I finally got around to using my free museum pass. Back then, I said that the Peranakan Museum would be the first on my list. And so, it was.
Now, I know that all things Peranakan are very hip-and-happening now, but that’s not why I wanted to check out the museum. A number of my closest friends are of Peranakan descent, so I figured this was a good way to get to know their culture.
As for the Singapore Philatelic Museum, I’ve visited it before. However, they have a range of constantly updated exhibitions on the upper level. My friend, Shaun, curated one of the current exhibitions there. It is about Comics and Superheros!
Peranakan Museum
Three words encapsulate my reaction to the Peranakan Museum: friends, ornate and identity.
It is no surprise that some of my friends were part of the museum exhibits. No, the museum didn’t freeze dry my friends, silly. They were either captured in photographs or in interviews on video.
There was Pearlyn, a friend from Mass Comm at Ngee Ann.
I bumped into my primary school Principal, Mr Tan Hye San. He was listed as Clement Tan, and I almost didn’t recognise him as it’s been almost 20 years since I last saw him!
Then there was Stella, the Pasir Panjang Guide! She appeared with her hubby, Darren, in a video about Peranakan couplehood on the 2nd Level. She also appears in a video installation on the 3rd Level about Peranakan identity.
The museum features various aspects of Peranakan life. Nearly an entire floor is devoted to Peranakan weddings. It’s obviously a big thing in their culture. Peranakan weddings were so elaborate.
And everything was just superbly ornate.
Besides weddings, the museum featured Peranakan food, clothes, embroidery, and religious inclinations.
But what struck me most was the video interviews about Peranakan identity.
If you go to the Peranakan Museum, you absolutely must sit through these interviews. I was quite surprised as the interviewees were very candid. Some even questioned the Singapore paradigm of race and language, in that Peranakans have lost a fair bit of their culture due to the Mother Tongue policy. The Straits Chinese were classified as Chinese, thus had to learn Mandarin.
And as we all know – despite The Little Nyonya – Straits Chinese generally do not speak Mandarin.
The interviewees *ahem* problematized (this is not a dictionary word, but it was used by practically every lecturer I encountered in Melbourne University) matters of hybridity and identity, which are applicable to Eurasians too.
Speaking of which, we should have a Eurasian Museum.
And the perfect place would be the old St. Anthony’s Boys’ School at Victoria Street. After all, the school and the church next to is (St. Joseph’s) are intricately tied to the Portuguese Eurasian community here.
That’s another story though… on to the stamps.
Singapore Philatelic Museum
After typing ‘stamps’, I realised that I didn’t see many, if any, stamps in the Comics and Superheroes exhibition! Well, we were there more to see Shaun’s collection of toys. Ok, a small part of Shaun’s immense collection of toys. One day, he will own his very own toy gallery. I am sure of it.
py
/ Monday, 2 February 2009Hi Kenneth, thanks for the post. I sat through a number of the recorded interviews when I was there at the Peranakan Museum last year.
Gosh. I was visiting the museums on Saturday, 31 Jan 2009, and I actually missed you!
I had checked out both the Peranakan Museum and Singapore Philatelic Museum that day in the late afternoon (close to 3 p.m.). Earlier the day, I had visited the other museums….. I have written a post about the visits to 5 museums, at 6 different locations that I had made on 31 Jan 2009. It is now pending to be published on Yesterday. I could post it earlier on my own blog, but am thinking of saving it to be premiered on Yesterday.sg
Ah…. despite the offer for a free museum pass, I have actually paid for my renewal of a year’s membership to the museum, and am secretly hoping for an honourary life-time membership to be granted to me one fine day. Please wish that my wish will come true one day. :P
Sonicstarburst
/ Tuesday, 3 February 2009Good golly…hope my daughter doesn’t see this post or the videos at TPM when she grows up!
shaun
/ Tuesday, 3 February 2009many thanks for the plug, Mr Pinto. Bout my own toy museum one day, I don’t think so. ;P I’ll be happy enough to have kids who are willing to continue with the legacy.
acroamatic
/ Tuesday, 3 February 2009@ py Oh! How did we miss each other? I was at the Peranakan Museum from about 3pm. Moved on the the Philatelic Museum at around 5pm.
Wah, I don’t think I have the stamina to check out so many museums in one day… Looking forward to your post.
I really hope that NHB gives you a honourary life-time membership. You’re the biggest museum lover in Singapore!
@ Sonicstarburst Don’t need to worry ‘cos I’ll make sure that she sees this post. =) Those videos… hmmm… must secretly archive them. Heheh…
@ shaun No worries! Hope things are well with you. Kids! Are kids on the horizon for you?
shaun
/ Friday, 6 February 2009Kids are granted by God’s will, Kenneth. :)
RockyRacoon
/ Friday, 6 February 2009Looks like the free museum pass is put to good use. Mine was used at 8Q – http://www.natashayong.com/2009/01/8q-rate-school-8q-sams-inaugural.html
Thumbs up for free pass!
acroamatic
/ Sunday, 8 February 2009@ shaun Yeh, but you have to do your part too. ;)
@ RockyRacoon Making good use of the pass too, I see. =)
Kevin
/ Saturday, 2 May 2009We do have a eurasian museum; it’s located within the Eurasian Assocation grounds itself. We Portuguese also have our own creole, Papia kristang, which is facing extinction, just like the baba tongue.
Meanwhile they continue to beat their chest about the falling standards of Mandarin, and even cry-father-cry-mother about how mandarin would go extinct if things are not done their way. (I’m half teochew btw).
acroamatic
/ Wednesday, 10 June 2009Thanks for highlighting that because the Eurasian Association’s website doesn’t mention its existence at all, besides the WWII exhibition. Why isn’t it highlighted more prominently?
Kristang, yes, sadly I am one of those who can’t speak it… The ladies seem to keep it going though. Great for having a private conversation in Singapore, I guess!
zuljb
/ Thursday, 24 November 2011Hi Ken,
The mourning audio during funeral are just so realistic. When I was a kid living in Muar, Johor, a next door lady neighbour cry just like that during the funeral of her father in law.
However , she was speaking Chinese instead of Peranakan Malay. My grandmother told me, this lady is a Nyonya from Melaka, however her husband are Chinese.
The funeral section of the Museum is the most instresting, simply because they dont really show it in museum in Penang or Melaka.
zul jb