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UNESCO Phnom Penh Office has a great pleasure to join Cambodian people, the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and especially, the Chapei Dang Veng Communities, in celebrating the 4th anniversary of the inscription of the on November 30, 2016. To commemorate this day, Chapei Festival was organized from 28 to 30 November 2019 by the National Museum of Cambodia and Cambodian Living Arts.

Chapei Dang Veng is a Cambodian musical tradition closely associated with the life, customs and beliefs of the Cambodian people. It features the Chapei (a type of lute often played at cultural festivals) accompanied by singing. Song lyrics range from the educational and a type of social commentary, to satire while incorporating traditional poems, folk tales, or Buddhist stories.

The tradition is considered to have multiple functions within Cambodian communities, such as safeguarding traditional rituals; transmitting social, cultural and religious knowledge and values; providing exposure to the old Khmer language; creating a space for social and political commentary; entertaining; connecting generations; and building social cohesion. Apart from musical talent, skills required to be a Chapei player include wit, the ability to improvise and be a good storyteller. While performers are generally male, there are no gender restrictions on who can play the Chapei. Transmitted orally within families and informal master-apprentice relationships, today the art form is practiced by few performers and even fewer masters exist.

This year, UNESCO wishes to take this opportunity to commemorate the late  Mr. Phirum Prach Chhuon, one of the 17 Living Human Treasure, nominated by the King of Cambodia on October 3, 2012, as well as one of the two top masters and signers of Chapei Dang Veng of Cambodia. He made a tremendous effort to transfer his knowledge and skills on Chapei Dang Veng to his apprentices until he passed away on November 17, 2018. Now, some of his apprentices became masters and Chapei Dang Veng artists to pursue the continuity of this Intangible Cultural Heritage for the next generation.

Since the beginning of Covid-19, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has been implementing the Chapei Dang Veng Project, supported by UNESCO. The project focuses on the promotion and safeguarding of Chapei Dang Veng among general public, thorough mapping research, documentation, education and training for young people especially for Chapei Community, reinforcement of the curriculum on Chapei at the .