Exhibition on Sg history

Exhibition showcases Singapore's history after self-government

The year was 1960 - a year of optimism and promise after Singapore achieved self-government.

And the spirit of that year will be revived in an exhibition assembled by two young curators.

There was this grand piano belonging to Zubir Said - the man who gave Singapore its National Anthem 'Majulah Singapura'.

He used it to compose the familiar tune in 1959.

And there was a portrait done in 1992 showing Mr Lee Kuan Yew taking the oath of office as Singapore's first prime minister in 1959.

These are some of about 300 displays of the new exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore - 'Singapore 1960'.

It looks at the history of Singapore in that one significant year.

The two curators behind the exhibition want to capture the sense of promise and potential of a young society.

Ms Priscilla Chua, Assistant Curator of National Museum of Singapore, said: "It's been very interesting what we find out from our research. 1960 was a very vibrant and dynamic year where there was this real sense of hope and optimism, I mean, people really believed there was this destiny they all shared and they were working towards it - towards their future."

The curators found the experience personally rewarding.

Mr Jason Toh, Curator of National Museum of Singapore, said: "The issue that keeps cropping up is the issue of multi-culturalism. In school, I used to think why sing such cheesy songs about being one nation and that sort of thing. After working on this exhibition, I can understand why this was such a big issue at that time."

For Jason, the collection of 'sarong kebayas' stands out - as it says something about the quest for a common identity.

Mr Jason Toh added: "In 1960, there were articles calling for a national dress whether or not sarong kebaya can be representative of that national dress, regardless of your race you can be wearing the sarong kebaya and look good in it."

The exhibition is open from 3 June to 22 August.

-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-