Memory and the Nation: On the Singapore Memory Project

Abstract

The Singapore Memory Project (SMP) is a whole-of-nation movement that aims to capture and document precious moments and personal memories related to Singapore – recollections not merely from individual Singaporeans, but also from organizations, associations, companies and groups. The SMP currently involves partners (academic, research and library institutions, heritage agencies, public agencies, private entities and community organizations) and Memory Corps – volunteers who serve various roles, such as helping individuals with difficulties documenting their memories, thereby connecting the SMP to people with memories of key Singapore events, personalities and places, and who enrol more volunteers to join the SMP cause. This article aims to illustrate the main purpose of SMP, which is not just to drive the collection but more to start a ground-up movement to encourage the public and the citizenry to take ownership and to sustain the momentum and drive even if the project no longer exists in an official capacity. More than just a nostalgic exercise, the intention is to catalyse a real, organic civic undertaking that represents the cultivation of a real Singaporean culture.