From the 14th of July to the 27th of August 2017, Sentosa organised an island wide event to commemorate Singapore’s 52nd National Day. The event, titled “So Singapore”, had a slew of attractions and activities based on the theme of Singapore’s heritage and culture.
Singaporeans who gathered to celebrate National Day at Sentosa on the 9th of August 2017 felt that the celebration which revolves around Singapore’s heritage reminded them of Singapore’s culture and what it means to be Singaporean.
Vanessa, a 19-year-old Singaporean student, felt that “So Singapore” had given visitors the opportunity to relive Singapore’s past – a past which many might not be aware of. She also mentioned that technology had kept the world in a constant state of change, and as such, “So Singapore” was a reminder of Singapore’s culture and heritage.
Ms Shakkah, a 22-year-old Singaporean student, said that she loved the theme of “So Singapore”, because not only would foreigners be able to learn more about the country, “So Singapore” also helped reintroduce Singapore’s heritage to Singaporeans.
Ms Shakkah commented, “because in our contemporary society, our traditions have started to change, and now our culture has become westernised. So I think that by having a theme like this, it actually brings us back to our roots and reminds us of the fact that we are still Singaporeans, not westerners, so we need to keep to our culture”.
According to Mrs Linda Ong, a homemaker in her 40s, “So Singapore” has also been a learning opportunity for young children to learn more about the Singaporean culture and how Singaporeans used to live in the past.
“I feel it’s great, I mean for the kids, it allows them to see what we actually did in the past, because they don’t get to see this anymore. So I think that Sentosa has done a great job in bringing out Singapore’s past, and the kids learnt a little more about that today,” said Mrs Ong.
Not only has “So Singapore” renewed Singaporeans’ perception of the nation’s heritage, it has also helped immigrants learn more about Singapore’s history.
Permanent resident Ms Mindy Phyu, 43, who is from Burma and has been residing in Singapore for the past 16 years, attended the event with her family of four. Ms Phyu, a nurse, mentioned that even though she has been living in Singapore for quite some time, she still learnt something new about Singapore’s history from Sentosa’s “So Singapore” event.
“So Singapore” was organised by Sentosa to commemorate Singapore’s 52nd National Day. Some of the activities and attractions included an outdoor movie screening of popular Singaporean movies, a station on Singapore’s traditional games, a “Pen-a-Wish” activity where visitors could write their well wishes for Singapore, as well as a heritage carnival.
This was also the first time Sentosa organised a heritage carnival. The carnival, in line with “So Singapore’s” theme of culture and heritage, featured food and retail stalls, as well as life-sized props from local events’ props and decoration specialist, “The Propz Company”.
The life-sized props featured at the heritage carnival are “Singaporean-esque”, with the props including trishaws, a larger-than-life bowl of fish ball noodles and a mini replica of the Merlion.
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