Opening of the Singapore Writers Festival 2013

Prof Chan Heng Chee, Chairman of the National Arts Council
Mr Philip Jeyaretnam, Chairman of the Singapore Writers Festival Steering Committee;
Ms Kathy Lai, Chief Executive Officer of the National Arts Council; 
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

1. I am happy to launch the Singapore Writers Festival, and I am excited to hear that this year, we are showcasing more than 180 writers from Singapore and around the world. To all our guests and participants from abroad, I warmly welcome you to Singapore. Every year, the SWF draws in more writers and audiences.

Multi-lingual focus to build a collective Singapore stories

2. And amongst the many works featured, I am happy that the SWF is continuing to keep a strong multi-lingual focus.

3. One of the things that make our Singaporean identity unique is our multi-lingual heritage. We should continue building our collective stories in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. So it is good that the SWF will be hosting the first Malay Literary Conference, adding on to the Chinese Literary Conference that became a fixture of the SWF last year. I am glad that it will feature authors such as Isa Kamari as well as Mohamed Latiff Mohamed, who just received the Cultural Medallion last week.

4. In addition, this year’s Festival also casts a spotlight on our Tamil literary pioneer Thamizhavel G. Sarangapany, founder of Tamil Murasu, through a commemorative exhibition and a book featuring noteworthy stories previously published in Tamil Murasu. We are happy to honour this literary champion. This bilingual book can build bridges across different language communities. Through them, we explore our roots and construct a sense of belonging and identity that is truly Singaporean.

Growth of the literary arts landscape in Singapore

5. In the past three years, we have made it a priority to develop our literary arts in Singapore, and also made the SWF an annual showcase to celebrate the literary arts. Today, I’m glad that the Festival is gaining traction as a much-loved fixture in our cultural calendar, reaching out to Singaporean and regional audiences. We have to acknowledge the efforts and the hard work of the SWF led by Mr Philip Jeyaretnam and Mr Paul Tan, as well as many people in NAC.

6. We are also seeing results on several other fronts. Last year, we had a significant increase in the number of new Singapore literary works developed and published. Applications for NAC’s literary publication grants have also increased and NAC now supports about 100 new Singapore literary works on an annual basis. Young writers like Amanda Lee Koe and Nirrosette are among some of our emerging talents. Amanda is an established editor in our literary art scene, and is releasing her first book of short stories at this year’s SWF.  Nirrosette is barely 20 and has already published 3 books! She is also the youngest writer to be signed on by Jemari Seni, a Malaysian publishing company.

7. We are also seeing a growing interest in Singapore literature. Four years ago, at the SWF, only 1 in 5 participants expressed interest in having more Singapore literature. Last year, 2 in 3 participants said the same. So the audiences are saying that they would like to read and see more Singapore literature being featured at the SWF, and we also see more Singapore authors making a name for themselves both locally and abroad. For example, authors like Ovidia Yu and Yeng Pway Ngon have been publishing abroad.

8. These are positive trends, but there is more that needs to be done. Unlike more established art forms where artists are able to pursue their craft on a full time basis, our writers generally have to juggle both work and writing at the same time. This is why NAC has enhanced the support and pathways for writers. For example, NAC offers writing residencies in Singapore and abroad, where writers can take several months off to focus on their writing.

9. Another area of work is to develop the supporting ecosystem for Singapore literature and books – our publishers, editors, agents, translators and distributors. It’s a whole ecosystem which I think needs to be developed further. For example, we have excellent literary works from Singapore and the region in Chinese, Malay and Tamil, which really should be translated into English to reach out to a wider audience.  But translation is an art in itself. It’s almost like writing an entirely new book. And to translate a book from a regional country, the translator will need in-depth knowledge not just of the language, but also substantial knowledge of the culture and traditions of the country. All this will require deep capabilities, it will take time, and it cannot happen overnight. But we need to invest in the building of these capabilities, and strive to make progress over time.

10. Looking forward, it is also important to nurture the next generation of writers and readers. This is why NAC has been working with our Ministry of Education to include more Singapore literary works in four languages as part of the curriculum; because we should learn about our own literature in our schools and in classrooms, students should hear a Singaporean literary voice. Our students should know who our writers are and be similarly inspired to express themselves creatively. I look forward to the day when our authors are taught as a part of the wider school curriculum, not only in literature classes but in general language classes as well. I look forward to seeing more Singaporean books featured on bestseller lists, both locally and internationally. And perhaps in time to come, we will see a Singaporean author being shortlisted for a major international award like the Man Booker Prize.

11. MCCY and NAC will continue to do whatever we can to support the literary arts scene so that we can achieve these aspirations together. We will do more to seed opportunities for both emerging and established writers to extend their reach to readers across languages and countries. We will continue to establish a strong presence for our writers and their works on main international platforms such as the London Book Fair. And besides focusing on developing the literary arts in itself, we will also continue to explore how we can promote the adaptation of our works into films, plays and songs so as to reach out to a wider audience base. Maybe one day, Jack and Rai can sing a few written works that our writers have created.

NAC and museums creating a cultural vibrant district and enabling meaningful engagement with art

12. I’ve sketched out some of our plans for the literary arts in the coming years. But on the whole, I think we should recognise that we have made progress, not just in literary arts, but also in the broader art and cultural scene.

13. Today also happens to be the first anniversary of the newly-formed Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Our ministry was formed on 1 November last year. And if you look at the past year, I think we have done several things. Firstly, to increase the funding for arts and culture in Singapore. This year, in the Budget, we increased the funding significantly. We have more funding for the arts groups through the grants that NAC provides. Our museums are also now free for Singaporeans.

14. Today, we are going to launch a Cultural Matching Fund, which means that for arts groups that are able to raise funds from the private sector and get sponsorship, they will get a one to one matching from the Government. So for example, if you raise $100,000, we will give you $100,000. So this is a matching fund that we will provide to catalyse philanthropic giving in arts and culture. These are things that we have done, in just one year, and I look forward to what more we can do in the coming years ahead.

15. If you look at the overall arts scene, today, for example, just around the SWF Festival District, our national museums are playing host to this year’s Singapore Biennale. These events are platforms for all Singaporeans to have meaningful engagements with the arts and heritage. This year’s SWF theme is “Utopia/Dystopia”, which invites us to consider visions of our future. The Biennale theme, “If the World Changed” is also about imagining alternative realities, good and bad. I had a chance to see many of the exhibits last week, and I was very impressed by the high quality of the works. This Biennale has the focus on both Singaporean and Southeast Asian contemporary artists, so you will see a very strong regional flavour in the works. Both events challenge us to reflect on our aspirations and values in ways that only art allows us to do. So I hope that our SWF visitors will also take the time to visit the Biennale exhibitions.

16. In closing, I hope that you enjoy this year’s SWF. I encourage everyone to continue to read, write, be inspired, and create better worlds for us to imagine and live in. I wish all of you a good evening ahead. Thank you.