Culture of Singapore
[1] Singapore's indigenous culture originates primarily from the Austronesian people that arrived from the island of Taiwan, settling between 1500 and 1000 BCE.
It was then influenced during the Middle Ages primarily by multiple Chinese dynasties such as the Ming and Qing, as well as by other Asian countries such as the Majapahit Empire, Tokugawa shogunate, and the Ryukyu Kingdom.
[3] The Ministry of Education claims that "The system of meritocracy in Singapore ensures that the best and brightest, regardless of race, religion and socio-economic background, are encouraged to develop to their fullest potential.
The concepts of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality are enshrined as stars in the Singapore national flag.
[7] Singapore has several distinct ethnic neighbourhoods, including Katong, Kampong Glam, Geylang Serai, Chinatown and Little India.
[11] Katong is home of the Peranakans, and the neighbourhood's identity is shaped by its unique architecture – colourful two-storey shophouses, colonial bungalows, intricate motifs and ceramic tiles.
Little India is known and patronised by all races within the population for its thalis – South Indian "buffets" that are vegetarian and served on the traditional banana leaves.
Ethnic enclaves from the British colonial era, akin to those seen in major cities in many Western countries, are largely non-existent.
The remnant "enclaves" such as Little India, Chinatown and Kampong Glam are now mainly business hubs for their respective ethnic groups and preserved for historic and cultural reasons.
[12] From its precolonial history to present, the history of Singaporean art may include artistic traditions of the Malay Archipelago, the diverse visual practices of itinerant artists and migrants from China, the Indian subcontinent, and Europe arriving in the colonial period, such as sculpture, Portraiture, landscapes, and natural history drawings, as well as Chinese ink painting, Islamic calligraphy, Nanyang Style paintings, social realist art, abstract art, photography, and printmaking.
The Nanyang artists characteristically depicted Southeast Asian subject matter such as tropical fruit, kampung scenes, and batik fabric while drawing upon a synthesis of Western watercolor and oil painting techniques with Chinese ink traditions.
[16][18][19] Contemporary art in Singapore tends to examine themes of "hyper-modernity and the built environment; alienation and changing social mores; post-colonial identities and multiculturalism.
[21][22] Prominent Singaporean contemporary artists include, for example, Tang Da Wu, Amanda Heng, Lee Wen, Ho Tzu Nyen, and Shubigi Rao.
While the OB markers are not publicly defined, they are generally assumed to include sensitive topics such as race, religion, and allegations of corruption or nepotism in government.
The response from artists, academics, public intellectuals, and civil society activists has ranged from strongly optimistic to deeply pessimistic, as reflected in the chapters written for edited book Renaissance Singapore: Economy, Culture, and Politics.
The major public holidays reflect the mentioned racial diversity, including Chinese New Year, Buddhist Vesak Day, Muslim Eid ul-Fitr (known locally by its Malay name Hari Raya Puasa), Hindu Diwali (known locally by its Tamil name Deepavali) and Christmas, Good Friday (By Christians), and New Year's Day are also public holidays.
On 9 August, Singapore celebrates the anniversary of its independence with a series of events, including the National Day Parade which is the main ceremony.
Its development has been hampered by the strong focus on maths and science in Singaporean schools, and a preference for foreign works, which generally sell more.
Notable authors include Cyril Wong, Topaz Winters, Balli Kaur Jaswal, Jeremy Tiang,[26] and Sonny Liew.
[30] In a rare interview with Monty Don shown in the TV series Around the World in 80 Gardens, Lee Kuan Yew reveals that after visits to other big Asian cities such as Hong Kong and Bangkok he feared that Singapore would turn into another concrete jungle, and he decided that gardens and parks should be established everywhere and made this a priority of the government.
Every month, The Comedy Club Asia features leading international comics such as Shazia Mirza and Imran Yusuf.
