By Chew, Valerie written on 20-Oct-2008
National Library Board Singapore

Comments on article: InfopediaTalk

From 1959 up till the early 1960s, Singapore's then Ministry of Culture - now known as the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts - organised a series of free, open-air cultural concerts with a strong multi-racial theme. Known as Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat, meaning "People's Variety Show", these concerts were held at various locations across Singapore. The objective of these government-sponsored shows was to help develop a sense of unity among the people by promoting better understanding among the different ethnic groups.

History
When Singapore became a self-governing state in 1959, the newly-appointed government saw an immediate need to develop a sense of national identity among the people. It realised that to do that, it first had to help the different races develop a better understanding of each other's cultures. So, the Ministry of Culture came up with the idea of Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat.

The first of these concerts was held at the Botanic Gardens on 2 August 1959, on a specially-constructed stage near the lake. Singapore's prime minister at the time, Lee Kuan Yew, officially opened the show. An estimated 22,000 people attended the event, which was recorded by Radio Singapore.

Following the success of this first Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat, the Ministry of Culture regularly organised similar shows in other parts of Singapore over the next few years. In October 1959, the ministry took the concept to rural Singapore for the first time. The show was held at Bukit Panjang Village before an audience of 7,000. It was a major event to the rural dwellers and many travelled from nearby villages just to see it. In the same month, the ministry also staged its first island show, at Pulau Bukom Kechil. Some of the 3,000 people who attended had specially made the trip there from other islands.

Between 1959 and 1964, the Ministry of Culture organised over 200 shows under the Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat banner.

Description
The Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat was one of the ways thought up by the Ministry of Culture to promote cultural integration in a population made up of people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. It was ground-breaking, because it was the first time that cultural performances by different races were featured in the same event.

The purpose was to provide an opportunity for the different races to see, understand and even appreciate each other's art forms. Until then, people were mostly ignorant of the cultures beyond that of their own community. The government hoped that the interaction of the different cultures would lead to the creation of a national culture and identity that could unite the people of Singapore regardless of ethnic background.

The typical Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat programme was multi-racial, with all four major cultural streams - Malay, Chinese, Indian and Western - being represented. Malay drama and ronggeng music, Tamil devotional songs and Indian classical dances, Chinese lion dance displays and Peking opera, and western classical music are all examples of items that were included.

The concerts were held in various city and rural locations across Singapore. Venues included the Botanic Gardens, the City Hall steps, Katong Park, Hong Lim Green, Geylang Serai, Kranji, Sembawang, Upper Serangoon and Pulau Tekong. The most popular shows attracted crowds of tens of thousands.

The Ministry of Culture started the concerts as a weekly affair but soon began organising them for special occasions such as the State National Day, the first of which was 3 June 1960. Other occasions for which the shows were held included the Prophet Mohamed's birthday and the National Loyalty Week in 1959, the opening of a new maternal and child health clinic at Kranji in 1962, Malaysia Day in 1963, and the return of the Malaysia Goodwill Mission to Africa in 1964.

Timeline
2 Aug 1959 : The first Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat was held at the Botanic Gardens.
4 Oct 1959 : An Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat was held at a rural location for the first time. The venue was Bukit Panjang Village.
25 Oct 1959 : An Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat was held at an offshore island for the first time, at Pulau Bukom Kechil.
3 - 9 Dec 1959 : Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat performances were put on as part of the programme for National Loyalty Week.
3 - 5 Jun 1960 : An Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat was held every evening as part of the State National Day celebrations to mark Singapore's first year as a self-governing state.
17 - 21 Sep 1963 : Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat performances were staged as part of Singapore's Malaysia Day celebrations, which were organised to commemorate the joining of Singapore with Malaya, Sarawak and North Borneo to form the Federation of Malaysia.



Author
Valerie Chew



References
All S'pore groups urged to make contributions [Microfilm: NL 12121]. (1961, May 12). The Straits Times, p.4.

Aneka ragam rakyat three nights running [Microfilm: NL 4029]. (1960, June 3). The Straits Times, p. 16.

Aneka show, 6 'lions' to welcome premier's return [Microfilm: NL 12154]. (1964, February 27). The Straits Times, p.6.

Boy stars in big concert tonight [Microfilm: NL 2602]. (1959, August 9). The Sunday Times, p.4.

Cultural show at park [Microfilm: NL 4022]. (1959, August 7). The Straits Times, p.4.

Dr Toh to open culture festival [Microfilm: NL 12124]. (1961, August 7). The Straits Times, p.4.

Lee: We'll breed new strain of culture [Microfilm: NL 4022]. (1959, August 3). The Straits Times, p.4.

A memorable week ends [Microfilm: NL 4025]. (1959, December 10). The Straits Times, p.1.

More clinics soon for rural areas [Microfilm: NL 12138]. (1962, October 17). The Straits Times, p.4.

Now people's concert makes island debut [Microfilm: NL 4023]. (1959, October 26). The Straits Times, p.4.

The people's concert makes its rural debut [Microfilm: NL 4023]. (1959, October 5). The Straits Times, p.4.

Radio and TV national day message by Tun Yusof [Microfilm: NL 12158]. (1964, June 3). The Straits Times, p.4.

Singapore. (1961). State of Singapore annual report 1959. Singapore: Govt. Print. Off.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SIN)

Singapore. (1962). State of Singapore annual report 1960. Singapore: Govt. Print. Off.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SIN)

Singapore: An illustrated history, 1941-1984 (pp. 186-187). (1984). Singapore: Information Division, Ministry of Culture.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SIN)

Singapore. Ministry of Culture. (1964, February 28). 202th Aneka Ragam Ra'ayat show [Press statement] [Microfilm: NL 12158]. Singapore: Ministry of Culture.

Singapore's joy programme [Microfilm: NL 12149]. (1963, September 16). The Straits Times, p.7.

A Sunday date at the gardens with music in Malayan manner [Microfilm: NL 4022]. (1959, July 25). The Straits Times, p.7.

30,000 at festival of music and fun in gardens [Microfilm: NL 4023]. (1959, September 16). The Straits Times, p.4.

Wonderment! [Microfilm: NL 4023]. (1959, October 12). The Straits Times, p.4.



The information in this article is valid as at 2008 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.