Facing Our Cultural History: The Songs We Sang’s 10th Anniversary Screening and Discussion

How will we sing these songs again, 10 years on?

A decade ago, Eva Tang revisited Singapore’s unique music culture, xinyao, through her documentary The Songs We Sang. Rather than treating xinyao as a mere chapter in music history, the film pieced together the sounds of an era through songs, personalities and personal memories – showing how music shaped a generation’s coming-of-age and their imagining of this land.

Ten years later, watching the film again, what will we see differently?

Through this special screening and discussion, we return to The Songs We Sang as a starting point to reflect on what xinyao still means to us today. Beyond its place in the development of Singapore’s music and cultural landscape, our speakers explore why it matters to rediscover xinyao now. How might these songs – hailing from a particular era – help us better understand our identity, our memories, our history? And 10 years on, how might we retell these uniquely Singaporean stories for a new generation?

Perhaps listening to old songs again is not simply an act of nostalgia. It is, instead, a way of rediscovering where we came from – and reflecting on who we are today.

This programme is in Mandarin, with live translation available through AI-assisted tools. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide accurate translation. Festivalgoers are encouraged to bring their own earphones for the best listening experience.