PHNOM PENH: Secretary of State for the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Hub Touch, said that the organization of the Chapei Dang Veng Festival is an important cultural event to preserve and promote Cambodia’s ancient indigenous stringed instrument. The Chapei Dang Veng, or chapey, is a Cambodian two-stringed long-necked guitar that was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible World Heritage List in 2016.

The festival to celebrate the instrument is taking place from October 2-4 at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts under the theme “Culture of Peace.”

Sec. Hub Touch expressed his appreciation of the efforts of the festival organizing committee and the capital-provincial Departments of Culture and Fine Arts, who were able to coordinate with many young Chapei Dang Veng players.

He emphasized that the festival is an important cultural event that contributes to the preservation and promotion of the art of Chapey Dang Veng, one of Cambodia's oldest intangible cultural heritages and an intangible cultural heritage of humankind.

The Secretary of State said that the festival also provides an opportunity to learn from each other to strengthen the capacity and quality of the profession of Chapey Dang Veng artists to preserve the art form and ensure its survival. He said it is up to the next generation to take advantage of this heritage to contribute to the development of the national economy and serve the needs of the masses.