This July, in celebration of Singapore’s annual Racial & Religious Harmony Month and its diversity and multiculturalism, the National Heritage Board (NHB) has put together a fun weekend of public programmes with Let’s Embrace – Celebrating Harmony.
For the first time, NHB’s Heritage Institutions – the Indian Heritage Centre (IHC), Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) and Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall (SYSNMH) – together with the Eurasian Association (EA) will bring the festivities out into the heart of the community at Our Tampines Hub.
Let’s Embrace – Celebrating Harmony will feature exciting activities for all ages across the weekend of 13 and 14 July. Specially commissioned performances, cultural workshops, a student-guided heritage trail, travelling exhibitions and displays, a community mural painting workshop, and more will highlight the rich cultures and heritage of Singapore’s various communities.
Cheryl Koh, Director (Heritage Institutions), NHB, said: “Racial harmony is at the heart of what it means to be Singaporean, though it is sometimes overlooked and taken for granted. Racial harmony goes beyond having a united, shared identity to understanding and appreciating our differences. As focal points of their respective communities, the Indian Heritage Centre, Malay Heritage Centre, and Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall – together with our partner the Eurasian Association – have come together to promote intercultural understanding through a myriad of fun and meaningful offerings. As we enjoy these programmes, we hope visitors will gain a deeper appreciation of the varied cultures and heritage that make up Singapore.”
A highlight of Let’s Embrace – Celebrating Harmony is The Human Library: Meet a Museum Minion, which will present an insider’s perspective on the intriguing world of museums, unveiling a seldom seen side of our heritage institutions and their exhibitions and offerings. Visitors will get to speak to curators, programmers, conservators, and collections management officers from IHC, MHC, SYSNMH, EA and NHB’s Heritage Conservation Centre on their work behind-the-scenes, and how these different roles contribute to telling the stories of their communities’ culture and heritage.
Visitors are also invited to discover how neighbourhood stores have evolved into communal spaces where people from all walks of life mingle through Our Common Ground: A Neighbourhood Adventure Display; and how some fundamental values are shared across different cultures through The Good Hood: Where Values Come Home travelling exhibition.
A specially curated Let’s Embrace – Celebrating Harmony 2024 Racial Harmony Day cultural concert, hosted by Mediacorp radio DJs Kather from Oli and Catherine Robert from Class 95, will feature an entertaining medley by local artistes Taufik Batisah and Suthasini, and Mediacorp artistes Elvin Ng and Daryl Ann, as well as music, dance, and martial arts performances by various ethnic cultural groups.
Multilingual storytelling sessions at Tampines Regional Library in English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil will bring stories to life for families. Food lovers are also invited to savour the mouth-watering delicacies of our diverse cultures at the Multicultural Cooking Workshop.
Bringing the focus onto the Tampines community, Project Embrace V2! A Community Mural Painting Activity invites members of the public to unleash their creativity by painting on steel panels that will eventually be used to beautify MRT pillars, while guided tours of NHB’s Tampines Heritage Trail by students of Junyuan Secondary School and Ngee Ann Secondary School will explore spaces that represent different communities in the neighbourhood.
Admission is free for all, and registration is required for selected programmes.
For more information about Let’s Embrace – Celebrating Harmony, please visit the Let’s Embrace – Celebrating Harmony Facebook page at https://go.gov.sg/nhbracialharmony, or the websites and social media pages of Indian Heritage Centre, Malay Heritage Centre, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and Eurasian Association. Find out more about other community events held during the Racial and Religious Harmony Month here: https://go.gov.sg/younity24
Let’s Embrace – Celebrating Harmony
Our Tampines Hub
Date: 13 & 14 July 2024
Time: 11am – 7pm
Admission: Free admission with ticketed activities
Celebrate Singapore’s multiculturalism and diversity this July at Let’s Embrace – Celebrating Harmony, by the National Heritage Board! Learn about the cultures and heritage of our different communities at Our Tampines Hub through a guided heritage trail, immersive storytelling sessions, cultural cooking workshops, a travelling exhibition and a community mural painting event.
Get to know us and gain behind-the-scenes insights from the staff of the Indian Heritage Centre, Malay Heritage Centre, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, and Eurasian Association.
For more information about Let’s Embrace – Celebrating Harmony, please visit the websites and follow the social media pages of the Indian Heritage Centre, Malay Heritage Centre, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, and Eurasian Association.
