Last Sunday I attended the grand opening of the Akha Heritage Center in Baan Saen Suk, a mountain village in Chiang Rai Province. Students of the Akha Oral Tradition School, a Living Legacy Project launched by Cultural Crossroads Asia, helped to create the exhibits under the guidance of Fulbright Scholar and museum specialist Dr. Lisa Roberts.

American researcher, writer and filmmaker Victoria Vorreiter is the driving force behind this remarkable project that aims to bring back and preserve oral traditions of the Akha people. The twenty-two Akha students showed their skills in a fantastic musical performance. What an unforgettable event!

Let's hope this project will inspire others to preserve the valuable traditions of other ethnic minority groups in North Thailand.

What an honor it was for Tony and me to attend the opening of the Akha Heritage Centre at Saen Suk village. As always, the Akha teenagers' performance of their cultural music was moving. Congratulations and thanks to you all for your perseverance, collaboration, and hard work.

The young people's genuine passion for learning about Akha culture was evident by the quality of their exhibits, which were brought to life as they proudly explained the displays to guests. Thank you, Victoria Vorreiter, for driving this project and inviting Dr Lisa Roberts to share her expertise in museum curatorship.

To all the Akha elders and leaders, especially Leedo and Arlo, gulung guma deh. What a fabulous legacy this is for Akha people.