Celebrating Singapore Literature

Mr Baey Yam Keng, Parliamentary Secretary

Prof Chan Heng Chee, Chair of NAC

Distinguished Guests, Writers

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening.

1. I’m delighted to join you for the 18th Singapore Writers Festival (SWF). First of all, please give a warm round of applause to our writers and artists who have shared their work with us this evening. 
   

Literature in Singapore

2. Thank you for such a wonderful experience and sharing with us the power of words expressed in different genres and in different forms. SWF had humble beginnings in 1986 as the Singapore Writers’ Week. It has come a long way in the quality and variety of its programmes, and in its outreach.

3. The pace in recent years has been remarkable. In 2014, almost two in three people who turned up were first time attendees. This signifies not just the hard work of the Festival’s organisers and partners, but the growth of the literary community as a whole.

4. We are committed to helping our Singapore authors fulfil their aspirations. From 2010 to 2014, the number of new works receiving publishing support from NAC increased by 73%. Singaporean writers are gaining recognition abroad, with many being invited to participate in well over a hundred overseas engagements over the past five years.

5. We can do even more to support Singapore literature, especially among our young people. We have introduced more Singapore works to the school curriculum. We also have programmes like the Writers-In-Schools Scheme, where Singapore writers work with interested schools to design literature programmes for students. And our libraries run many events like the SG Author Series to profile our Singapore authors to the broader public.

6. In all that we are doing, it is worth pausing and asking ourselves why we do these things, and what we want to achieve. This will help set the direction for the future.
   

Literature and identity

7. In the public sector, our activities are ultimately measured by these outcomes: How does this benefit Singaporeans? How does this make Singapore a better home? That’s the goal and the responsibility of this government. This applies to literature as it does to everything else.

8. Singapore needs literature. It builds creativity, imagination and a curious mind. It helps us express ourselves better. It broadens our horizons. It fosters empathy, compassion and a sense of common humanity across different walks of life.

9. Now on top of this, we need a Singapore literature. We should be able to read about places that we know and love. We should be able to recognise our traditions, habits, memories and figures of speech in the stories that become a part of us. 

10. After all, art cannot exist alone, independent of context. Context requires interpretation; and literature is interpreted by readers. Singaporean readers deserve a Singapore literature that we can interpret through the lens of our own experiences, and our unique cultural memory.

11. When I was at the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD), we thought long and hard about what to give our new-born Jubilee babies. As the locals would know, and for the benefit of our visitors, this being a Jubilee year, we decided to give all new-borns a special baby box. It is a kind of passing on of tradition from one generation to another. But more importantly, it is a collective wish from the current generation to the next generation who is going to lead us on to the next 50 years. So it is a very important task to pick the right gifts. What would be a meaningful and useful gift to welcome them to the world?

12. We chose books. In our SG50 Baby Jubilee Gift Pack, we included Timmy & Tammy, a series of books by local children’s author Ruth Wan. The books follow Timmy and Tammy around as they explore Singapore – from the Zoo, to the Gardens by the Bay, to the beloved Dragon Playground. So when our Jubilee children visit these places for the first time, hopefully they will recognise them from the books.

13. You see, we need our own Enid Blytons and Roald Dahls; so that our children grow up not just dreaming about jam and scones and tea, and snowflakes and chimneys, but of Singapore hawker fare and of our HDB flats.

14. And so, national and cultural identity is always something that drives us, as we support the aspirations of our Singapore authors. I’m happy to note that at this year’s Festival, we will be launching Singathology: an NAC-commissioned anthology of 50 new works, in our four official languages, by past recipients of the Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Awards. The floor will also be given to pioneers of the Singapore literary scene. And there will be an Imagine Singapore panel of writers and thinkers that invites us to imagine the Singapore of 2050.

15. As we celebrate our Golden Jubilee, may these stories and conversations stay in us, and inspire us to make our dreams into realities.

16. A final word of thanks, to those who have made this Festival possible.

17. Our international friends: thank you for joining us to share a glimpse of your stories, cultures and homelands.

18. Our programming partners and the literary community: we could not have done this without you, without your support, your creativity and your wonderful works.

19. And my warmest appreciation also, to all those who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes. To Kai Chai and the team and all those who have supported SWF and literary works, thank you very much.