The move of any country towards globalisation entails an increasingly mobile population. Issues such as where the home is, where one belongs, one’s perception of identity and one’s sense of loyalty, become tension points that are real to Singaporeans, whether they are living abroad themselves, or have relatives who live overseas.

 Themed ‘Home and Away’, this year’s READ! Singapore 2008 – launched on 21 May at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel – sought to drive home the notion that reading brings communities together, thus creating a sense of belonging that is so crucial to Singaporeans living and working abroad. Books depicting experiences of immigrants settling into Singapore or Singaporeans relocating to other lands can heighten readers’ awareness of the cultural differences and challenges one would face when trying to settle into a foreign community. Through a selection of books and short stories that reflect these thematic issues, READ! Singapore 2008 aimed to nurture in Singaporeans a sense of belonging to their country, no matter where globalisation takes them.

 

Opening the event, Dr N Varaprasad, Chief Executive (CE), National Library Board (NLB), shared with the audience the success of the reading campaign since its inception in 2005. Into its 4^th year, this year’s READ! Singapore was set to pursue the successful formula established in the previous years, as well as to inspire more across the island to embark on the reading journey. To achieve this, NLB had come up with a selection of intriguing reads, partnerships and stimulating activities to attract more fiction readers throughout the 14-week programme.

Home Away From Home
Gracing the event with his presence, Guest-of-Honour Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), gave a very enlivening speech on his love for reading and how it had shaped his life and helped him become the person he is today. Encouraging Singaporeans to read more, Dr Balakrishnan said, “Reading is a key social fibre in strengthening community bonding.” He also commended NLB for its resourcefulness in reaching out to the public by choosing a theme so relevant to Singaporeans today. “As more and more Singaporeans work and live overseas, this theme is particularly meaningful to remind us of where our homes and hearts should be in this age of globalisation.”

The Musical Sound of Words

The ‘cruising’ of a cardboard aeroplane onto stage marked the official launch of the campaign. Opening the door to the ‘plane’, Dr. Balakrishnan unveiled a surprise ­– Home and Away – a compilation in all the four official languages of this year’s selection of short stories. Another surprise greeted the audience when an announcement informed that the selected short stories had all been produced into audio books, also in four languages. 

 

On Board the Reading Bandwagon
One of the highlights of this year’s READ! Singapore was the collaborative effort between NLB and SilkAir to bring together an unprecedented programme designed to offer passengers a new form of in-flight entertainment and relaxation. Aptly named ‘Booklovers on Board’, the reading programme saw SilkAir introducing the English and Chinese selected short stories in smaller-sized bilingual editions to flight passengers, thus encouraging them to embrace the habit of reading as a way to pass their time on board.

Local group, The Voice, also treated the audience to a very entertaining stage performance. Depicting three young Singaporeans who met while working abroad, issues concerning national identity and the need to stay connected to home were played out with great conviction.

Widening An Expanding Circle, Spreading the Magic of Reading
READ! Singapore is characterised by NLB’s innovative efforts in the past few years to forge interesting alliances with people from different walks of life and introducing them to the joy of reading. To date, the programme has been successful in increasing and sustaining the appreciation of fiction reading in people from all lines of work, including taxi drivers, hairstylists and healthcare officers. 

This year, the campaign aimed to reach out to the service and hospitality industry, with arrangements made for hotels, hospitals, F&B establishments and related service providers to set up reading clubs or to hold book discussion sessions for their employees and customers. “It is our wish that members of the hospitality and service industry develop critical skills of creativity and expression through READ! Singapore. Understanding various cultures will help them communicate more effectively with their overseas guests and enhance the image of Singapore in the international arena”, said Dr Varaprasad, CE, NLB.

In support of the campaign, Belle Body ‘N’ Mind Spa, Koufu@Sentosa and Essential Brew Café, among others, had offered their premises as venues for book discussion sessions. To ensure active community involvement in the reading campaign, NLB also partnered McDonald’s to organise a 12-hour reading marathon at 12 of its McCafé outlets across the island on 31 May.

Indeed, the range of activities organised was so wide and stimulating that it was guaranteed to turn even the most uninitiated into an appreciator of fine fiction!