(This is a monthly letter from Baba Colin Chee to members and friends of the Association.)
Dear Babas and Nyonyas,
CELEBRATING A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY
How does one celebrate a 120th Anniversary in a pandemic year?
On 17 August 1900, our forebears, the Straits Chinese British Association, was registered as a society in the British colony of Singapore.
We had planned to celebrate our anniversary this year with a bang – with two big events which have since been postponed to next year, with great reluctance, because of COVID-19.
The first event is The Peranakan Ball, originally slated for 18 July 2020. More than 500 members and guests had already confirmed their attendance. This anniversary fund-raiser is now scheduled for Saturday, 15 May 2021.
The second is the 33rd Baba Nyonya International Convention. It would have involved up to 500 delegates from all 14 Peranakan associations in Southeast Asia and Australia. We were going to host this annual regional event on 20-22 November this year. It will now be held over the weekend of 19-21 November 2021. This is the first time in 33 years that the event has been deferred.
For a while it seemed that we would have an uncharacteristically quiet 120th Anniversary. Can you imagine a tua seh jit (big birthday) without the typical lao jiat (merriment) on such a significant day?
Then something happened.
EMILY OF EMERALD HILL – OUR INSPIRATION
Baba Ivan Heng’s spectacularly successful free-to-view streaming of Emily of Emerald Hill on Wild Rice’s YouTube channel from 24 April to 1 May inspired us. It opened our minds to the diverse opportunities that technology could offer.
(At this point, I would like to thank Baba Ivan for his generous and unreserved sharing when I called him a few weeks ago for technical advice.)
In late April, buoyed by Emily’s wild streaming success, I asked Nyonya Gwen Ong, our Head of Events, to look into the possibility of doing a virtual event on 17 August 2020 to celebrate our Association’s birthday.
Having gotten used to holding our monthly GC and Peranakan Ball meetings and our virtual AGM online, I thought that we can still celebrate our 120th Anniversary by harnessing technology.
BIBIK BEHIND BARS, KENA AGAIN!
Sometime in late May, I received a call from Baba Richard Tan, artistic director of GenerAsia Ltd.
“Ba,” he said excitedly to me over the phone, “Shall we do something like Ivan’s Emily of Emerald Hill?”
Noting my pause, he added: “We can stream Bibik Behind Bars, Kena Again!” on YouTube.”
It was the show that the Association had commissioned GenerAsia Ltd to produce in 2015 to celebrate its 115th Anniversary, a sequel to Bibik Behind Bars, first staged in 2001.
Who can forget that raucous, hilarious musical about vivacious, fun-loving, cherki and mahjong-mad bibiks in Joo Chiat?
I thought it would be a timely and wonderful fit for what the GC had already hoped to do.
“Who has the master copy of the musical?” I asked, and added, “Because we don’t have it.”
“I have a high-definition master copy,” Richard replied.
It was all I needed to hear. I requested Richard to work this further and to discuss it with Gwen.
We decided that the musical will debut online on a Sunday afternoon – 16 August – instead of Monday the 17th, which is our Association’s actual birthday.
The musical will be live-streamed from Rumah Kim Choo, a lovely venue for our pre-show curtain raiser.
You won’t want to miss this free-to-view show that will be streamed on our Association’s YouTube channel.
Save the date, 16 August 2020 at 2.30pm.
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Many thanks to those who have already subscribed!
Selamat Sambot Hari Tua Seh Jit to our Association!
Blessings,
Colin Chee
Keeping the Culture Alive
31 July 2020