Week 5
ASA 141
Reading about the treatment of ethnic minority groups in Vietnam saddened me as there is so much Vietnamese history and culture that needs to shared with the public. This reading reminded me of the ethnic minorities that were also not represented in the Philippines earlier this quarter. In countries where development and economic growth are the main priorities, ethnic minorities are somewhat forgotten as countries race to modernization.
In cases where ethnic minorities are mentioned such as the banner celebrating Ho Chi Minh's 110th birthday, it is used as propaganda. Women wearing dresses of different minority groups were displayed to show unification under one leader with respect to Ho Chi Minh. However, the women's faces were hidden which represents the underlying problem facing the forgotten people in the highlands of Vietnam. How are the people of Vietnam unified when ethnic minorities are discriminated and treated poorly?
Poor treatment can be seen in various places. In Vietnam's Women's Museum in Hanoi, the first 3 floors are dedicated to Vietnamese heroines who contributed to Vietnam's history. The 4th floor honors the ethnic minorities yet the aesthetic of the display is off and contrary to the displays on the previous 3 floors. The mannequins that don the ethnic minority dresses seem passive. They are either sitting down and weaving or just standing. One description says these women just helped revive the traditions of Vietnam. Billboards that proudly display Vietnamese pride also show discrimination toward the ethnic minorities. On one board, it displays Vietnamese doctors, students, teachers, etc. But it shows a member of an ethnic minority off to the side, as if she is not capable of these titles.
What can people in Vietnam do to provide these ethnic minority groups a voice?
No comments:
Post a Comment