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Mongolian singer aims to keep tradition of epic poetry vibrant
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Mongolian epic singer Bada has devoted his life to chanting the 150,000-line “Epic of Jangar” and hopes that a cartoon series about the hero will spark interest.
Bada, who uses a one-word name, watched the animated TV series “Young Hero of Jangar” and concluded that while his audience is dwindling, the epic cycle could be saved.
The ballad consisting of around 70 episodes has been compared with Homer’s “Odyssey.” The tales about King Jangar and others involve the conquest of evil and the establishment of a Mongolian utopia without war, hunger or cold.
Hope of new life
“I see hope now of new life for the epic and the Mongolian culture it embodies, and for passing them on to the next generation,” said Bada.
A traditional singer of Jangar since he was 17, Bada used to teach the epic at the Mongolian Middle School in the Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Bortala in farwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Classes cost only 50 yuan (today US$8).
“The teaching was not effective. Few students were interested in learning ‘old people’s stuff’,” said Bada, quoting his students.
He was even more worried when he discovered that his daughter in junior high school preferred surfing the Internet to learning Jangar from him.
“Who will sing Jangar after me?” Bada asked himself as he sought apprentices talented, patient and enthusiastic enough to tackle the work as a lifelong career.
The epic was traditionally sung by a singer such as Bada at weddings, festivals and public events, but today many people skip it in favor of modern weddings with pop music, or play a recording. “Fewer families invite me to sing on big occasions now and they offer less money,” said Bada. Sometimes, all he gets is a meal. When he’s lucky, he may earn 300 yuan.
Efforts paying off
In 2006, Jangar was listed as a part of the country’s intangible cultural heritage and the local government has tried to promote the epic.
Bortala now has four Jangar singers including Bada. They each receive a monthly stipend of 1,000 yuan from the city government and a yearly subsidy or 300 yuan from the regional government.
Bortala promotes Jangar in primary and secondary schools to cultivate “little singers of Jangar.” It holds singing contests every year. One of Bada’s students won first prize this year and he was promised a classroom of his own.
Bada feels his hard work is gradually paying off, but he’s still concerned over Jangar’s future.
“I hope that after watching the cartoon, people won’t think that the epic is only for kids,” said Bada. “It epitomizes the history and culture of the Mongolian people.”
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