National+Identity

 NATIONAL IDENTITY

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In this picture montage there are several pictures which show rather unique sights of Singapore. In the first picture, there is a long queue at IKEA, on the opening day. This shows that Singaporeans are not only "kiasu" that they do not miss out the opening day action, they are also attracted easily by something new. In the second picture, it is a common sight everywhere. "No Eating or Drink, Fine $xxx". This shows that Singaporeans are rather controlled through monetary means but these "fine" signs are seldom seen elsewhere in the world. The third picture shows notes of Singaporean currency, how money minded Singaporeans are, linked back to Singaporeans being kiasu. The fourth picture shows several Singapore schools, as Singapore is rather renowed for her education systems. The fifth picture shows the PAP, the dominant party in Singapore, who has probably shaped the Singaporean context since her idependence. The sixth picture shows the Merlion, the icon of Singapore. In the seventh picture is the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles. He was the one with the vision to turn Singapore into a trading port, where it remains one of the busiest ports in the world today. Lastly, it is a picture showing Racial Harmony is Singapore. Very few countries in the world are like Singapore in terms of ethnicity and diversity of cultures, and live so harmoniously together. With so many unique points of Singapore, it is hard to determine a national identity.



**__We Are As Children__**
by Gregory Alva Ng

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In “We Are As Children”, I attempt to explore the theme of National Identity. But what is National Identity? No one really knows what it is – we only know what it is not. National Identity is not the way people think of baguettes when they hear “France”, or chopsticks when they hear “Japan”, because while these motifs may identify a particular outside view of the country, the citizens of those countries do not identify with them.

Similarly, the Singaporean Identity is not defined by a book of memoirs by our Prime Minister, or the food that we eat, or the patois that we speak with such familiarity. No; all of these are caricatures. They are only peripheral to what a real Singaporean Identity is, or would be. Our personal identities are based on what we love, and what we hate. We are what we love, and that’s what our National Identity is – it is our love for our country, and our disappointment for our country. It isn’t the way we speak, but rather, our love for the way we speak. Our National Identity is the response that we form towards the country that we experience life in.

I use children (or teenagers acting as children) as the basis of my photomontage, because that is exactly what all of us are: juveniles trying to figure out what to do with ourselves. As a young country, independent less than 50 years ago, it is understandable that we lack a common identity – we have barely grown away from colonialism, though we are slowly trying. The photographs depict children playing and experimenting with the National flag, because they don’t know exactly what to do with it, or how it is significant to them. Like the children, we as a country are slowly testing our boundaries and attempting to grow – while they throw the flag around or try to blow it away like a dandelion, we are moving into new waters, socially and politically, and seeing what suits us and what does not. We see what our nation can do for us, and what we can do with the nation. Here, the focus is on the flag, so in many of the “playing” photos I use a strong depth of field that brings the flag into the foreground.

However, there are also many shots of lost and confused children – this is meant to signify our disorientation and loneliness as inhabitants of a country. Though we may hold the same pink I/C and bear the same red passport, there is no denying that we are not truly of the same country. There is no basis strong enough to tie us all down together, to Singapore – and as such, we tend to drift apart, sometimes wandering away alone, holding onto the remnants of what we may tentatively share. The confusion and sadness of the children is worsened by the fact that, at many points, the flag does not seem to hold any meaning to them. It was given to them by someone else: a parent, maybe, or a teacher – but it does not work in many of the games that they try to play. Often, it loses importance to them, and though they know that it is their responsibility to keep holding onto the flags, they are young. They cannot help it. Sometimes they give up. Throughout the photos, I tried to create a sense of melancholy and quietness, and I used the “Vignette” feature of iPhoto (to create shadows at the edges) to bring out the mood of loneliness.

Little jibes are also inserted into the photomontage – there is a photograph of a child solemnly reciting the pledge to a Stop sign, as if it is a flag. This is meant as a small commentary on the overall administration in Singapore – we, as a nation, are stopped and stop ourselves too much – but also as a criticism of the naiveté of us as citizens: the child should be able to tell the difference between a flag and a stop sign, but he pledges loyalty to both without differentiating them, just because they seem similar. Another commentary is the photograph wherein the children imitate the album cover of //Abbey Road// by The Beatles – we are hypocrites, often, in the sense that we attempt to imitate other countries in our Westernisation, while at the same time proclaiming our pride in Singapore. Our being Singaporean is not something that can be changed just by emulating another society – we are Singaporean, deeply and painfully so, and though we may try to hide it, it will always bear in our hearts.

