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S’pore Heritage Fest: The people’s choice

Singapore — The annual Singapore Heritage Fest (SHF) is back next weekend and if you haven’t checked out any of its previous offerings over the years — well, why not?

Singapore — The annual Singapore Heritage Fest (SHF) is back next weekend and if you haven’t checked out any of its previous offerings over the years — well, why not?

After all, this is its 11th edition and the SHF has consistently been a hit among Singaporeans. And much of the success for this National Heritage Board event has been thanks to, well, you actually.

“Our various community partners are very crucial,” said festival director Angelita Teo. “The 40 community groups, individuals and partners that have come on board (this year) are the most we have in terms of participation in recent years. They are the reason the festival has been able to grow organically over the past few years.”

This year’s festival carries the theme, Our Islands, Our Home and there are lots of activities to choose from: Island tours, performances, film screenings, surefire hits such as programmes on traditional toys and games, as well as Peranakan-themed exhibitions and the trails and tours which are usually the first to start. The “hubs” have new themes this year, including the lighthouses of Singapore, traditional healing and a look at 100 years of motor racing in the country.

Altogether, there are more than 60 programmes and 11 “festival hubs” at malls all over the island — so you really don’t have any excuse to miss out. But just what should you check out? We asked five Singaporeans from all walks of life to come up with suggestions.

 

 

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DON BOSCO, 43, WRITER AND FATHER OF TWO

 

RIVER NIGHTS. This will be perfect for my two sons. The fantastic mix of activities will keep them entertained and give them plenty of new ideas for their school projects.

July 18 and 19, 7pm, Asian Civilisations Museum. Free. Prior online registration required for the launch on July 19.

 

A CENTURY OF MOTOR RACING IN SINGAPORE. Remote control car race, motor shadow puppets, make your own vintage racing car workshop, arcade car racing. I’m looking forward to this absolute geek fest.

July 18 to 27 at Velocity@Novena Square, Atrium, Level 1. With weekend programmes on July 19, 20, 26 and 27, various times.

 

A NIGHT OF NANYIN AT KUSU ISLAND. Late night performances and guided tours around the temple and keramat — this sounds thrilling! Who knows, it might inspire new story ideas. The Phantom Princess of Kusu Island?

July 26, 4pm to 9pm, National Museum Singapore, Bus Bay, Level 2 (meeting point). Free. Prior online registration required.

 

TOUR OF KONG CHOW CULTURAL CENTRE (Special performances by wushu, dragon dance, lion dance and Cantonese opera troupes). Did you know this historical venue houses the Wong Fei Hong school of martial arts? Haii-yaaah! I’m developing a steampunk kungfu story and this will be essential for my research.

July 26 and 27, 8pm to 10pm, Kong Chow Wui Koon, 321 New Bridge Road. Conducted in English. Free. Prior online registration required.

 

LUNCHTIME SCREENING OF DOCUMENTARY ON EE HOE HEAN CLUB & THE LIFE OF TAN KAH KEE. This is one of Singapore’s oldest millionaires’ clubs, since 1895. I’d go to soak up the vintage vibes and find out more about what it took to be a hotshot entrepreneur back then.

July 26, 1.15pm to 2.15pm, Ee Hoe Hean Club, 43 Bukit Pasoh Road. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Buffet lunch provided. Free admission but online registration required.

 

(Don Bosco is the author of the Super Cool Books imprint for young readers, which includes the Sherlock Hong and Time Talisman series. A new edition of the Super Cool Books iPad reading app is scheduled to come out next month.)

 

 

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PADMA SAGARAM, 64, SPECIAL NEEDS SUPPORT TEACHER

 

MORE THAN A GARDEN’S MEMORIES OF KEBUN BUNGA AND ODISSI PERFORMANCE. I remember my mother telling me how she used to spend her childhood visiting her relatives who lived in the quarters of the Botanic Gardens back in the early 1920s. I hope to hear or see pictures of these memories come to life. This is something I will not miss as I will be performing in The Necessary Stage’s Gitanjali [I Feel The Earth Move] as an Odissi dance teacher. Not having any experience in this dance before, I am delighted that this session will help me appreciate one of India’s pure classical dance performance.

