Art & Entertainment News 26/3 Phan Chau Trinh Awards honour 97-year-old maestro   The Phan Chau Trinh Awards 2015 in HCM City on Tuesday recognised several talented musicians, most notably 97-year-old music teacher and researcher Nguyen Vinh Bao for his contribution to research and preservation of traditional southern music. Maestro Bao, who plays the traditional dan co (two-chord fiddle) and dan tranh (16-chord zither) instruments, has performed Vietnamese music in many countries. He worked as a lecturer for the University of Illinois from 1970 to 1972. The culture and education prize was also shared with educator Pham Toan for his research work on new teaching methods in primary education. Pham Hoang Quan received a research prize for his work on the East Sea. Quan, 49, spent more than 10 years to complete his work, which is used in many universities and institutes. The Vietnamese studies prize was given to an American professor, author and cultural researcher Keith Weller Taylor. And the translation prize went to Nguyen Nghi. The annual Phan Chau Trinh Awards, launched in 2008 by Phan Chau Trinh Culture Foundation, aims to honour individuals and groups and their contributions to Vietnamese culture, translation, and research and Vietnamese studies. The awards honour the national hero, poet and cultural expert Phan Chau Trinh, a native of central Quang Nam Province. Born in 1872, Phan Chau Trinh was a reformer who fought in the resistance movement against the French when he was very young. He devoted all of his life to the country's modernisation cause. The Phan Chau Trinh Culture Foundation is managed by the Viet Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations. Smile! Temporary Art reveals a different world Manzi is presenting the weird and wonderful world of Plonk&Replonk in an exhibition titled Smile! Temporary Art. Well-known in their homeland of Switzerland and neighbouring France as Plonk&Replonk, artist-brother duo Hubert and Jacques Froidevaux explore the endless possible uses of humour in various art forms: objects, sculptures, installations, light boxes, postcards and graphic prints. Characterised by a mix of black humour and wicked wit that borders on the sarcastic and mischievous, Plonk&Replonk deal with internationally relevant topics such as environment, globalisation, education and consumerism with both criticality and lightheartedness. By turning ordinary objects, habits and events upside-down, Plonk&Replonk ask us to look at reality in another. The free exhibition will open at 6.30pm today and run until April 27 at Manzi Art Space, 14 Phan Huy Ich Street. Vietnam attends Francophone Week in Angola The Vietnamese Embassy in Angola joined representative agencies from 13 member countries of the International Francophone Organisation (OIF) in organising various sports and cultural activities during the recent Francophone Week in Luanda, Angola. Activities included a storytelling contest, seminars to introduce the OIF and French language activities in member organisations, a football tournament of students from French language schools, live broadcasting Bom Dia programme on the Radio National of Angola (RNA), and French cuisine night, which attracted public interest. Vietnam’s signature dishes and beverages were applauded by international friends at the culinary festival, during which some films about the country were also shown to spectators.- Dance gala to feature Kizomba guru International Kizomba master Nelson Campos is coming to Ha Noi to take the lead at the Viet Nam Kizomba Gala 2015. Kizomba is a popular genre of dance and music originating in Angola. Hosted by Heart Zouk Dance, the three-day event, which starts next Tuesday, will feature workshops and a social dance event. With nearly 20 years of experience teaching dance, Campos has been recognised by the United Kingdom Alliance of Professional Teachers of Dancing and Kindred Arts, and the British Dance Council. A founder of the Kent Salsa&Kizomba Dance School in London, he has held performances and workshops in many countries all over the world, including Ireland, Dubai, Thailand, Nepal, and other regions in Europe and Asia. Campos also released the first-ever English professional instructional Kizomba DVD. For further information about Viet Nam Kizomba Gala 2015, contact Phan Huong at 0943881088 or visit www.facebook.com/ZoukVietnam. Music night to celebrate late composer Son Heritage Space will host a music night dedicated to the late Trinh Cong Son, one of the most influential Vietnamese composers, on Friday night. Titled Ha Huyen 2 (Dark Moon 2), the event will feature songstress Giang Trang, whose alto voice is especially suitable for Son's emotional songs. She will be accompanied by dan tranh (16-chord zither) player Van Mai, flutist Le Nhu Huong, pianist Trong Kieu and songwriter Thanh Phuong, who plays guitar. The music night will start at 8pm. Tickets cost VND500,000. Heritage Space is located in Dolphin Plaza at 28 Tran Binh Street in My Dinh. Exhibition on Truong Sa, Hoang Sa to open in Can Tho An exhibition on historical and legal evidence proving Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos