Cham poet Inrasara, the recipient of Sorbonne CHCPI Award of France, literature critic and editor of Tagalau Journal, will give two public lectures about Cham culture at the HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities and Hoa Sen University on April 8 and 10, respectively.
The first lecture delves into the ‘Mystery of Cham - An Ancient Journey’ with many untold stories. For this lecture, Inrasara will share his research, such as contributions of the Cham to Vietnamese culture from ancient culture during the Champa Kingdom (from the seventh century to 1832). For Inrasara, uncovering myths and the integrity of literature is not a process of destruction but to recognize their value in providing meaning and guidance to contemporary life.
In the second lecture, Inrisara will discuss the role of religion in the open ethos of the Cham, particularly how its beliefs provided means for openness towards differences. He will share stories about ancient trade of the gypsies, the relationship between architecture and human behavior, and why the Cham were good at business yet humble with their profits.
Inrasara was born in 1957 in Chaklen village, the oldest of Cham people in Ninh Thuan Province. He started writing poems and collecting traditional literature since his high school years, and published his first research project ‘Cham Literature Outline’, which earned him Sorbonne CHCPI Award, and his first poetry collection ‘The tower of sunlight’, which won Vietnam Poets Union Award.
He also works with several intellects to publish Tagalau, a unique publication comprising of writings, collections and researches about Cham to preserve the essence of traditional culture.
Inrasara works primarily with poetry but in recent years he has taken up essays and literature critiques.
The event is part of the artistic project called ‘Conscious Realities’ sponsored by a Network Partnership between the Prince Claus Fund and San Art. The project seeks to stimulate creativity in Vietnam, thus engaging different ideas of contemporary artistic process through lectures, closed-workshops and an artist-in-residency program.
The HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities is located at 10-12 Dinh Tien Hoang Street in HCMC’s District 1 and Hoa Sen University is at 6 Nguyen Van Trang Street in HCMC’s District 1.