laos' fine culture is developed alongside developing and protecting the nation.
The Party and state are paying particular attention to building infrastructure in many areas across the country. The construction of the new NIFA building is part of the development of the culture sector.
Laos now has a new fine arts building where Lao people can further their interest in the field, as is the case in other Asean nations. The government allocated 48 billion kip to build the four-storey building in Phonpapao village, Sisattanak district. The institute represents a milestone in the development of human resources in the field of fine arts.
Built with government money, the institute symbolises the importance of fine arts to the nation. Laos now has a place worthy of those who wish to pass on the country's cultural legacy to future generations. The lifestyle of the Lao people has been portrayed over the years by skilled artists throug h various forms of handicraft including the sculpting and carving of various patterns, motifs and mouldings.
