Authors of our own lives

Prof Breslin is in town! One of my most loved uni profs is in town visiting. Excited, I want to get him a gift despite the very short notice. I wanted to give him an authentic Singaporean momento. I thought of bazhang (glutinous rice dumplings) for his family in Kenilworth, Merlion keychain persons. No. Since he is an academic, I am sure he is tired of tiny words on tiny pages; so I thought I'll het him a nice picturebook of Singapore.

Amidst the search at Borders after work, something disturbed me. I wanted to find a photography book of Singapore but I found it so difficult to find one taken by a Singaporean photographer. And I felt it is important because I believe a Singaporean would capture a different Singapore than a non-Singaporean. One may argue that you don't necessary need to be Singaporean to take good Singapore photos. I agree its not a necessary condition but I think very crucial assuming all else being equal. A mother will know her child best regardless how experienced a nanny is, all else being equal.

Perhaps if I went to a different bookstore I might have found more local photographers. But right in the centre of town at Borders, for whatever reason, published Singaporean photographers were few and far between. And as an aspiring shutterbug, I find that disheartening.

I really hope that more Singaporean photographers are chosen to showcase what is truly Singaporean. Singapore through the lenses of non-Singaporeans may just miss that crucial element of growing up here. A Singaporean taking photo of an SBS bus might just capture not just an icon of an efficient public transport system, but also the memories of the old school days before ezylink, the days of folding paper hearts with bus tickets; if you never grew up here, you would not know the days of paper hearts.

Especially in a highly globalised world where American culture tends to permeate through mass media, I find it all the more important to hang onto local flavours lest we all diffuse into a single unauthentic identity; where would the difference lie between individuals especially when the majority of us are slaves to global brands and cultures?

My conviction may be misplaced, or mistimed, but for now I think local artists should get the chance to stand up and get the chance to share with other cultures our very own. Perhaps this eventuality has already begun, but I'm sure it can move along with greater force.

The next time I look for a souvenior, I sure hope I can find photography that tells at least an authentic paragraph of the Singapore story.