Continue to support Singapore artists and original content

Mr Wee Tian Beng

Everyone from the Society 

And also artists, readers, supporters

Ladies and gentlemen 

Boys and girls

Good afternoon,

1. I'm happy to be here today and to see so many of you attending the finale of the Singapore Original Comics Festival. I was told earlier that the festival has been ongoing for the past one month. There have been various exhibitions and talks, such that the comics enthusiasts had many opportunities – to learn from published artists, from one another and also witness live demonstrations by illustrators.

2. The good response from the last one month really reflects the huge interest in comics in Singapore. I'm happy to note that the comic scene here is growing very steadily with all of your commitment, both in terms of generating content as well as consuming content. Both are important – generating content that readers can identify with, and messages that can resonate with the readers. Consumers must also play our part to support. As we all know, comics are visually very engaging, easy to read, often accompanied by riveting narratives. I really think this is the era for comics because comics would be able to capture the eyeball, capture the attention of the readers with visually engaging illustrations and also very nice riveting narratives that are almost like a slogan. So, if there is a moment, I think this is really the moment when comics can go really big in Singapore. Why? Because it is also able to transcend language barriers – pictures speak a thousand words. It is a wonderful platform to also bridge different communities.

3. Comics, if you really think about it, has the ability to inspire all of us, to maximise our potential. And I am sure many of us, grew up having a fantasy character that we want to aspire to. Maybe when we had our down moments for various reasons, some of us do certain things that bring comfort to us, like reading comics. So that we can be transported to a fantasy land. My younger boy really loves comics, starting with Angry Birds, then Batman. And I understand that he and his friends are also trying to follow the TCZ The Celestial Zone. Not quite easy, but they can always start with the English then move on to the Chinese version, because in terms of the language, the Chinese version is something that upper primary kids can better understand. But, nonetheless, I think it is a wonderful opportunity for our children to start with.

4. Today, we are here to witness an important milestone to launch this SG50 Commemorative book, “Our Months Together”. It features 12 short stories, with each chapter showing a little snippet of our Singapore story. This comic anthology documents our unique multi-cultural heritage and identity in a fun and engaging way.

5. Yesterday, I read Chapter 6 with my younger boy. It is very relevant for these two months because it featured Vesak Day, the Great Singapore Sale and also the upcoming SEA Games which is happening from 5 – 16 June. Those of you who have bumped into Nila, you would know that he is a cute mascot for SEA Games. Make a guess why he is called Nila? The mascot is given the name Nila because of Sang Nila Utama, and Nila's red mane symbolises the burning passion for sports, and his heart-shaped face represents friendship. As I've mentioned earlier, as you know, the SEA Games is happening from 5 – 16 June. All this is happening in a very special year when Singapore celebrates its 50th year of independence, SG50, Golden Jubilee year. So it is indeed a golden opportunity for us all to support our home grown talent of comic enthusiasts, comic illustrators, artists, authors and also a golden opportunity for us to root for our home grown Team Singapore athletes. So let us show our support in various ways, using comics or sports, and give them all the support that they need to do better to really maximise their potential.

6. On behalf of the ministry, I am also very happy that this very meaningful project is one of the 300 projects that is supported by the SG50 Celebration Fund. It is encouraging to see so many Singaporeans getting involved and initiating their own projects. So I want to congratulate the Society and also say a big thank you and commend the Comics Society Singapore. In your work in promoting and heightening awareness of Singapore content, I know this has not been an easy journey. We need more Singaporeans to join in this journey, to press on, so that we can continue to generate good content and also get more Singaporeans to become consumers of this good content. 

7. Today's platform has been a wonderful opportunity for the younger artists you see on both sides of the aisle to show very original comics content and also allow our culture to blossom. We're all very happy to witness that there is growing interest in this culture. For example, I was told that at the Singapore Writers Festival, there are talks, workshops and interactive sessions, and also on comics. It has become a staple in the programming, and it really shows how much comics has arrived in Singapore. This response is indeed very encouraging. We will continue to have such sessions in our line-up in MCCY through the National Arts Council (NAC). We will continue to press on and provide the necessary support. For example, grants for publishing, for translating, for creating such platforms and content as well as supporting events like today. Together with our partners, let us all continue to keep our Singapore literary scene alive and build a much bigger following for our Singapore artists, beyond Singapore.

8. Finally, I want to again, on behalf of the ministry, congratulate Mr Wee and his wonderful team at the Comics Society Singapore for a very successful festival and I wish everyone all the best in the quest for greater comings.

9. Thank you very much.