Speech by Minister Desmond Lee at the Launch of Malay CultureFest 2022 and Cerita Special Exhibition
Jan 28, 2022
I am delighted to join you for the launch of the Malay Heritage Centre’s Malay CultureFest 2022, and
Cerita: Stories special exhibition.
I would like to thank the National Heritage Board, the Malay Heritage Foundation and our community partners for working together to organise the festival and the exhibition to celebrate the Malay community’s rich culture and heritage.
Highlighting fresh perspectives of Malay heritage and community stories through Cerita
The theme for the special exhibition, ‘
Cerita’, is especially meaningful.
Cerita refers to the ‘stories’ of our culture and heritage that have been passed down through generations. These stories exist in every society and have been at the heart of human experience, helping people to connect and to bond both at the grandest as well as the simplest of levels. Whether passed down through written and oral histories, artefacts, or contemporary methods such as social media posts, tweets and TikTok videos – our stories help to shape and affirm our cultural identities, and chronicle the beliefs and practices of our diverse communities.
In particular, our museums have a central role to play in storytelling. For over a decade, MHC has played a key role in telling and re-telling the Malay community’s rich history, culture and heritage to the wider Singaporean community and our region. Their programmes are anchored in an unwavering belief in ‘sharing stories’ – from personal anecdotes, to community and even national accounts.
In line with these efforts, the
Cerita exhibition brings together objects spanning across our history – from the pre-colonial period to the late 20th century. Through these objects, stories are told of the Malay community here and in the
Nusantara, that is, the Malay Archipelago – from the story of Kampong Gelam as the seat of Malay royalty, to the different customs that have been passed down by Malay/Muslim communities.
The exhibition will also tell these stories using more contemporary methods. For example, MHC worked with 50 students from Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Interactive & Digital Media, to re-tell the story of Hang Nadim and the garfish attack from the
Sejarah Melayu – through 10 different digital animation videos. Each video presents a different take on the classic Malay folktale. Such digital installations engage with audiences in a fun yet meaningful way.
I would like to thank members of the community who have generously contributed personal stories of their families’ history for this exhibition, or loaned their personal items, photographs and other archival documents. This exhibition is a timely occasion for all of us to reflect and discover fresh insights on Malay culture and heritage.
A celebration of Cerita at Malay CultureFest 2022
In line with the
Cerita special exhibition, this year’s Malay CultureFest also celebrates community stories. The festival is one of MHC’s key initiatives. It is held every year to showcase the diverse expressions of Malay arts and culture, and to promote a better understanding of the development of the Malay community here in Singapore.
This year’s festival looks at MHC’s works in the past decade, and recognises the community’s contributions in making MHC an important focal point of the Malay heritage community. The two-week long festival will also celebrate some of the respected individuals who have contributed significantly to the Malay cultural landscape over the years, namely Puan Som Said, Dato Ramli Sarip, Encik Nadiputra and the late Pak Hamid Ahmad. I am delighted that some of them are in the audience today – thank you for your invaluable contributions to the community.
Other highlights of the festival include the dance showcase, Lintas Nusantara, which will focus on Malay martial arts this year. The festival will also feature a special talk that shares lesser-known stories from Singapore’s history, including stories of communities such as the
Orang Laut and the
Orang Pulau and their links to the wider Malay world.
We’d like to invite you to participate in the various festival programmes to gain a deeper appreciation of our shared heritage. I hope the exhibition and festival will encourage reflection and spark meaningful discussions on the Singaporean Malay identity.
Refresh of MHC and Place-making Efforts in Kampong Gelam
Following the
Cerita exhibition, MHC will embark on a refresh of its facilities and galleries, to better serve its mission and the needs of its stakeholders. We must strive to continually update important cultural institutions and places like the MHC, to keep them lively and vibrant for future generations. These are important spaces, where people of all communities can appreciate and learn about the many aspects of Malay culture and traditions.
Beyond the MHC, we are working with the wider community to rejuvenate the wider Kampong Gelam Area. Stakeholders in the area have formed the Kampong Gelam Alliance or KGA, representing the community, cultural, heritage and commercial interests of the area. Minister of State Dr Faishal Ibrahim and my colleagues at the URA will support the Kampong Gelam Alliance in their plan to create a more sustainable and resilient Kampong Gelam – a centre of community, culture, heritage and enterprise. In the KGA discussions, community partners have also emphasised the importance of telling the right stories, to transmit and sustain the values of the area and the community. More details of their plans will be shared in the coming months, so let us keep you in suspense for just a while longer.
Closing
Once again, thank you to all our partners who have supported these efforts to bring the stories of Malay heritage to life, and to share them with the community – through the
Cerita exhibition, the Malay CultureFest, the KGA, or in other ways.
As we all enjoy the various activities, I hope that we can also take some time to reflect on our own stories, and share them with the MHC or other institutions of culture and arts. Together, let’s continue to present and pass down new stories to future generations.
Thank you very much and have a good evening.