Beng buskah Kristang sa istoria skundidu kung nus! Join us at this free public talk about new, previously unknown parts of the 200-year history of the Kristang language in Singapore, delivered by Kodrah Kristang director Kevin Martens Wong. Admission is free and open to everyone. This event is hosted by the Malay Heritage Centre and organized by Kodrah Kristang.
In this talk, Kevin Martens Wong will delve into a previously unknown but delightful part of Singapore history when Carnival was celebrated with parades and roaming minstrels, and where Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice and many other Shakespearean plays were performed to roaring crowds not in English, but in Kristang. Who would have thought that Singapore could have hosted such a vibrant Kristang entertainment scene, especially in light of the language's current, precarious situation?
Drawing from his archival research in the National Library’s NewspaperSG digitised collection and personal accounts of Kristang speakers from the Oral History Centre collection at the National Archives of Singapore, as well as his own family history, Kevin will walk you through Kristang's early beginnings in Portuguese and Dutch Melaka, and then through its hitherto hidden history in our island state, and welcomes you to find out more about a Singapore that challenges your preconceived notions about daily life in our corner of the world. Beng prendeh di Kristang sa istoria kung nus!
VENUE: Malay Heritage Centre
ADDRESS: 85 Sultan Gate, Singapore 198501
EVENT WEBSITE: Facebook, Google Docs (for registration)
DATE AND TIME
15 May 2018, 7pm–9pm