More can be done to make SingLit more accessible

It is commendable that a multitude of entities have come together to organise campaigns to promote Singapore literature, often referred to as SingLit (“Buy local campaign aims to boost S’pore literary scene”, Feb 3).

SingLit, which can take on various forms, from conventional poetry to short stories, encapsulates what it means to be Singaporean.

Aside from espousing the values of our society, and capturing the melting pot of cultures and traditions of our homeland into the written word, SingLit also provides alternative perspectives that contribute to our national conversation through civic participation.

Yet, there have been various concerns regarding the lack of consumption of SingLit.

While events aiming to publicise SingLit exist, only the more prominent ones such as the Singapore Writer’s Festival are heavily endorsed and promoted to the public. Moreover, many patrons who attend these events already have an appreciation for literature, or are inclined to take an interest in SingLit.

In a society that still places emphasis on the sciences, many may feel disconnected from the arts and find SingLit inaccessible. Hence, more needs to be done to show Singaporeans that literature, and the arts in general, exists in a spectrum that can be understood by all, as long as one is receptive to it.

Aside from providing more media coverage, schools play a cardinal role in helping our youth cultivate an interest in SingLit. Schools can do more to imbue SingLit into literature courses, and even go a step further by organising more arts-related inter-school events, which are currently lacking compared with the surfeit of science and technology competitions and research programmes.

It is only through a combined, sustained effort that SingLit will be able to soar and thrive in Singapore over time.