Melbourne performance company Chamber Made has announced that three Vietnamese artists scheduled to perform in its upcoming premiere work, Motherland, have been banned from participating by their national government. The company was informed earlier this week that mezzo-soprano Ha Thi Thuy, lyric-baritone Nguyen Van Hai – both from the Vietnam Opera and Ballet Theatre – and Vuong Duy Bien, Director of the Vietnamese National Water Puppet Company, would not be allowed to travel to Australia, due to government objections to Motherland’s content and concerns about its author, Le Quy Duong. ‘Unfortunately, since September 11, the world seems to be coming increasingly polarised. Originally, the Government of Vietnam supported this project – the objection is very sudden and surprising,’ commented project director and Chamber Made Artistic Director Douglas Horton. Involving Vietnamese-born artists now residing in Australia – writer Le Quy Duong and dan bau player Dzung Nguyen – the performance ‘would have been wonderful, artistically and symbolically,’ says Horton, if its casting had been completed as intended. ‘We understand, for instance, that Vietnamese mezzo Ha Thi Thuy used to sing to the North Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War. Australian singer Helen Noonan sang to the Australian troops in South Vietnam. To have had these two remarkable performers working together would have been an inspiring occasion. I do hope that in subsequent seasons of the work this can be realised.’ However, Horton adds, Chamber Made has been fortunate in securing Japanese-French singer Marie Kobayashi, French baritone, Jean Segani, and the Vietnamese-Australian Ngoc Song Water Puppeteers to replace the banned artists. ‘This opera remains a wonderful achievement, bringing together as it does the work and aspirations of artists from three countries and three continents. Motherland is all about history repeating – and the reaction of the Vietnamese Government is no truer sign of what is happening in the world today. This will be a genuinely significant Australian – and world – premiere.’