Preserving heritage: 5 people, groups honoured for keeping crafts alive

Key Concepts: Intangible cultural heritage, Rangoli art, Chinese tea culture, intergenerational knowledge transfer, cultural preservation, community engagement, contemporary adaptation.

Rangoli Art and Vijaya Moan:

• Main Topic: Preservation and adaptation of Rangoli art in Singapore.
• Key Points:
  • Vijaya Moan, a 66-year-old Rangoli artist, is receiving the Stewards of Intangible Cultural Heritage Award from the National Heritage Board.
  • She has been practicing Rangoli since the age of five.
  • Traditionally, Rangoli is created with colorful rice powder on the floor and is not meant to be permanent.
  • Mrs. Moan is reinventing the art form by using contemporary materials like recycled bangles and utensils, and glue to preserve the artwork.
• Contemporary Adaptation: Using recycled materials and glue to create lasting Rangoli art pieces.
• Rationale: To attract younger generations to learn the craft.
• Quote: "Being in a multi-racial country society in Singapore you have to learn to know appreciate and also to encourage people to uh do the other people's culture so in order to do all these things you must know the culture and art then you can spread to other people."
• Call to Action: Mrs. Moan urges the younger generation to learn about their culture and art, emphasizing its emotional and meditative benefits.
• Benefits of Learning Rangoli: Emotional balance, meditation, calms the brain, helps in problem-solving.

Chinese Tea Culture and Kenry Pay:

• Main Topic: Maintaining and modernizing a century-old Chinese tea business.
• Key Points:
  • Kenry Pay, a fourth-generation owner of a century-old tea business, is also receiving the Stewards of Intangible Cultural Heritage Award.
  • The business processes up to 200 kgs of tea leaves daily, filling about 10,000 tea packets.
  • The shop is a major supplier to the local Bak Kut Teh market.
• Modernization: Integrating tea leaves into modern products like ice cream and kombucha.
• Rationale: To attract young people's interest in tea culture.
• Cultural Education: Mr. Pay holds workshops in schools to promote cultural education from a young age.
• Quote: "I think when we talk about heritage you know uh it's not about you know the heritage and I just put it in the museum and things like that i think you know heritage itself is a life thing without the support of the uh you know us the first uh the uh our forefather now our generation and the future generation I think it's just a bridge for us t actually bridge all these three generation."
• Heritage as a Living Thing: Heritage needs active support from past, present, and future generations to thrive.

Award and Future Implications:

• Main Topic: The impact of the Stewards of Intangible Cultural Heritage Award.
• Key Point: The practitioners believe the award will motivate heritage businesses to work harder in engaging the youth.

Synthesis/Conclusion:

The Stewards of Intangible Cultural Heritage Award recognizes the efforts of individuals like Vijaya Moan and Kenry Pay in preserving and promoting their respective cultural crafts. Both emphasize the importance of intergenerational knowledge transfer and adapting traditions to appeal to younger audiences. Mrs. Moan focuses on the meditative and problem-solving benefits of Rangoli, while Mr. Pay integrates tea into modern products and conducts school workshops. The award is expected to encourage further engagement with the youth to ensure the continuity of these cultural practices.