I used the song //It Just Is// by Rilo Kiley because of its light, almost unsure notes – to bring out the sense of childish hesitance – and also because I felt the lyrics applied to the photomontage and the sense of emptiness I was trying to portray. The song, actually meant to be a eulogy for Elliott Smith, can also eulogise the death of what we had, while at the same time marking the slow growth of a National Identity. The first verse is about hope, in the sense that it speaks of “realis[ing] that I could be loved” – in the hardships that Singapore has gone through, it has only tied us together so much; but in the hardships that will follow, we can only continue to find strength within each other as a nation. Like Elliott Smith inspired people everywhere with his music, we belong to each other. As we grow out of our national childhood, we will lose things, and memories will die – but “this loss isn’t good enough / for sorrow or inspiration”. It just is. This loss is what it is: a loss, and it may hurt terribly – but where our childhood dies, our adulthood will be born.

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 * National Identity? How?**

__Lee Shien Yang

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This video is a rather casual and candid shot taken while traveling on a MRT train. The setting itself says a lot about Singapore since its close to being a form of transport used widely by the majority of Singaporeans. As the video progresses and the camera pans about, people of all ethnicities and backgrounds are shown. The different occupations, age group, ethnicity and even cultural background can all be found reflected in their demeanour and appearence. The short video above ask the very question on how can a national identity even be forged in Singapore? With such diversity in social class, ethnicity etc. how can we expect these people who have nothing in common except a nationality that says "Singaporean", and some of them don't even have that, to dentify with each other so much as to form what we call a "national identity"? The Americans have their common legacy of having fought together for independance to bind the people together; the Chinese have thousands of years of common rule under their belts; even the relatively young neighbour of Malaysia have the common history of fighting for independance from the British. Granted, Singapore was in the same fight for independance, but many of the Singaporeans as we see them today have not even migrated here! What ties these people together? Nothing! Perhaps time may be able to forge a bond between Singaporeans and build a common identity for them. But thats not going to happen until the population remains stable and reasonably free from migratory forces for a substantial period of time. Until then, foreigners will answer the government's call for talent and immigrate while Singaporeans will continue in their quest for the supposedly higher quality of living overseas. Much like people boarding the train and others getting off...

National Identity through foods and clothes. By: Lim Dee Zhen 3H2 and Ho Lit Xian 3H1

media type="youtube" key="jAoVdOckHgY" width="425" height="350" This video explores the Singaporean identity and the façade of Singapore. Food and clothes are the vital part of Singapore culture. Scientifically, food is essentially the basic building blocks of life, while clothes are what we cannot part with in our daily live. The multinational nature of Singapore is shown in this self-made video through the presentation of food imported from various countries and clothes that originate from all over the world.

For example: The cereal with the label “Whole wheat biscuit” is from Britain. While the popular sweet prevalent in Singapore high schools now: Impact, is from Germany. Singaporeans everyday startup drink coffee is also not made in Singapore, it is manufactured in Philippines. Take a look at the first photo of clothes and you will notice the heavy influence of China on Singapore clothing. Maybe these clothes are not foreign in terms of manufacture place, but there are certainly foreign elements to the indigenous lifestyle in Singapore before British came. The Singapore identity and culture, as shown through this video is one that transcends national borders and is multinational in nature.

Looking back at Singapore history, Singapore had started to inherit its multinational identity from the colonial age when the Britain turned Singapore into a global entrepot. Later, Singapore having lack of natural resource, venture deeply into finance and research industry.

Globalization also set in. Singapore is no longer an island on its own, it is the center of worldwide linkages and cooperation. Singapore had no original identity that was born from within; however, its multinational convergence of identity to fuse into what we now called the Singapore identity is essentially unique. Various authors had failed to recognize this multinational dynamics of Singapore, most focus on Singapore lack of identity or Singapore rich, multi-racial identity. This video wants to shed lights on the other side of Singapore identity.

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