Good Evening Your Excellencies

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

   The Arab connection with Singapore is as old as Singapore itself. Less than two kilometres away from where we are is a road named Arab Street. Here a community of Yemeni Arabs from Hadramaut have been trading commodities, spices, perfumes, and textiles since the 19^th century. Some of the pioneers who built our city were also Yemeni Arabs – with familiar names like “Aljunied”, “Alsagoff”, and “Alkaff”.

2            Situated between the Middle East and the Indonesian archipelago, Singapore - formerly Temasek and then Singapura - prospered and grew from the lucrative spice trade. We watched and serviced ships which set sail from Aden carrying frankinscense and myrrh, while bringing cloves, nutmegs and cinnamon from the Spice Islands sailing home with the northwest monsoon.

3            Several centuries later, Singapore has stepped up this spice connection a few notches. We are playing a key role in the new silk road of investment flows between the Middle East and Asia. Singapore companies have secured multi-billion dollars worth of projects and businesses in the Middle East. Political leaders from both sides of the Indian Ocean hold regular dialogues to reinforce understanding and economic interaction.  These contacts have re-opened our eyes to the many faceted world of the Middle East.

The Arab World as a sphere of Cultural Influence

4          The Arab World has always been a centre of religious influence. It is home to the global religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The four countries with the largest population of Muslims are in Asia, including the largest, our immediate neighbour Indonesia. The result of this constant contact across the Indian Ocean through trade and religion manifests in a richness of cultural expressions.

5          In recent years, singers and musicians of Arabic tradition have taken centre stage on prominent international music platforms. Here in Singapore, we see an increasing number of women who have discovered the liberating effects of belly dancing.  We are also discovering the best of Arab cuisine, through the many restaurants that have spiced up the local dining scene.

6          These are loud and clear signals from consumers, that they are embracing the age-old cultures of the Arab world with a new passion, a world that is diverse in its cultures, languages, and destiny.

The Festival of Under the Crescent Moon

7          I therefore am delighted to be here to launch this festival, which is dedicated to the culture, the architecture, the images, the movements and sounds that are connected by the Islamic religion in the Arabic world and Turkey. This is a wonderful way to experience the dynamism and knowledge behind the solid economic power that has shaped the modern Middle East today.

8           Living under the Crescent Moon and Nazar, two exhibitions form a major part of the Festival, which will allow us to see the Arab World in its reality: eye-to-eye, person-to-person, house-to-house.  I look forward to both these exhibitions, to see how the people there deal with the challenges of their physical environment.

9          I would like to commend Vitra Design Museum in using interior design and architecture as a way of presenting the Middle Eastern World. The National Museum of Singapore has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with Vitra and Design Council Singapore. This exhibition is a wonderful first fruit of the newly signed MOU.

10        Finally, I congratulate the team at the National Museum of Singapore for organising this exciting Festival to bring the Middle East closer to home. It is my pleasure and honour to now declare the exhibitions Living Under the Crescent Moon and Nazar, and the Festival of Under the Crescent Moon officially opened.