Missing the Physical
“You know what we miss most, Colin? We would just love to be able to get together again,” said Baba Francis Chia during one of our catch-up chats on the phone a week ago.
Francis is the choir master of The Peranakan Voices, the 22-strong choir of The Peranakan Association Singapore (TPAS). Since the pandemic started early last year, they have not been able to meet for a single evening of practice.
I am sure it is not only the practice they miss, but also the opportunity to get together and enjoy one another’s company.
This should not be surprising. From the moment we are born, we are most settled in our mothers’ protective arms. That physical touch is an assurance of love, warmth, endearment, togetherness, camaraderie and friendship.
Being around one another is a human need. From birth. No amount of persuasion can possibly convince us that webinars and online talks can replace that in-person experience.
Yet there is a place for digital gatherings.
In as much as it does not deliver that physical and visceral connection, it does provide a platform for like-minded individuals to meet remotely from anywhere in the world and at low cost!
Going Digital
Talks
In March and May this year, TPAS organised three online talks:
- Raising the Tok Samkai – the Art of Smayang Tikong by Baba Cedric Tan from Melaka on 16th March
- Sacred Sirih – Traditions and Symbolism in Nusantara by Enchik Khir Johari on 1st May
- Restoration of Heritage Hotels in Penang by Baba Chris Ong from Penang on 22nd May
These three online talks attracted an average of 106 participants each from around the region. This average would have been higher if not for the fact that we had to turn away would-be participants as we had reached our Zoom limit of 100 for one talk.
Again, on average, the respondents to our post-talk surveys rated each of the talks 4-plus points on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being excellent).
Compare this with the 30 – 40 local participants we attracted to our many successful in-person talks in 2019. Admittedly, we were limited by the capacity constraints of venues then.
More digital talks are in the pipeline. Our next one is on 26th June 2021 by Baba Lee Yuen Thien who will speak on The Peranakan Identity: Staying Relevant in a Fast-Changing World.
A well-known scholar and practitioner of Peranakan culture, Thien is the manager of the renowned The Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum in Melaka. SAVE THE DATE!!!
AGM
It was just as well the General Committee (GC) decided earlier this year to have a fully virtual Annual General Meeting. Safe distancing measures were suddenly tightened from 19th May.
At yesterday’s AGM we had a total of 65 proxies and a virtual turnout of over 30 members. We are thankful that despite the anxiety and stress of the times, members chose to be part of the AGM one way or other.
Personally, I am also especially thankful for the unstinting support of my GC members who have volunteered their time for the community by serving in the association year after year.
But, as always, there will be a time for renewal.
Despite a challenging year, we managed to reach several milestones:
- We were able to squeeze a surplus of $30k in 2020. Half this amount is the full refund of the deposit we made to a hotel for this year’s convention. The surplus will be used to help fund our convention in November, with the balance set aside for planned operating expenses over the next several years. This is to build a financial buffer for future GCs.
- Life Membership now stands at 2,147 compared to 1,889 in May 2018 when members elected us to the GC. Junior Membership, launched in late 2019, is 20, below our expectation of at least 50.
- We successfully navigated the postponement of two key 120th Anniversary events from 2020 to this year – a downsized Virtual Peranakan Dinner to be held in September and the 33rd Baba Nyonya International Convention in November, which will be part in-person and mostly virtual.
- We got to better understand the workings of the virtual world and are still learning to optimise the use of these digital innovations.
Silver Lining
But, most of all, we will not forget the understanding, encouraging and beneficent support of members and non-members all this while.
You are the silver lining on the persistent dark clouds that hover over the horizon of what this GC hopes to bring to you as we approach the end of our term in 2022.
May God bless you and keep you safe in these unpredictable days.
Colin Chee
Keeping the Culture Alive
31 May 2021
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