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| Port of Call - Singapore |
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| A visit to Little India produced a fashion transformation for some participants |
Peace Boat's fleeting half day visit to this ultra clean, lusciously green city-state was mostly utilised by participants to re-stock supplies and explore the shopping mecca of Singapore. Consumerism is plainly alive with department stores open 13 hours a day, and flocks of people buying into the Christmas shopping fever, evidently promoted mostly by the international retailers. In Singapore, the celebration of Christmas, as in Japan, seems to have more to do with the glitz and glamour of a romanticised Western tradition and much less to do with religious festivities. Shop windows displaying European winter clothing and snow (in a muggy tropical climate!) are suggestive of the pervasive cultural impact that globalisation is having. Some Peace Boat participants steered clear of the air-conditioned, palatial shopping malls and tasted the sensory delights of Little India. Although South Asians make up just seven per cent of the population, the conglomeration of mosques and temples, curry houses and all things from the Subcontinent make a distinct contribution to Singapore's ethnic fusion. A handful of female participants returned to the ship, dressed in colourful saris and with henna-dyed hands, while others adopted the close-fitting batik style dress a la Singapore Airlines・style. |
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| A city of concrete and glass still has room for local fisherman even near the Singapore World Trade Centre |
Unfortunately, due to constraints on time and logistics,
Peace Boat participants were not able to visit the museum at Changi
Prison, where many Allied prisoners were interned at the hands of
the Japanese during World War II. However, some Japanese and Korean
participants managed to visit a memorial site, marking the area where
the Japanese army committed atrocities against the local people when
capturing Singapore in 1942. Acknowledging such regretful, but significant
events in history through first hand visits is a very poignant and
effective way to learn lessons from the past. It is also the kind
of educational tourism that Peace Boat strongly advocates.
Singapore's infamous laws prohibiting smoking in public places, jaywalking,
chewing gum and other acts considered acceptable and commonplace in
many other countries were a source of anxiety and mystery for many
of the participants during the pre-arrival information session. Many
people found it hard to believe that what they considered to be inconsequential
issues could be branded a misdemeanour or offence under law. Speculative
conversations about whether being convicted of such acts would result
in possible gaol sentences or monetary fines resulted in the preconceived
notion for some, that Singaporean society is very rigid and controlled.
After testing this assumption on a taxi driver, shop-keeper and bus
driver, it seemed fair to conclude that even some local people agree
that their society is highly regulated and that 全ingapore is a fine
country.・Needless to say, exaggeration of Singapore's arguably harsh
set of social rules and norms is widespread and often makes for animated
cultural debate. Even a fly-by-night excursion into prosperous Singapore
proved to be a fruitful and instructive experience. |
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| Ao Dai Fashion Show |
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| Models in ao dai display their new Vietnamese
couture |
Vietnamese-inspired threads have been all the rage
following Peace Boat's sojourn to Danang on 18 December. Over fifty
participants arranged for tailor-made Vietnamese national costume,
the Ao Dai, to be made for them, and came together in the festive
pre-Christmas period to put on a colourful fashion show. More than
anything the evening was a chance to have a little fun and adopt a
different, perhaps 'exotic' look for a change. It wasn't just an occasion
for girls to dress up either, as at least a dozen guys looked equally
glamorous in their lustrous finery. These elegant outfits have continued
to be spotted at numerous Peace Boat events, including Christmas and
New Year's celebrations. As time passes, it's certain that not only
are the thoughts and ideas of Peace Boat participants becoming more
internationalised, but so too are the wardrobes starting to look more
and more cosmopolitan! |
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| Peace Boat's
40th Voyage index |
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PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
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