September 10, 2021

Kampong Glam book by former resident wins $50k Singapore History Prize (The Straits Times, September 2021)

The NUS Singapore History Prize is awarded to a publication that makes a lasting impact on the understanding of Singapore’s history. Awarded by Professor Kishore Mahbubani (NUS Asia Research Institute), novelist Meira Chand, Dr Lam San Ling (SMU School of Economics), Dr Peter Coclanis (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of History), and Professor John Miksic (NUS Department of Southeast Asian Studies), the prize aims to make history more accessible to all Singaporeans, especially through different forms of media, such as photographs, maps, and sketches. The prize is awarded once every three years.

The prize, worth $50,000, was awarded on 9^th September 2021 to Ms Hidayah Amin for her book ‘Leluhur: Singapore Kampong Gelam’. Ms Amin, a publisher at Helang Books, had lived in her family home in Kampong Glam – a heritage building named Gedung Kuning (Yellow Mansion) located near the old Istana – until 1999, when it was acquired by the state. She then decided to compile her experiences and use writing as an avenue to share the rich history of Kampong Glam.

The book, as Prof Mahbubani describes it, “throws new light on the rich Malay heritage of Singapore”. It highlights Kampong Glam’s role as a hub for economic activities, where it connected Singapore to the Malay archipelago and beyond.

Ms Amin spent two to three years interviewing Kampong Glam’s former residents and five years in total to put the book together. When asked on how she felt about winning the award, Ms Amin said that she hopes this will inspire ordinary Singaporeans who have other important stories to tell to do so through writing books of their own. This was backed up by Prof Miksic, who added that anyone who has lived a proportion of their lives in Singapore has the potential to write a history book, and does not need to be a professional historian to do so.

The book is organised in themes, and covers the history of the Malay world, Malay royalty, the lives of everyday residents, businesses and trade, stories about religion, education and identity in a non-chronological manner. Some of the stories included in the book were contributed by Ms Amin’s own family, who shared their experiences living in Kampong Glam.

The book debunks the myth that Singapore only became as cosmopolitan as it was after Sir Stamford Raffles’ arrival in the 19^th century. It illustrates how Singapore had been the intellectual and religious hub of the Malay world, where Malay works were published and printed before being distributed throughout the region. Other misconceptions such as that of Kampong Glam being home to only the Malay aristocracy and community were also addressed.

The book is available at bookstores such as Kinokuniya, Wardah Books and Epigram Books for $49.90.

Read the article here.