National Heritage Board | October And November Happenings

This October and November, National Heritage Board (NHB) will be running an array of programmes and events for you and your family!

Here's what you can look out for:

Programmes By The Indian Heritage Centre (IHC)

Deepavali Open House 2021

Photo Credit: Indian Heritage Centre / Facebook

Venue: Indian Heritage Centre
Date: 1 Oct to 14 Nov 2021
Time: 
Tue to Thu: 10am to 7pm
Fri to Sat: 10am to 8pm
Sun & Public Holidays*: 10am to 4pm (*closed on Public Holidays that fall on a Monday unless otherwise stated)
Closed on Mon
Fee: Free for Singaporeans and PRs

Let the countdown for the IHC’s biggest communal festival begin! Mark your calendars as we present an array of programmes and offerings in line with Deepavali celebrations from 1 October onwards!

Light Installation At IHC

Photo Credit: Indian Heritage Centre 

Date: 1 Oct to 14 Nov 2021

Visit the IHC this Deepavali and be greeted by our beautifully decorated stairway, featuring a peacock arch along with rangoli floor stickers. Be sure to snap an #OOTD with our mini light-up installation!

Money Packet Giveaways

Photo Credit: Indian Heritage Centre

Date: 1 Oct to 14 Nov 2021

To redeem, simply visit IHC from 1 October to 14 November 2021, and snap a photo of you at the Centre! Afterwards, follow IHC's social media pages, upload your photos, tag IHC and hashtag #IHCDeepavali! 

Deepavali Drop-in Activities

Photo Credit: Indian Heritage Centre

Date: 1 Oct to 14 Nov 2021

Have a crafty day out with your family this Deepavali with our free festive paper lamp craft activity!

Little India Trishaw Trails 

Photo Credit: Indian Heritage Centre / Facebook

Date: Friday evenings, Oct 2021
Time: 6pm to 8pm (8 time slots to book from)
Trail Duration: 15 min
Fee: $10 per ticket for 2 pax | Register here

Sit back, relax & join us for a fun 15-min trishaw ride taking in the sights and sounds of Little India as precinct ushers in the Festival of Lights!

Limited slots available.

Rangoli & Kolam Workshop

Photo Credits: Indian Heritage Centre

Date: 9 & 16 Oct 2021 
Time: 10.30am to 12pm 
Fee: Free | Register here

Immerse yourself in culture with this FREE Rangoli & Kolam workshop with artist Vijaya Mohan!

Paper Garland Craft Workshop

Photo Credits: Indian Heritage Centre

Date: 23 & 30 Oct 2021
Time: 10.30am to 12pm 
Fee: Free | Register here

The perfect memorabilia to bring home this Deepavali, create your own paper garland using crepe paper in this workshop!

Sikhs In Singapore – A Story Untold

Photo Credit: Indian Heritage Centre / Facebook

Venue: Indian Heritage Centre
Date: Ongoing till 30 Jan 2022
Time: 
Tue to Thu: 10am to 7pm
Fri to Sat: 10am to 8pm
Sun & Public Holidays*: 10am to 4pm (*closed on Public Holidays that fall on a Monday unless otherwise stated)
Closed on Mon
Fee: Free for Singaporeans and PRs

Sat Sri Akal! Co-created by members of Singapore’s Sikh community and the Indian Heritage Centre, Sikhs in Singapore – A Story Untold is presented in 3 parts – Roots, which tells the story of the origins of Singapore’s Sikh community; Settlement, which brings together some exemplary narratives of Sikh migrants to Singapore; and Contemporary Perspectives which offers glimpses into the experiences of some contemporary Sikhs.

Sikhs are followers of Sikhism, a religion that originated in the Punjab region around the late 15th century. Located at the crossroads of east, west and South Asia, the Punjab has historically been home to diverse faiths and cultural traditions. Consequently, the Sikh identity is a distinct combination of faith and ethno-linguistic roots.

Today, there are over 25 million Sikhs around the world, of whom 3 million belong to the international Sikh diaspora. The British annexation of the Punjab in the mid-19th century gave birth to a global dispersion of the Sikhs. With the formation of the Sikh Police Contingent in 1881, many Sikhs arrived in Singapore to seek employment as policemen, and then onwards the Sikh community gradually grew in numbers. Over the last 120 years the profile of the community has evolved, and this exhibition chronicles some stories of Sikhs, young and old, from diverse walks of life.