will be held in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho from March 26-31. The exhibition, co-organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Can Tho municipal People’s Committee, will showcase a collection of more than 100 maps, documents, publications and objects that conclusively affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. All of the artefacts represent important historical and legal evidence asserting Vietnam has explored, exploited and exercised sovereignty over the two archipelagos and other waters since the 17th century in an uninterrupted and peaceful manner. The event, part of the first book fair to be held in Can Tho, aims to infuse the young generation with patriotism and determination to safeguard the country’s territory. It will be the 22nd of its kind held across the country.- Southeast Asian musicians to perform in city Follow The White Rabbit (FTWR), a collective of music producers and DJs from Southeast Asia, will present The FTWR Tea Party Tour in HCM City from Saturday. It will feature DJs Providence and Jeff Hue of Singapore and DJs Soltice and bian. of Indonesia, who will play electro, house and dubsteb music. The performances will be at the Toohai Rooftop Bar on March 28, Saigon Ranger on April 1 and 2, and The Cube Bar on April 3. Admission is free. HCM City’s photo contest marks Sen Village Festival 2015 Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities have encouraged public workers throughout the city to take part in an exhibition and photo contest which will be organized in the Sen (Lotus) Village Festival 2015 celebrating  125th birthday of President  Ho Chi Minh. The Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee's Department of Propaganda and Education has sent a document to Ho Chi Minh City Association of Literature and Arts, the city’s Fatherland Front Committee, the Fine Arts Association, the Photography Association and the media asking to announce about the photo contest titled “Studying and Following President Ho Chi Minh's Moral Example” to their members and people in the city. Individuals and organizations can send their submissions to the Ho Chi Minh City ctity Party Committee's Department of Propaganda and Education from now until March 31. The selected works will be displayed in an exhibition in the Sen Village Festival 2015 in Nghe An Province. The Sen Village Festival, held in the hometown of President Ho Chi Minh, will take place on May 15-20. Numerous activities, including offering incense at Uncle Ho statue in Ho Chi Minh square, a parade, a commemoration at Kim Lien Historical Site, the openg ceremony of the festival, art performances, a film week on Uncle Ho, a singing contest, an ethnic cultural festival and more will be held during the event. Gruesome Playground Injuries to be played next month HCMC-based Dragonfly Theater Co. and Saigon Sound System will bring Gruesome Playground Injuries, a comedy/drama by 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist and playwright Rajiv Joseph, to the stage of Cargo Bar in HCMC’s District 4 from April 23-25. The show directed by Peter O’Neill will be played in English by the Thailand-based professional English language theater group Peel the Limelight, after its successful Bangkok premiere last month. “Gruesome Playground Injuries” is considered as an incredibly successful piece of contemporary theatre. It tells a love story of two people, Kayleen, played by Siree Riewpaiboon, and Doug, played by Jaime Zúñiga, from the age of eight on the playground to a beautifully destructive romance for over 30 years. According to the organizers, this is indeed a bloody, dangerous and painful love game, not a child’s play as many people usually think of. Tickets are priced at VND300,000 per person (for advance booking) and at VND350,000 for those who buy tickets at the door. Cargo Bar is located at 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4. Electronic music, visual arts on display French electronic musician Thylacine will join Vietnamese musicians and visual artists to bring a night of music and lights to a HCM City audience. He will perform along with DJs Jase Nguyen, Jin and Duy Tuan. The visual show will be presented by Aetitia Belly of France and Vietnamese artists Yen Apus and Cao Hong Long. Limited edition T-shirts, buttons and the artists' latest albums will also be on sale at the event. The show begins at 9pm on April 4 at Cargo Bar, 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, District 4. Tickets cost VND160,000 and half that for students. Easter activities to be held at Saigon Outcast Easter will be celebrated at Saigon Outcast with a series of family activities on April 5. They will include egg painting, Easter egg hunting with party bunny, pinata for kids and fun games for adults. There will be a do-it-yourself workshop and zumba class for kids and parents. City-based DJs Starchild and Maraphoria will perform funk and soul music throughout the event. The festivities will begin at 3pm. Admission is VND100,000 for adults and free for kids and students.  VNS/VNA/SGGP/SGT