Director's Note

As Singapore celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence in 2025, we thought we would mark the occasion by taking a closer look at “Majulah Singapura”. In this issue, we have not one, but two stories relating to our national anthem. Emeritus Professor Bernard Tan’s piece on national anthems, “Majulah Singapura” in particular, and his deep dive into how the song has changed over time is a must-read as we mark SG60.

Accompanying this is an excerpt from a conversation that we had with music director Julian Wong, the man responsible for the critically acclaimed production, Don’t Call Him Mr Mari Kita, which delves into the life of Zubir Said, the composer of “Majulah Singapura”. After reading this excerpt, we hope you will be inspired to listen to the entire podcast.

At BiblioAsia, we pride ourselves on shining a spotlight on hidden stories about Singapore and this issue is particularly strong in this regard. While many people might be aware that back in the early 1980s, Singapore shifted its time zone forward by half an hour to align itself with Malaysia, reference librarian Kenneth Tay reveals a lesser-known fact: in the last hundred years or so, Singapore has adjusted its clocks no fewer than seven times.

We also have an interesting piece by former National Library Digital Fellow Zhuang Wubin about three women who made a name for themselves in the world of photography in Singapore in the 1940s and 1950s. Our story brings these women out of the darkroom and into the light.

Finally, I want to share the fascinating history of Giovanni Gaggino written by Alex Foo, a manager with NLB’s partnership department. Gaggino was an Italian entrepreneur who once owned Pulau Bukom and also authored an Italian-Malay dictionary in 1884. The story of his remarkable life illustrates that in Singapore, with determination and hard work, the pasta-bilities are endless. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun.)

As usual, we have plenty for you to chew on in this issue so I won’t keep you. Ciao!

Alicia Yeo
Director
National Library Singapore