July 19 and 20, 3pm (for Kebun Bunga) and July 20, 4.20pm (for Odissi Performance), Atrium, Level 1, City Square Mall. Free.

 

OM VEDIC HERITAGE CENTRE’S AYURVEDIC HERITAGE TALK AND TOUR. I’m glad that the ancient Ayurvedic treatment is included in this heritage festival. My late father, who hails from Kerala, the land of Ayurveda, had told us that there are so many things to become aware of in our daily living that Ayurveda has answers to. It’s a good opportunity to learn more.

July 27, 2pm, Om Vedic Heritage Centre, 43 Tessensohn Road. Free admission but prior online registration required.

 

BHASKAR’S ARTS ACADEMY OPEN HOUSE. I am an ardent fan of Mrs Shanta Bhaskar - even more so now, after being involved in the Gitanjali dance production. Meeting her and find out how a dance teacher operates will add to my performance.

July 19 and 26, 1pm to 2.30pm, Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, Stamford Arts Centre. Free. Prior online registration required.

 

TALES FROM OUR SHORES: STORYTELLING SESSION. I plan to attend this session with my grandchildren as it will enlighten them with stories I grew up listening to and also to know how these fables relate to familiar places around our island.

July 19, 5pm; July 26, 1pm; July 27, 1.20pm, Main Atrium, Level 1, Century Square, Free.

 

KAMPONG SPIRIT: KAMPONG IN THE ’50S. Having grown up in a multi-ethnic kampung in the 1950s , I know I will definitely be drawn to this performance. (depicting life during a communal feast). It will be re-living the good old days once again.

July 19 (1pm); July 26 (2.20pm); July 27 (1.20pm), Main Atrium, Level 1, Tiong Bahru Plaza. Free.

 

SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS HEALING GARDEN TOUR. I have always preferred alternative natural medication, so this tour will help me find out how our plants can help in the healing process.

July 19 and 20, 8am to 9am, Botanic Gardens (meeting point at Bukit Timah Gate in front of Botanic Gardens MRT Station). Free admission but prior online registration required.

 

(Sagaram is also a freelance actor and a member of The Necessary Stage’s Theatre For Seniors. She performs in Gitanjali [I Feel The Earth Move] in September.)

 

 

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MYSARA ALJARU, 21, STUDENT

 

TRADITIONAL TOYS & GAMES. While I confess that I’m one of those people either scrolling through their Twitter timeline or double-tapping their screen on Instagram, I wish I could go back to the good old days. Most of my memories growing up consist of playing with my siblings and cousins, be it football at the void deck or sitting outside our houses to play with their board games; and that was the most fun I ever had. It would be fun to relive those days and, hey, pictures of the games would be good Insta-posts, wouldn’t it?

July 18 to 27 at Main Atrium, Level 1, Plaza Singapura. Free.

 

FAITH AND FESTIVALS. As cliched as it might sound, I do think that it’s important to know the different cultures in Singapore, especially the different facets of the lesser-known festivities here. And as much as we all might be embarrassed to admit — we don’t know everything about the culture of other races. As we live in a multiracial, multicultural society, it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on our knowledge of the culture of other races, especially through a fun programme, no?

July 18 to 27, various times, Terminal 3 Departure Hall, Changi Airport. Free.

 

KAMPUNG GELAM COMMUNITY HERITAGE TRAIL BY FAIZAH JAMAL. Kampung Gelam is one place I enjoy visiting often, whether it’s to accompany my parents to buy clothes or to chill at the “hipster” cafes down at Haji Lane with my friends. I’ve always loved the ambience of the area as well. I have always been curious to know what it was like way before I was born, so this would be perfect for me. And ending the trail by heading to the many food stalls at the Ramadan Bazaar to break my fast sounds pretty awesome as well!