For more details, visit the IHC's website. 

Programmes By The Malay Heritage Centre (MHC)

Travelling Exhibition | Celebrating Hari Raya: Stories From The Community

Venue: Geylang East Public Library
Date: 1 to 31 Oct 2021
Time: 10am to 9pm
Fee: Free

This exhibition highlights the key features of Hari Raya as well as personal stories from the community based on interviews conducted by students from Tanjong Katong Secondary School. Through these personal stories of teachers and students from diverse cultural backgrounds, we hope to share more about what Hari Raya means to those who celebrate it.

A Very Small Exhibition

Photo Credit: Malay Heritage Centre

Venue: Geylang East Public Library
Date: 10 Oct to 31 Nov 2021
Time: 6pm to 10pm
Fee: Free

A Very Small Exhibition is a simple yet impactful light installation that uses existing light fixtures to transform a generally normal place into something more fantastical and fun. The installation is held in conjunction with World Mental Health Day.

Selera Warisan: Paru Balado With Farhana M Noor

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre's Facebook / Instagram

Date: 29 Oct 2021
Time: 6pm
Fee: Free

Selera Warisan is MHC’s monthly cooking series that features different personalities and highlights their delicious cooking filled with tradition, heritage and memories. This month, we feature Ms Farhana M Noor, as she prepares a traditional Malay dish – Paru Balado.

Art Encounters @MHC

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre Lawn
Date: 6 Nov to 16 Dec 2021
Time: 10am to 6pm
Fee: Free

The sixth edition of Art Encounters by Art Outreach will return to the Malay Heritage Centre in Kampong Gelam from 6 November to 16 December 2021, featuring a vibrant site-specific installation by local artist duo Ripple Root that celebrates the history of the area as a flourishing port in the 19th century where travellers and tradesmen from the Malay Archipelago would gather. Titled Where Land Meets Sea, the installation will span two shipping containers and feature paintings and 3D cut-outs by Ripple Root in their signature bright and bold palettes that bring archival imagery from the Malay Heritage Centre’s collection and catalogues to life.

[Singapore Writers Festival] Meet The Author - Writer Spotlight: Hamed Ismail

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre
Date: 7 Nov 2021
Time: 11.30am to 12.30pm
Fee: Festival Pass with Registration required

Featuring Hamed Ismail and Moderated by Saiful Amri

If you watched Gerimis di Hati on Suria growing up in the early 2000s, did you know that the show was written by one of Singapore’s longest serving screenwriter – Hamed Ismail?

A well-known literary figure and recipient of the 2020/21 Tun Seri Lanang Literary Award, his television scripts have made audiences rejoice and cry since the early 80’s. Celebrate his journey in this special spotlight on his works spanning stage drama, poetry and short stories for over 30 years.

This programme is co-presented with Kamelia Co. Ltd in Malay, and includes a live Q&A towards the end of the session.

For more information, please visit the Singapore Writers Festival website. 

[Singapore Writers Festival] Workshop #1 - Digital Comic-Writing And Illustration Workshop By M. Sharif Ishnin

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre
Date: 6 Nov 2021
Time: 10am to 1pm
Fee: $20

Uncover the art of storytelling in comics with comic artist M Sharif Ishnin. Drawing from his experiences at animation studio Animata Production and producing content for Cartoon Network, he breaks down how to outline, script and design comics in this workshop.

This programme is in Malay and is co-presented with Unggun Creative.

For more information, please visit the Singapore Writers Festival website. 

[Singapore Writers Festival] Workshop #2 - Script-Writing Workshop By Jamal Ismail

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre
Date: 6 Nov 2021
Time: 3pm to 6pm
Fee: $20

Learn from seasoned scriptwriter and director Jamal Ismail who has worked at the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), ASTRO (Malaysia) and several private production houses. In this workshop, he focuses storytelling, developing plot and characterisation, and creating believable dialogues.

This session is in Malay and is co-presented with Unggun Creative.

For more information, please visit the Singapore Writers Festival website. 

