Celebrating our Singapore Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage
Speech By Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community And Youth & Second Minister for Law, at the Opening “Southern Breeze” Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition on 17 March 2023
I am happy to join you for the launch of the “Southern Breeze” exhibition by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Association (ICHA).
As a young group formed in 2021, this is a major step forward. I congratulate ICHA for successfully putting together a big undertaking, coordinating with many partners and working with them to showcase its offerings.
I am heartened that there are many who are passionate about safeguarding our Intangible Cultural Heritage. Ground-up efforts such as this exhibition, involving enthusiasts and practitioners alike, keep our arts and culture scene in Singapore vibrant. After all, each and every one of us brings with us our own unique expertise, backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to the table.
I am also happy to learn that SCCC is supporting ICHA through its Arts Housing Programme. As a community-led initiative to celebrate our Singapore Chinese culture, the SCCC plays a valuable role in helping nurture and grow groups like ICHA. I hope that this will also encourage other like-minded enthusiasts to form similar groups to showcase their passion for intangible cultural heritage. This heritage is what binds us together as Singaporeans – sharing our own unique experiences, coming together, making our common national identity even stronger. Shaped by our multicultural environment, this will further enhance our unique Singapore culture as a part of that very distinct national identity.
With the active participation and support of the community, I am confident that our unique Singapore Chinese culture will continue to flourish.
On this note, I wish ICHA a very bright future, and much success in this exhibition.