Culture of Singapore
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The culture of Singapore has changed greatly over the millennia. Its contemporary modern culture consists of a combination of Asian and European cultures, mainly by Malay, South Asian, East Asian and Eurasian influences. Singapore has been dubbed as a country where "East meets West", "Gateway to Asia" and a "Garden city".[1]
History
Singapore's indigenous culture originates primarily from the
It has a diverse populace of over 5.47 million people
National character
Meritocracy
The Ministry of Education claims that "The system of meritocracy in Singapore ensures that the best and brightest, regardless of race, religion and socio-economic background, are encouraged to develop to their fullest potential. Everyone has access to education, which equips them with skills and knowledge to earn a better living."[4] Primary education is compulsory for all children of age 7 to 12. Parents have to apply for exemptions from the Ministry of Education in Singapore to excuse their children with valid reasons.
Racial harmony
Singapore is a secular immigrant country. The main religions in Singapore are Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Hinduism. Respect for different religions and personal beliefs is heavily emphasised by the government.[5] Nevertheless, critics assert that the ethnic Chinese majority, which forms nearly 75% of the population, enjoys Chinese privilege over other races.[6]
To demonstrate the importance of imparting racial harmony knowledge to the youths, schools in Singapore celebrate Racial Harmony Day on 21 July annually. Students come to school dressed in different ethnic costumes, and some classes prepare performances regarding racial harmony.
Democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality
The concepts of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality are enshrined as stars in the
Ethnic areas
Singapore has several distinct ethnic neighbourhoods, including Katong, Kampong Glam, Geylang Serai, Chinatown and Little India.
Both Geylang Serai and Kampong Glam are the focal points of the Malays in Singapore.[8] A Malay Heritage Centre in Kampung Glam showcases the history and cultural exposure of the Malays,[9] who are indigenous to the land.[10] Both areas feature an annual month long Hari Raya Bazaar, during the fasting month of Ramadan. This is patronised by Malays and also other races.[11]
Katong is home of the Peranakans, and the neighbourhood's identity is shaped by its unique architecture – colourful two-storey shophouses, colonial bungalows, intricate motifs and ceramic tiles. It was designated as a national heritage conservation area by the Singapore Government in 1993.
Little India is known and patronised by all races within the population for its
Singapore's Chinatown is an ethnic neighbourhood featuring distinctly Chinese cultural elements and a historically concentrated ethnic Chinese population. Chinatown is located within the larger district of Outram.
Ethnic enclaves from the British colonial era, akin to those seen in major cities in many Western countries, are largely non-existent. The remnant "enclaves" such as Little India, Chinatown and Kampong Glam are now mainly business hubs for their respective ethnic groups and preserved for historic and cultural reasons. The
Art
From its precolonial history to present, the history of Singaporean art may include artistic traditions of the Malay Archipelago, the diverse visual practices of itinerant artists and migrants from China, the Indian subcontinent, and Europe arriving in the colonial period, such as sculpture, Portraiture, landscapes, and natural history drawings, as well as Chinese ink painting, Islamic calligraphy, Nanyang Style paintings, social realist art, abstract art, photography, and printmaking.[13] It also includes the contemporary art practices of today, such as performance art, conceptual art, installation art, video art, sound art, and new media art. Due to Singapore and Malaysia's long shared history as British Malaya, there are many overlaps in the art histories of both countries.[14]
The emergence of
Contemporary art in Singapore tends to examine themes of "hyper-modernity and the built environment; alienation and changing social mores; post-colonial identities and multiculturalism."[20] Across these tendencies, "the exploration of performance and the performative body" is a common running thread.[20] Singapore carries a notable history of performance art, with the state having enacted a no-funding rule for the art form for a decade from 1994 to 2003, following a controversial performance artwork at the 5th Passage art space in Singapore.[21][22] Prominent Singaporean contemporary artists include, for example, Tang Da Wu, Amanda Heng, Lee Wen, Ho Tzu Nyen, and Shubigi Rao.
