04 July 2007

Invisible histories of our city

Tan Pin Pin's latest film, Invisible City, takes a peek at people who struggle against the odds to document parts of our collective history. They are up against many different obstacles but what they do makes us wonder about what we think we know. Full essay.

3 comments:

Ned Stark said...

I agree. There are too many gaps, even the Old Guard like Toh Chin Chye and the Late Rajaratnam are being forgotten. And David Marshall is only remembered as a top criminal lawyer, while in actual fact he was the brains behind the CPF, Meet the People's Sessions, Legal aid, among others.

http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/independence/ref/david.html

Abao said...

Look at what's being taught in schools. The state sanctioned education is usually about:

1. How Singaporen started as a Colony
2. How the colony prospered
3. The Japanese Occupation
4. Road to independence - the riots and how they were supressed
5. PAP's rise and the development of Singapore into a successful country

Although there are other sides of Singapore's stories, they are either hidden in the National Archives or undiscovered and forgotten over time.

Unless an effort is made to inform the people of these things and people of the past, gradually people will forget, and with it, the idea of a country.

Anonymous said...

Another slice of history down the drain. Even our founder Raffles has undergone a name change.

http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2007/10/our-founder-has-change-of-name.html