Singapore Swing: Three (cultures) in one (day)

MANILA, Philippines - You can cross over cultures in Singapore as easily as you can reach its four corners in just a few hours. But a gigantic theme park this prosperous city-state in Southeast Asia is certainly not. Its claim to being one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse spots known to man is borne of centuries of struggle, serendipity, triumph, and even humiliation.

Beneath the gaze of its high-rise commercial buildings and residential condominiums are clumps of multi-ethnic communities that have been Singapore’s face for generations.

They may be just fabulous heritage landmarks to many visitors, but they’re both a living tableau of how Singapore had evolved into what it is now and a showcase of what it hopes to keep for future generations.

Gracious staff of Singapore’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts took us to the vibrant Muslim Malay, Indian and Chinese districts right at heart of the city to show us the nation’s true colors – and where real bargains can be found, of course. 

It’s a guided tour all right but there’s wonder and spontaneity when you’re stepping into someone’s home, as these enclaves are for eons to thousands of Singaporeans of diverse ethnic origins.

Singapore, through the years, has successfully maintained national unity in the midst of cultural and racial diversity. The government, led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, believes integration and not assimilation is key to preserving such harmony which has helped fuel Singapore’s phenomenal economic success. But it’s success such as this that is threatening to create imbalance in the country’s ethnic harmony. In response, Singapore said it may have to “manage” the number of migrants.

Our first stop was the Kampong Glam, which is the old Malay and Muslim district. The area’s main attractions are the splendid mosque of Sultan Hussain of Johore and his restored palace nearby, whose beginnings date back to the early 19th century.

The original structures had been torn down after years of being in disrepair. Besides, the old mosque had become too small for the growing community of Muslims in the area. Construction of the present mosque – designed by Swan and Maclaren – began in 1924, the centenary of the original mosque, and was completed four year years later.

The community contributed immensely to the building of the new mosque. Thousands of discarded bottles had been used to fortify or decorate the base of the mosque’s dome. It was said that the less privileged Muslims in the community, with nothing much to contribute to the construction of the new place of worship, collected old bottles and delivered them to the builders of the mosque to be used as building and decorative materials.

The second mosque has remained largely unchanged save for some repairs to the main hall in the 1960s. The mosque was declared a national monument in March 1975.

Arab Muslims have been in the area even before the arrival in 1819 of Stamford Raffles, traditionally acknowledged as the founder of modern Singapore.

In fact, many of the streets are named after places in the Middle East, like Bussorah or Basra in Iraq and even Baghdad minus the roadside bombs.

With the flag of the empire where the sun never sets firmly planted in Singapore, Sultain Hussain had to settle for an annual stipend and a piece of territory in Kampong Glam. Many of the Sultan’s followers sailed from Malacca and Sumatra to establish a settlement.

Most of the shops and apartments in Kampong Glam – as did many old structures across the city state – survived the Japanese invasion in 1941, thanks or no thanks to Lieut. General Arthur Ernest Percival’s rather token defense of the British Empire’s premier bastion in the South Pacific. Our very own Manila had not been as lucky. It’s against the law in Singapore to alter the exterior of old buildings. Old as they are, most of the buildings are centers of commerce and not just cold relics from the past.

A few blocks from the Muslim Malay district on Serangoon Road is Little India, inhabited mostly by descendants of the first Tamil Indian settlers who arrived with Raffles in 1819. The aroma of spices as well as the colorful display of traditional Indian silk dresses and garlands for offering to Hindu gods leaves the deepest imprints on a visitor’s mind. The place is also a treasure trove of other Indian products like jewelry and brassware. Traditional henna artists are in every corner for visitors desiring body artwork.

On Saturdays, the areas around Serangoon Road are crowded with hundreds of Indians exchanging news about their community. Tourists have to compete for space on the narrow streets and in shops. But the community is busiest – and most colorful – during Deepavali, or the Indian Festival of Lights.

And yes, what’s a place without Chinatown? In Singapore, where the dominant ethnic group is Chinese, Chinatown is strangely a popular destination in itself. Tourists lured by bargains and a more intimate encounter with Chinese culture would descend in droves, particularly on its charming night bazaars.

The place is a maze of mostly pre-war shops selling souvenir items like tiny plastic Buddhas, lanterns, antiques, merlion replicas, key chains and even dried seahorses. And it’s not only Chinese food that is available to starving shoppers. Our guide said some of the old quarters used to be denizens of the underworld but they have since shaken off the image.

A visit to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is a must. As its name implies, the four-story temple, completed in 2007 for S$63 million, is said to house a tooth relic of the Buddha Shakyamuni.

A 27-foot statue of Maitreya Buddha stands in the main hall, which is open to tourists even in the middle of a sacred ceremony.

The hall is resplendent with ornate carvings in brilliant red and gold.

It’s the charm of the orientalia and the intriguing vagaries of Singapore’s history that left us – visiting Asian journalists – both dumbfounded and enlightened as we headed back to our hotel. In a land where cultures blend like hot water and tea, we were strangers – yet at home.