Cultural policy
Singapore maintains tight restrictions on arts and cultural performances. Most artistic works have to be vetted by the government in advance, and topics that breach so-called out of bounds markers (OB markers) are not permitted. While the OB markers are not publicly defined, they are generally assumed to include sensitive topics such as race, religion, and allegations of corruption or nepotism in government. Nudity and other forms of loosely defined "obscenity" are also banned. Singaporean film director Royston Tan has produced movies which challenge these policies, including a movie called Cut in reference to censorship of the arts.[23]
The country's first pre-tertiary arts school, School of the Arts, is now completed and stands along the country's prominent Orchard Road. Commenced in 2008, the school aims to provide an environment for nurturing young artists aged between 13 and 18 years. There has been much public rhetoric about liberalisation and its association with the development of a creative economy in Singapore. The response from artists, academics, public intellectuals, and civil society activists has ranged from strongly optimistic to deeply pessimistic, as reflected in the chapters written for edited book Renaissance Singapore: Economy, Culture, and Politics. The difference between what is "culture" and what makes up "the arts" has been a matter of some debate in Singapore. For an attempt at defining what is artistic, see, for example, the Report of the Censorship Review Committee 1992.[24]
Cuisine
In Singapore's
Singaporeans also enjoy a wide variety of seafood including crabs, clams, squid, and oysters. One favourite dish is the
Festivals
The major public holidays reflect the mentioned racial diversity, including
On 9 August, Singapore celebrates the anniversary of its independence with a series of events, including the
In 2003, the Esplanade – "Theatres on the Bay", a centre for performing arts, was opened. The Esplanade is also known as "The Durian", due to its resemblance to the fruit. The Arts House at Old Parliament Lane has also been supportive of local performing arts in recent years. Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and LASALLE College of the Arts are the two main arts institutions offering full-time programmes for the performing arts in Singapore.
Languages
Many Singaporeans are
All Singaporeans study English as their first language in schools, under the compulsory local education system, and their mother-tongue language as their second language. Thus, most Singaporeans are effectively bilingual, especially the youths in today's society. There are four main languages in usage in Singapore. The 'national' language of Singapore is
Popular culture
Music
Singapore has a diverse music culture that ranges from rock and pop to folk and classical.
Creative writing
Singaporean literature, also called "SingLit", is influenced by the multiracial nature of the country. Its development has been hampered by the strong focus on maths and science in Singaporean schools, and a preference for foreign works, which generally sell more. Some grants are provided by the government, although they are dependent on the content of the works. Notable authors include Cyril Wong, Topaz Winters, Balli Kaur Jaswal, Jeremy Tiang,[26] and Sonny Liew.[27]
Media
Murals
Murals in Singapore have been encouraged by the government in recent years as part of Singapore's efforts to recast itself as a "Renaissance City" and global arts city. These public art works require permission from the government; unauthorised public art and graffiti are subject to legal penalties under the Vandalism Act in Singapore.[28] Many murals depict scenes common to Singapore's cultural heritage.[29]
In 2013, Singapore launched the PubliCity program, which designated two blank walls along the Rail Corridor for urban art. The Rail Corridor, once a 24 kilometres (15 mi) railway line between Singapore and Malaysia, had closed in 2011. Artwork along the walls of the Rail Corridor is curated by RSCLS, a local art collective. In 2014, the National Arts Council set up the Public Art Trust which provided both a public spaces program in which artists' proposals and willing site owners are matched up, as well as six walls at Goodman Arts Centre, Aliwal Arts Centre, and *Scape youth centre for practice spaces.[28]
Parks
Gardens and gardening have a special place in Singaporean culture as well as in politics. Historically this is all officially attributed to Lee Kuan Yew who apparently spearheaded this philosophy in 1963.[30] In a rare interview with Monty Don shown in the TV series Around the World in 80 Gardens, Lee Kuan Yew reveals that after visits to other big Asian cities such as Hong Kong and Bangkok he feared that Singapore would turn into another concrete jungle, and he decided that gardens and parks should be established everywhere and made this a priority of the government.
Performing arts
Singapore is also known as a cultural centre for arts and culture, including theatre and music.
Stand-up comedy
Singapore has a growing comedy scene with three active rooms. The three comedy rooms in Singapore are weekly, starting with
Religion
Religion in Singapore is characterised by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices due to its diverse ethnic mix of peoples originating from various countries.
UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Sites
The
UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Hawker culture in Singapore was added to the UNESCO list in December 2020, unanimously accepted by a 24-member international committee on 16 December 2020.[36]
National Geographic described Singapore's hawker culture as an endangered food tradition due to a halt in construction of hawker centres since Singapore's rapid development in the seventies and eighties, and an increase in difficulty to get young people into the hawker profession.[37]
See also
References
- ^ "Singapore Cooperation Program". Archived from the original on 24 January 2015.
- ^ "SingStat". Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "Who Are The Peranakans and What Are Their Traditions?". culturally.co. 26 December 2017.
- ^ "Ministry of Education". Archived from the original on 25 March 2013.
- ^ PM Lee on racial and religious issues (National Day Rally 2009) / Our News / Singapore United – Community Engagement Programme Portal Archived 11 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Singaporeunited.sg (16 August 2009). Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- ^ "What Privilege Looks Like in Singapore". 7 January 2017.
- ^ "Classement mondial de la liberté de la presse 2020 | Reporters sans frontières". Reports Without Borders.
- ^ Lotus Relocation (24 May 2016). "A Little Red Dot – Singapore: Our Heritage". lotusrelocation.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "About Malay Heritage Centre". malayheritage.org.sg. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Malays – Minority Rights Group". minorityrights.org. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Hari Raya bazaar 'a celebration of Singapore's diversity'". Today. Singapore. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- Housing Development Board. 1 October 2015. Archived from the originalon 10 June 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ ISBN 9789811405570.
- ^ a b "T.K. Sabapathy". Esplanade Offstage. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ISBN 9789810973520.
- ^ a b Balagopal, Roberta; Yeo, Alicia (31 August 2009). "The Nanyang Style". National Library Board. Archived from the original (article) on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
- ISBN 978-9810852641.
- ^ Ting Szu Kiong (2005). "Nanyang Art". Central Singapore Community Development Council. Archived from the original (article) on 27 December 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
- ^ Yeo, Alicia (April 2006). "Singapore Art, Nanyang Style" (PDF). biblioasia. Singapore: National Library Board. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
- ^ a b Teh, David (2017). "Insular Visions: notes on video art in Singapore". The Japan Foundation Asia Center Art Studies. 3 – via Academia.org.
- ISBN 9810067143. Archived from the originalon 8 June 2020.
- ^ Lingham, Susie (November 2011). "Art and Censorship in Singapore: Catch 22?". ArtAsiaPacific (76). Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ Jake Lloyd Smith, 24 July 2004. Singapore filmmaker takes Cut at censors, Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 25 January 2006
- ^ Annex D: "Definition of the Term Artistic" in Report of the Censorship Review Committee 1992 http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/ips/docs/pub/CRC%20report%201992.pdf Archived 13 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Han, Wong Wei (16 December 2014). "Singapore, Indonesia on track to implement automatic tax data swop". The Straits Times. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ Tan, Megan (11 August 2018). "A new chapter for SingLit". The Business Times. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ Ho, Olivia (22 July 2017). "Graphic novelist Sonny Liew is first Singaporean to win Eisner award, bagging 3 comics Oscars". The Straits Times. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ ISSN 1877-9166.
- ^ "Photographing heritage murals in Singapore". Overton County News. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ^ "Mr Lee Kuan Yew – committed in building a garden city". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ Comedy Masala Singapore | Singapore's BEST Weekly Stand Up Comedy Night! — Comedy Masala Singapore | Singapore's BEST Weekly Stand Up Comedy Night!. Comedymasala.com. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- ^ The Comedy Club. Thecomedyclub.asia. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- ^ "Comedyhubsingapore.com". comedyhubsingapore.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ Chee, Frankie. "Stand-up is back", The Straits Times, 12 July 2009.
- ^ "Meet Singapore's Leading Comic: A Drag Queen Named Kumar", "ABC News" 14 February 2008
- ^ Yong, Clement (16 December 2020). "Singapore's hawker culture added to Unesco list of intangible cultural heritage". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ Ng, Rachel (29 January 2021). "How Singapore street food got recognized as a UNESCO treasure". Travel. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
External links
- Singapore Culture Guide
- Media related to Culture of Singapore at Wikimedia Commons