Rentak Warisan With Sri Mahligai: Celebrating Our Cultural Heroes & Our Communities

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre Facebook
Date: 10 Nov 2021
Time: 8pm to 10pm

In this edition of Rentak Warisan, MHC celebrates the musical heroes of Singapore. Many came here from other parts of the Nusantara to make a name for themselves and eventually called Singapore home. Get reacquainted with the sounds of The Swallows and the magic of Noormadiah in this mini tribute. Join in and share with us who your favourite musical heroes are and win attractive prizes!

[The Blangah Performance Lecture Series: Understanding The Cultured Vessel] Lecture 1: An Introduction

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre Auditorium
Date: 20 Nov 2021
Time: 2pm to 4pm
Fee: Free

Speakers: Mr Zaki Razak (a full time lecturer of Lasalle College of the Arts and an independent curator) & Mr Norisham Osman (Founder & Artistic Director of Kaizen M.D.)

Synopsis:
First performed in a conference in Graz, Austria, and to commence the series of performance lectures, this lecture aims to serve as an abstract (outline) and to introduce conceptual elements and principles associated to the rest of the four consecutive lectures.

The structure and sequence of the presentation comprises of a lecture with some performative elements, and also a physical movement exercise/demonstration. It aims to deconstruct the term ‘Blangah’ and relate it to diverse cultural aspects. Consecutively, the cultural aspects will be expounded in the rest of the lectures, i.e. the concept of ‘Blangah’ will be contextualised to its legends, rhythm, fabric and etiquette.

Selera Warisan: Ayam Masak Kicap With Izat Ibrahim

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre's Facebook / Instagram
Date: 26 Nov 2021
Time: 6pm
Fee: Free

Selera Warisan is MHC’s monthly cooking series that features different personalities and highlights their delicious cooking filled with tradition, heritage and memories.

This month, we feature Mr Izat Ibrahim, as he prepares Ayam Masak Kicap.

[Cerita Kita Series] Impact Of The 1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty On The Politics Of Johor Riau

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre Auditorium / Facebook Live
Date: 27 Nov 2021
Time: 2pm to 4pm
Fee: Free

Speakers: Benjamin Khoo, Kwa Chong Guan, AP Peter Borschberg

This lecture will look into the mission of the Dutch ambassador Christiaan van Angelbeek to Riau in 1825 to explain to him the division of the Johor-Riau empire. Between 1819 and 1824 the Dutch government had promised the Riau court that they would preserve the unity of Johor-Riau. They now had the delicate task of explaining the Riau court that they were losing Johor, Pahang and Singapore.

From the documents, it transpires that the Yamtuan Muda Raja Jaafar did not want to divide his kingdom despite the Treaty of London, 1824 and that Angelbeek had to persuade him to do so. How did Angelbeek convince him? Why did Raja Jaafar decide to 'donate’ these lands? Did Sultan Hussein reply or accept this decision? And why wasn’t this widely known? These are some of the questions that we will try to explain based on the mission of this ambassador in 1825.

Programmes By The Singapore Philatelic Museum

Singapore Philatelic Museum – Virtual Tour of Past Exhibitions

Photo Credit: Singapore Philatelic Museum

Venue: Online
Fee: Free

Singapore Philatelic Museum is closed for a major renovation and redevelopment till 2022. However, you can still have a peek at the museum’s past exhibitions from the comfort of your home! From permanent galleries that introduce the World of Philately to Singapore’s history and culture, and themed exhibitions ranging from The Little Prince, Shakespeare, Zodiac Animals and more!

Fun Activities For All!

Photo Credit: Singapore Philatelic Museum

Venue: Online
Fee: Free

Check out these activities such as Stamp Jigsaw, Colouring Fun, Spot All 10 Differences, Join the Dots & Colour, Quizzes, Story Jumble and more!

Programmes By Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Modern Women Of The Republic: Fashion And Progress In China And Singapore Exhibition

Photo Credit: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Venue: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, Gallery 5
Date: Ongoing till 12 Dec 2021
Time: Tue to Fri, 10am to 5pm
Fee: Free 

Modern Women of the Republic: Fashion and Progress in China and Singapore displays over 90 artefacts and archival photographs from China and Singapore from the late 1800s to 1970s, a period when women’s roles and lifestyles saw the most drastic changes. The exhibition also interprets the concept of the "modern woman" against the different historical periods.