Phnom Penh: The Chapei Dang Veng competition festival will be held between 15 and 17 October in Phnom Penh. The three-day festival is organized by the Ministry of Culture. A “Chapey Dong Veng” is a Cambodian traditional guitar with two strings and a long neck. The instrument was certified by UNESCO in 2016 as part of Cambodia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Minister of Culture, Phoeurng Sackona, believes the festival will further enhance and preserve Cambodia's arts, culture and traditions, contributing to social development. Phoeurng Sackona has also encouraged the media and businesses to share information about the competition in order to encourage the participation of as many talented musicians as possible.
The competition will be divided in three different stages in order to test different abilities. The winners will be awarded prizes and recognition certificates.
Other pieces of UNESCO Intangible Heritage from Cambodia are: the Lakhon Sbek Thom (the big shadow puppet), the Preah Reach Troap Dance (Royal Ballet), credited as a Intagible Heritage of Humanity in 2003, and Teanh Prot (tug-of-war), a popular recreational game that was named an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015. The Cambodian dance Lkhon Khol was added to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2018.
