About Semangat Kampong
The Kampong spirit, as known fondly today, was born out of necessity coming out from 1960s Singapore - a point in history where Singaporeans needed to put down roots in rapidly developing diverse and uncertain environments. In doing so, Singapore developed our unique sense of community to show how solidarity in changing times can push us to greater heights. With COVID-19, it is now more important than ever for us to remember what it means to be united in the face of adversity.
Exploring the kampong’s spirit’s beginnings and evolution from 1810s till today, Semangat Kampong is an exhibition that brings together photographs, videos and stories from the National Heritage Board’s collection of multimedia assets - Roots.sg, and personal anecdotes, guiding visitors chronologically through 4 important “days” in our nation’s development: Kampong Days (1819 - 1980s), Challenging Days (1950s - 1960s), Development Days (1920s - 1970s) and Present Days (1980s - 2000s). This journey shows how modernisation has changed Singaporeans’ understanding of the community spirit.
This exhibition asks visitors to reflect on what the kampong spirit means to them now, and what they will do to bring our neighbourly spirit into the future. To illustrate the breakthrough of the digital experience such as our 360° virtual tour and interactive multimedia map, visitors can experience the actual environment and understand the stories, capturing the essence of the kampong spirit. Shining a pertinent spotlight on perseverance, from the survival of the oldest living kampong in Singapore, Kampong Lorong Buangkok, to new interpretations of communal living.
(1819-1980s)
It is difficult to determine exactly how many kampongs ever existed in Singapore. Before the British, the aboriginal orang laut led a nomadic life living at the swampy areas, the mouth of the rivers and some of the small islands. During colonial rule, formal kampongs were established by the British, under an urban development plan known as the Jackson Plan (1822). This was an attempt at housing the population by ethnicity at the downtown core along the Singapore River. For instance, Chinatown for the Chinese and Kampong Glam for the Malays.
As a result of challenges faced so far, the Singapore Government had to create a stronger foundation for us to move forward and overcome new challenges. We explore the development of Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) and their efforts in creating housing, as well as coming out of "Challenging Days".
In the 1950s, Singapore was a deeply divided society filled with tension and anxiety. While everyone was recuperating from the hardships left by World War II, internal struggles caused the British Government to declare Singapore as an ongoing state of ‘emergency’. We look into uncontrollable circumstances of nature such as flooding and fires which brought many obstacles, and changed the lives of many people.
(1980s-2000s)
Singapore underwent a drastic transformation in the 1980s under the direction of the State and City Plan (SCP), implemented in 1971 to guide Singapore’s physical development. This led to the establishment of better infrastructure including Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) and public housing.