As a newcomer and an exchange student, the desire to
know more about the place that would be my home for the coming months kept growing. Knowing
Singapore only from its tales and stories, I was certain that its origin and long history
would be as fascinating and glimmering as the narrative of modern Singapore
nowadays. The Bicentennial Experience provided me with just what I needed: the
long journey of a small port city that eventually became the Singapore that we see today.
With a tagline of "From Singapore To Singaporean", The Bicentennial Experience was held to commemorate the 200th anniversary after the landing
of Raffles, the so-called founder of the port city, in 1819. There were two main
sections, The Time Traveler and The Pathfinder, exposing one to every bit
of Singapore and Singaporean's history.
The Time
Traveler brings you away from modern Singapore, travels you through
time and space, and lands you to the time where it all began: the pre-colonial days where multiple kingdoms ruled the port city. Divided into five
sections, one could witness various depictions of the war between kingdoms, the landing of Raffles, the British society of trading and even get trapped in the time of Japanese
occupation, until they deliver you back to the present. The multimedia sensory experience would bring you the
thrill, anxiety, relief and fear of each section, leaving
you overflown with emotions.
The
PathFinder provides an outdoor experience of the connection that Singapore had with the world in its 700-year long history. There were artefacts, maps, and even plants on display! It was refreshing for me to learn about Singapore through this immersive experience.
As I am from the same region, I had initially expected a similar viewpoint from Singaporeans when it came to narrating stories about centuries of colonisation. Yet, rather than looking at the British as a coloniser, the exhibition presented the British as the founder of modern Singapore and the starter of its modern history. Being raised in Indonesia where we are brought up with stories about the long and iron-fisted control of the British, it was quite a different and interesting perspective that I got to witness there. It also taught me that history, just like many other stories, usually have more than one side to it, and it is important to learn about others' perspective. Being able to find out the perspective of a Singaporean about their own history through this event was a cherry on top. The Bicentennial Experience was definitely a memorable one and just like the tagline said, it had everything about the history of Singapore, even beyond its borders.
As I am from the same region, I had initially expected a similar viewpoint from Singaporeans when it came to narrating stories about centuries of colonisation. Yet, rather than looking at the British as a coloniser, the exhibition presented the British as the founder of modern Singapore and the starter of its modern history. Being raised in Indonesia where we are brought up with stories about the long and iron-fisted control of the British, it was quite a different and interesting perspective that I got to witness there. It also taught me that history, just like many other stories, usually have more than one side to it, and it is important to learn about others' perspective. Being able to find out the perspective of a Singaporean about their own history through this event was a cherry on top. The Bicentennial Experience was definitely a memorable one and just like the tagline said, it had everything about the history of Singapore, even beyond its borders.