July 19, 4.30pm, Outside Malabar Mosque, 471 Victoria Street (meeting point). Free. Prior online registration required.

 

PULAU UBIN ON FILM. I’ve enjoyed the few times I’ve been to Pulau Ubin and it’s always been refreshing to step out of the hustle and bustle of city life. I love watching films with interesting storylines (who doesn’t?) - this is one programme that definitely piques my interest.

July 20, 4pm, Gallery Theatre, National Museum of Singapore. Free. Register online.

 

 

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RUSSELL SCULLY, 20, STUDENT

 

KAMPONG SPIRIT. Condominiums grow taller and taller with each passing year, but as more people are packed closer together, they are more distant from their neighbours than ever. Kampungs were a community, a mishmash of people of all races, religions and walks of life. In themselves, they were like a dysfunctional family. The physical kampung may be a stretch to recreate, but not the spirit of camaraderie. It would be a good chance for us to look up from our computers and phones to see the culture we have heard of from our grandparents, but never got to feel.

July 18 to 27, various times and programmes, Main Atrium, Level 1, Tiong Bahru Plaza. Free.

 

TALES FROM OUR SHORE: EURASIAN DANCE. As a Eurasian, I have feared that my culture has been dying out in Singapore. It pleases me no end to see that my culture is still thriving and I honestly look forward to watching it. I can imagine most of the kids and teens nowadays know about lion dances, dikir barat, so on and so forth. But I can bet most have yet to see a Eurasian performance. It is definitely going to be an entertaining eye-opener to those who aren’t familiar with Eurasian culture.

July 26 and 27, 2pm, Main Atrium, Level 1, Century Square, Free.

 

 

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JEFFREY LOH, 68, RETIREE

 

PHENOMENAL PERANAKANS. The Peranakans in Singapore belong to mixed-race descendants, part-Chinese, part-Malay. Their rich history and culture date as far back as the 15th century and they’re unique in many ways — the way they dress and speak, not to mention their cuisine, which is most sought after.

July 18 to 27, various times and programmes, Atrium, Level 1, Changi City Point. Free.

 

REVISITING THE SHOPHOUSE: A QUESTION OF STYLE. Shophouses offer a distinction between the past and the present. In the old days, shophouses usually included stay-in families and, in some cases, were rented out to new migrants. Nowadays, you have mega-malls everywhere, providing various forms of entertainment and F&B outlets.

July 18 to Sept 30, 9am to 5pm, Atrium, Level 1, The URA Centre. Free. Closed on Sundays and public holidays.

 

MORE THAN A GARDEN. Singapore is known as a garden city — and we have a great botanical garden and, more recently, Gardens By The Bay. A glimpse into history to see how the Botanic Gardens has developed over time would be enriching.

July 18 to 27, various times and programmes, Atrium, Level 1, City Square Mall. Free.

 

KAMPONG SPIRIT. The kampung spirit was very much alive during the early years, from the ’50s up to the ’70s, before urbanisation. Back then, it was about living and sharing space as one community in a plot of land regardless of race and religion. People were known to be friendly and helping one another was the norm in spite of hard living conditions and lack of utilities and amenities. Visitors can get a good insight into how the various races lived happily and in harmony.

July 18 to 27, various times and programmes, Main Atrium, Level 1, Tiong Bahru Plaza. Free.

 

TALES FROM THE SHORES. It’s about Singapore history and could give us a picture of how early migrants arrived, who they were and what cultures and myths they brought along that made Singapore an interesting place.

July 18 to 27, various times and programmes, Main Atrium, Level 1, Century Square, Free.

 

 

Singapore Heritage Fest 2014 runs from July 18 to 27. For more information and to register, visit http://www.heritagefest.sg.

 

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