In partnership with UNIFEM Singapore

2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN. The past forty years have been a tumultuous time for ASEAN as a whole. The countries in this region have had their share of problems, and also successes. Through a series of documentaries, this quarter’s Screen Shots looks at the issues affecting some of the countries in this region, in particular, the effect of globalisation on these countries.

Programme highlights include screenings of acclaimed documentaries like B.A.T.A.M., Trading Women and The Akha Way. There will also be a lecture and a panel discussion, on the controversial issue of human trafficking, and a special curator’s tour featuring our Southeast Asian collection.

Check out the following programmes for further details.
Fri 17 Aug: Nomads in the Hills
Sat 18 Aug: For Sale

Just off the entrance into Nassim Road, is a quaint little colonial bunglow that houses the office of UNIFEM Singapore. Many months ago, my colleague and I trudged up the winding road and met up with the then manager of this small but powerful organisation.

We had gone with the intention of exploring a possible partnership with UNIFEM in some of our programmes. And as the story goes, we came back with so much more.

That morning, we sat in the office, as we listened to heart-breaking stories about young women and girls, all true and all so close to home. We learnt about how many of them were forced to leave their homes, with the promise of a better life, only to fall prey to a fate far worse the the one they left. We also heard about the rescue stories of local, unspoken heroes.

It was a humbling experience. Everyday, we plan programmes and events with hopes of sharing the rich culture of Asia with Singapore. We’ve alwasy believed that there is meaning and purpose to the work we do. We try to be creative with our limited resources and finances to give the public the best programmes. Sometimes we even complain about how “if only we had more …” That morning I found out, we do have so much more, and that our work really does in many ways pale in comparison to the work that organisations like UNIFEM do.

So, this programme is just a very small part of the work that is being done out there. We hope that you will come to find out more, and perhaps be involved yourself.