Singapura Stories was set up in July 2012. It is an independent collaborative platform focusing on the recovery and sharing of architectural and social histories with the associated cultural memory of buildings, neighbourhoods, settlements, and communities that are no longer extant. It is committed to public education and sharing of these place histories through seminars and forums. It has also facilitated public discussion of findings by independent researchers, with the aim of at gathering like-minded individuals with shared interests in specific topics, and encouraging documentation efforts by former residents of expunged places. Read more here!
Our stories, Singapura stories — Cerita kita, Cerita Singapura.
Public Lecture: Bugis and Makassarese Architecture and Urban Neighbourhoods in Singapore
Public Lecture Series (MHC) with Singapura Stories
Saturday 28 October 2017
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM, MHC Auditorium
Malay Heritage Centre (Istana Kampung Gelam), Singapore
Held in conjunction with Sirri na Pesse: Navigating Bugis Identities in Singapore, special exhibition in the Malay Cultural Festival 2017, Malay Heritage Centre, Singapore.
See also excerpts on the subject of the talk here.
Seminar Twelve: Pulau Brani Histories
Saturday 19 Nov, 2016
2pm-5pm
Possibility Room, National Library
Singapura Stories Seminar 12 Pulau Brani Histories
Seminar Eleven: Kg Kuchan Lorong 3:
Kampong community, domestic architecture, and a long history from Tg Rhu and Singapore River
Warga kampung, senibina rumah, dan sejarah panjang dari Tg Rhu dan Sg Singapura
Saturday 8 Oct, 2016
2pm-5pm
Possibility Room, National Library
Singapura Stories Seminar 11: Kg Kuchai Lor 3 Geylang + Tg Rhu & Sg River
link for registration via GoLibrary coming soon!
Seminar Ten: A People’s Theatre in the Park: Singapore’s National Theatre / Panggong Negara, 1963-1986
Sat 13 Aug 2016
2-5pm
The Pod, National Library
Seminar Nine: Busana: Malay Textile Traditions and the Art of Attire in Singapore and the Malay World
Singapura Stories Seminar Nine, in conjunction with Pesta Raya 2016
Saturday 6 August, 2016
2-4:30pm
Library @Esplanade
Free seating – Registration not required
This event features two talks:
- From Ikat to Perada – The Story of Sumptuous Malay Textiles, by Khir Johari
- Malay Traditional Attire: Adat and Styling, by Suhaimi Nasrain
Seminar Eight: The Story of the Paya Lebar Airport Murals: A Talk by Dahlia Shamsuddin
Saturday, 25 June 2016
11am-1pm
The URA Centre, Function Hall, Level 5
45 Maxwell Road
Singapore 069118
View Map
Some of the items kept by Shamsuddin H Akib, the artist behind one of the murals at Paya Lebar Airport commissioned in 1963.
Seminar Seven: A forgotten multi-ethnic settlement: Palmer Rd, Tg Malang & Kg Sambau
Wednesday Mar 23, 2016
07:00 PM – 09:00 PM
Possibility Room (Level 5), National Library, Singapore
Seminar Six: Pulau Sudong histories
The founding of the Silat Gayong movement | Community histories & Resettlement | Sea sports & fisherfolk skills
Singapura Stories Seminar Six: Pulau Sudong histories
Date: Saturday 16 Jan, 2015
Time: 2pm – 05:30pm
Venue: MHC Auditorium, Malay Heritage Centre
Following on from the successful Seminar in May 2014 on the Southern Islands, which had focused on Pulau Seking’s experience, Singapura Stories presents Seminar Six on Pulau Sudong, featuring four invited speakers who will talk about various aspects of the island’s history.
Free event. Register by emailing MHC at this address: NHB_MHC_Programmes@nhb.gov.sg.
The Bugis Merchant Haji Mohamad Said La Chongkeng bin Daeng Patompo’
Written by:
Oct 31, 2015
One of the pair of grave markers of the grave of Haji Md Said b Daeng Patompok in Jalan Kubor Cemetery, Kampung Gelam (Kampong Glam), Singapore.
In this second article we learn more about another Bugis merchant, a man who is buried in a grave situated right next to Daeng Passendrik’s (see photograph below). He is Haji Mohamad Said La Chongkeng bin Daeng Patompo’, who owned 403 acres of land in several locations in Mandai, Upper Toa Payoh, Bukit Timah, Upper Bedok, and Changi, parts of which were developed as plantations of rubber and coconut as well as orchards. The estates include a portion recorded in maps as Bugis Estate with a Bugis Rubber Works. He also owned miscellaneous landholdings across Singapore, and invested in the purchase of shophouses in various locations across Singapore Town.
The first article was on perhaps the wealthiest among the Bugis merchants in early twentieth century Singapore, Haji Osman Daeng Passendrik Ambo Dalle’ bin Haji Ali. He is buried in a very prominent grave with a mausoleum pavilion in Jalan Kubor Cemetery.
SS Seminar 5: Dakota Crescent in architectural and historical perspectives
Singapura Stories is pleased to bring you Seminar Five on Dakota Crescent (originally planned for January 2015).
SINGAPURA STORIES SEMINAR FIVE
Understanding Dakota Crescent: Architectural and historical perspectives
by Jonathan Poh
Date: Tuesday 24 Nov, 2015
Time: 07:30 PM – 09:30 PM
Venue: Level 5 – Imagination Room (next to Possibility Room), National Library Building
Free event. Registration is required via GoLibrary.
About the talk:
Dakota Crescent to most lay passers-by is distinctive for its “curious old estate” along Old Airport Road near “that famous hawker centre”, overall evoking an atmosphere glossed as “retro”. Following the government’s announcement on plans for the redevelopment of the historical SIT estate and relocation of its residents, reaction from the public was mixed. Some residents were reportedly relieved as amenities were said to be in disrepair, while others (residents and non-residents alike) will grieve the loss of their memories and attachment to the place if the buildings were to be torn down. Such reactions merely scratch the surface of the significance of Dakota Crescent’s built heritage.
Sep 19, 2015
Talk & Public Seminar / Forum: The transformation of Katong-Siglap
This event, in Malay, will feature the history and communities of the Katong – Joo Chiat – Telok Kurau – Siglap neighbourhoods. It has two main segments: a talk by Dr Imran bin Tajudeen followed by a public forum by four panelists who are former residents of these fascinating historic neighbourhoods. The event, hosted in Marine Parade CC’s Theatrette, is organised in conjunction with the Bulan Bahasa, the Malay Language Month.
Sunday 20 September 2015, 3-5pm. Marine Parade CC Theatrette. Free admission. Register for the Katong-Siglap history seminar and forum