Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) celebrates its 25th edition this year from 4 to 20 November 2022, it ponders what could have been, and what it can be.
WF 2022 Festival Theme:
If Organised by Arts House Limited (AHL) and commissioned by the National Arts Council (NAC), the theme for this 25th edition is anchored by a single word, IF (JIKA, 若, எனில்), inspired by Singaporean writer Cyril Wong’s poem, “If…Else”. Festivalgoers can expect to be treated to over 200 in-person programmes, and select online offerings.
These include the all-time favourite SWF signature programmes like the Southeast Asian Focus, Youth Fringe, Country Focus, SWF Playground and Literary Pioneer series.
Festival Director Pooja Nansi reflects, “Every festival responds to its time, and the time that we are at in the world right now is fraught with conflict and uncertainty. There are many questions about where we are now as a global society and where we are headed as we cautiously make our way out of the pandemic.
As the SWF reaches its 25th edition this year, we are embracing this milestone as we grapple with where the Festival is and what its future holds in what feels like a deciding moment in the world. The word ‘if’ conveys a feeling of hope and a second chance as it allows for retrospection and ideation. Through this year’s programmes, we consider the endless possibilities in the worlds that we create and take Festivalgoers with us as we imagine exciting new futures as a global community.”
This year’s Literary Pioneer Exhibition celebrates the contributions of our Malay, female Literary Pioneers and will be the first exhibition in Singapore to do so. Spanning the early 20th century from pre- independence to the present day, the exhibition commemorates the life and works of Raja Aisyah Sulaiman, Adibah Amin, Dr Hadijah Rahmat, Dr Sa’eda Buang, Rasiah Halil as well as the collective, Kumpulan Bebas Melata.
Other exciting Malay language programmes include Gita Raga, a concert that showcases new songs from poems written by established literati; BEBAS, an all-female showdown of writers and musicians in a performance of poems; and Jika Kalau, a live series that invites Malay authors and thinkers to respond to the Festival’s theme.
SWF will be co-presenting programmes with the ChineseLiterary@sg which include A Night of Poetry at Tea Chapter 《茶渊赏诗晚会》, where audiences can join our local poets from the Singapore Association of Writers, Singapore Literature Society and May Poetry Society as they share their favourite poems over tea. Other Chinese language programmes include Reading Jin Yong in English, co-presented with the National Library Board, where participants will be engaged in a bilingual conversation on the translation of Jin Yong’s works, the most influential Chinese wuxia novelist of his time.
The Festival is collaborating with Tamil literary associations such as Association of Singapore Tamil Writers, Kavimaalai and Vassagar Vattam to co-curate and develop a suite of programmes. SWF will also be co-presenting the following programmes with Tamil Murasu: Erasing War: WWII & Singapore Tamil Historical Fiction (ப ோர் நிகழோதிருந்தோல்: இரண் டோம் உலக ்ப ோரும் சிங்ககத் தமிழ் வரலோற்று ் புகனவும்) which opens up possibilities by questioning the shape that local Tamil historical fiction would have taken if WWII had not taken place; and If Not For Food: Tamil Life & Literature in Singapore (உணவின் றிபேல்: சிங்க ்பூர்த் தமிழ்
வோழ்வும்இலக்கிேமும்) which explores how Singapore’s food culture enhances Tamil Literature.
