As part of the 2026 Dak Lak Durian Festival, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has organised the live-action show “Memories of the Longhouse” at the Dak Lak Museum.
“Memories of the Longhouse” is structured as a journey through an Ede longhouse. There is no separate stage or auditorium. Instead, audiences move in one direction through a series of artistic spaces, directly experiencing different facets of Ede community life across four segments.
Across the different spaces, distinctive elements of Ede life, including labour, daily activities, customary law, memories, epics, music and the hearth, are woven into a seamless experiential journey. Art does not stand apart from everyday life to illustrate it, but becomes part of the cultural space itself, enabling audiences to experience the heritage through direct interaction and participation.
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| Audiences watching the show “Memories of the Longhouse”. |
A distinctive feature of “Memories of the Longhouse” is its combination of contemporary performance art with indigenous cultural materials, with Ede artisans and community members directly participating in the performances. This approach helps preserve the authenticity of cultural values while offering the public a new and more accessible way to engage with them.
Through direct storytelling, an immersive performance space and cultural materials drawn from the community’s own way of life, “Memories of the Longhouse” has attracted attention and received positive feedback from delegates and audiences. The programme not only recreates a traditional cultural space but also offers a new way of bringing these values closer to the public in contemporary society.
The show “Memories of the Longhouse” takes place in two time slots, from 19:30 to 20:15 and from 20:30 to 21:15, on August 17, 18 and 19. The programme is expected to become a distinctive cultural and tourism product, enriching visitors’ experiences in Dak Lak while opening up new avenues for showcasing and promoting Ede cultural values.
Translated by KHUONG THAO
