Dear Nyonyas and Babas,
Tyger In The Making
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?
William Blake’s famous 18th century poem The Tyger never failed to fascinate me whenever I came across it in books. When I started working for Esso in 1980, the magnificent image of this majestic animal, which was the company’s marketing mascot, became larger than life.
From February 1 this year, this king of all animals in China, will reign supreme. What will this year have in store for The Peranakan Association Singapore (TPAS)?
Prayerfully, the Water Tiger will bring renewal and vigour, a new spring, after two years of gloom and a COVID winter. Perhaps, a light is sparking at the end of the tunnel as it did for TPAS on 20 November 2021 when we held a successful hybrid convention.
I take heart especially that in the past four weeks we were able to gradually pull together a team of committed people with diverse skills and experience to take TPAS through another two-year term.
We managed this by coming together and agreeing on a succession plan that several other well-known organisations have effectively adopted. Hopefully, it is one that can also be institutionalised for TPAS.
More of this in my February 2022 letter.
2nd Edition Baba Nyonya Literary Festival, 19 and 20 March 2022
Finally, tickets for our festival are out on sale. As you would know, the aim of the festival is to showcase the written works of both Peranakan and non-Peranakan writers to propagate Peranakan culture.
The festival returns this year, bigger and better.
Firstly, the festival is proud to be the recipient of a grant from the National Arts Council. Secondly, the festival is honoured to count as partners our sister associations in Melaka, Malaysia, Persatuan Peranakan Cina Melaka and Persatuan Peranakan Baba Nyonya Malaysia, and, also in Melaka, the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum and the Bendahari, a cultural and creative hub.
In addition, we are honoured that General Winston Choo has agreed to grace the event as the Guest-of-Honour.
Because of Safe Management Measures we are taking the festival hybrid. Our first-time experience gained from our convention last November should serve us well this round.
Sale of tickets was launched on 19 January and physical (in-venue) tickets for 20 March are already sold out. Physical (in-venue) tickets for 19 March are selling fast.
Online (livestream) tickets for both days are still available.
The line-up of renowned names for the festival include Khir Johari, Sylvia Tan, Josephine Chia, Lee Geok Boi, Sanjay Kuttan, Christopher Tan, Desmond Sim, Walter Woon, Robert Yeo, Genevieve Peggy Jeffs and Azizah Ali.
As with the first edition of the festival, publishers will be exhibiting their books for sale.
Please refer to our Facebook post of 19 January for the full list of writers who will be at the festival.
We are still aiming for a meaningful and cosy festival. We expect that it will remain as the world’s smallest literary festival, but one that is cosy, heartfelt and yet stimulating.
Kwa Chong Guan, in his keynote address at the 33rd Baba Nyonya International Convention in November last year asked this: “Can the Baba Nyonya Literary Festival going into its second session in March next year inspire a new genre of Peranakan drama and literature?”
It is our fervent hope that the festival is able to go some way towards achieving this.
After all, it is about cultural resilience.
Revisiting the 33rd Baba Nyonya International Convention
In the same light, we are pleased to bring to you five video excerpts of our 33rd Baba Nyonya International Convention held on 20 November 2021.
Please enjoy them on our TPAS YouTube Channel https://tinyurl.com/33babanyonya. Do subscribe to our channel so you can be informed when there are new videos.
May the Lunar New Year bring you and your loved ones peace, good health and happiness.
Blessings
Colin Chee
President
Reimagine & Reinvent
31Jan 2022