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It's been such a joy to partner with Singapore-based social enterprise, and to collaborate on artmaking projects this year! AfG is a social enterprise that provides professional art services and organises meaningful art projects for the good of our community, especially helping children with special needs, disabilities and from low income families. Kudos to the co-founders Amanda and Gabriel for leading the way in this important area!
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Last night's "You're here, now what?" was more than a performance salon. It was a living, breathing experiment in artistic convergence where poets, theatre and movement artistes, musicians and a painter vulnerably shared a black box, and where a multiplicity of artistic perspectives collided for one hour. The cast comprised artist-educators from various disciplines. Most were part of the NAFA community. The entire show unfolded like a collage: Joshua Yang's 'live' painting of a glass bowl, Vene May's stirring spoken words about Moses in Manila, Michelle C's Teochew-infused poems of loss and absence, Yarra Ileto and her dance partners' somatic storytelling. As a holistic piece it was layered, textured, and alive. A salon suggests intimacy, curation and conversation. The post-show panel was titled "After the Dust", and the discussion was spirited and buoyant. The artists shared how they each bared their truths in the process of devising this work, and the director Gavin Low, attuned to their emotional stakes, held space for all their stories, honouring the difference between embodying a character and (re)living your own narrative. One of the performers reflected on the discomfort of having her spoken word pieces deconstructed and reassembled into a collective narrative—an unfamiliar but transformative process. Some in the audience said they crave more onstage friction and disruption. Panelist Felix Cheong asked the question on everyone’s mind: did anyone try stepping into another’s discipline? No, not this time, but the idea lingered like a dare. 5 An audience member Juliana Lim evoked applause from all present when she said, “Watching the show gave me goosebumps. This is the proof that those who teach, also can!" This was interdisciplinarity in motion—messy, moving, and magnetic. A reminder that when we ask, "You're here, now what?" the answer might just be: collaborate, disrupt, and create something special none of us could have imagined alone. #interdisciplinarity #interdisciplinaryarts #laniakeaculture  "Happy Aloha International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples! As a mixed heritage person and a cultural worker in Singapore, it is my deepest wish that the world honour and protect the rights of indigenous communities today and always. I pray that our sacred land will forever be home to many diverse peoples and cultures."
~Namiko Takahashi Chan-Lee (Kapuanani) 🌺 Singapura, 9 August 2025 #laniakeaculture #livealoha #pasifika #southeastasian #SG60  “He waʻa he moku, he moku he waʻa” (Hawaiian proverb)
“The canoe is an island, and the island is a canoe.” Last weekend, as I had the privilege to help Alaka’I Namiko Takahashi Chan-Lee in the blessing ceremony of several new canoes (wa’a), I got to thinking that in Hawaiian tradition, the canoe is more than a vessel—it’s a living metaphor for community. Just as every paddler must pull in rhythm to move forward, we too must work together, listen deeply, and share the load to navigate life’s ocean. Progress isn’t about speed—it’s about unity. Let’s paddle with purpose. Let’s paddle as one. 🤝🚣♀️ Happy 60th National Day to our island nation! Majulah Singapura! 🇸🇬 #waʻawisdom #SG60 #livealoha #HeWaʻaHeMoku It was an honor and privilege to be part of the blessing ceremony for Lele Manuahi. Her beauty and speed made my heart sing. @americandragonssg welcomed her, their new outrigger canoe, together with Hālau Ka Lei Kukui Hi’ilani under the direction of Kumu Hula Leihi’ilani Kirkpatrick @hula_kumulei @leihiilani on 3 August 2025 at Siloso Beach Sentosa.
Mahalo to all who were involved and mahalo for all your kōkua. Mahalo nui loa to our Kumu for passing down the knowledge, culture and history to us, her Singapore extension. - Alaka'i Namiko Photo credit: Andrea (Andi) and Aaron Kōkua: Rowena  Each time I begin a #10thousandprofiles painting, I face uncertainty and a series of questions. My goal is neither to idealize nor characterize, but to simply comprehend the grace and gravity of the human form. And, having worked with oil paint for decades now, I know how stubborn yet patient this medium can be. Painting for me is like a tug of war—pulling and pushing, tussling my way towards something intimate, strong, and real. -Namiko
“He Wa’a He Moku, He Moku He Wa’a” (Hawaiian saying that means “The canoe is an island, and the island is a canoe.”)
It’s a privilege once more to serve the Singapore outrigger community this morning at the annual whole-day Singapore Country of Origin 🛶🛶 boat race. Koroua (elder) TK and Aotearoa Kiwi Waka Ama Singapore opened the ceremony with an invocation and song, thereafter Alaka’i Puanani Namiko followed with a welcome oli (chant) in Hawaiian. Then, Team France 🇫🇷 led by the indefatigable Xavier Keutch were presented with lei as a token of honor and thanks for their hard work as this year’s race organiser. We were all reminded that the waʻa culture embodies the Aloha spirit, emphasizing respect, harmony, and connection to all things. The ☀️ sun broke through the clouds as the paddlers got ready to launch. There are 180 racers representing thirteen nations in COO this year! #sghula #schoolofhawaiianhula #wa’a #holowaapa #waa #outriggercanoe “Let Nature be your teacher.” ~Wordsworth Weeks have flown by and the Singapore Youth Festival 2024 #syf2024 has come to a spectacular conclusion. Being part of SYF these past few years brings me back to my childhood-- starting a decades-long journey of singing in church and primary school, a succession of choirs, vocal ensembles and co-founding an a capella group as a young adult. I'm so grateful to mark this enriching milestone in my pilgrimage as a chorist, poet, lyric-writer and intercultural artist. This year I had the privilege to watch some of the 135 primary school choirs in action at the SYF ('live' and on video), and I must say I enjoyed every moment! I loved the children's pure and exuberant voices in harmony, their colourful costumes and choreographed presentations, and especially how they showcased traditional folk songs and "new" songs from Singapore and the "global neighbourhood" such as Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hawaii, the US and the African continent. The cherry on top was all the choirs presenting "First Light", a festival set piece commissioned by the Singapore Academy of the Arts and co-composed by Dr Kelly Tang and me. The song is about a child who awakes and starts the day in the early morning with a sense of great possibilities. My collaborator Kelly (he is a master of the resplendent musical line) and I worked on this #ecopoetics song over many months. Of the song's imagery Kelly says "there is a tranquil wisdom in the trees who simply ARE". We were so glad to offer this song as our heartfelt gift to the children of Singapore, our "City in a garden" and urban kampung that we call our HOME. It is gratifying to hear that "First Light" has been received into the hearts of many Singapore student chorists and become one of their favourite songs. Even before the festival was over, some parent friends reached out to share with me about how choral singing has enriched their child's personal life, character and education journey. To all the SYF student chorists, conductors, musicians and music educators, cheerleaders, families and school communities represented: you were simply wonderful! Thank you for your beaming smiles, for lifting your voices in unity, for your sense of wonder and kindness to one another! Each and everyone of you is a testament to the SYF's raison d'etre-- children getting to celebrate and be themselves, while we are reminded of our inner child – the essence of who we are: "Who do you see when you look at me?If I had one wish, what would it be?" Hearty thanks and kudos to the Ministry of Education's SYF organising team -- you lead the way for all of us with your sense of mission, your ethos and always serving with the spirit of excellence. See you next year! More pics of #syf2024 at the SYF Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SgYouthFest |
