Singapore Rewards Keepers of Traditional Crafts
Since 2019 the National Heritage Board has honoured practitioners of traditional crafts and trades; the 2025 cohort included a rangoli artist and a Malay drum maker.
Topics: arts and humanities, society and culture
Example
What happened: In April 2025 the National Heritage Board named five more Stewards of Intangible Cultural Heritage: rangoli artist Vijayalakshmi Mohan, Malay drum maker Mohamed Yaziz Mohamed Hassan, Peranakan-style jeweller Thomis Kwan, Chinese tea shop Pek Sin Choon and Teochew pastry shop Thye Moh Chan. Each receives S$5,000 and can apply for a project grant of up to S$20,000. The award began in 2019; this fifth cohort brought the total to 22. The drum maker said many young Malay drummers think holding a Malay drum is "not cool".
Use it for: traditional arts survive only if they are passed on, so public recognition and small grants aim to keep living practitioners teaching the next generation.
Why it matters: many traditional crafts depend on one ageing master; recognition raises their profile and money helps them teach, but neither can create young people's interest on their own.
Limit: The sums are small and only 22 practitioners have been recognised, so the award signals value rather than securing a craft's future; the drum maker's remark shows the real problem is young people's interest.
Key facts
- In April 2025 the National Heritage Board named rangoli artist Vijayalakshmi Mohan, Malay drum maker Mohamed Yaziz Mohamed Hassan, Peranakan-style jeweller Thomis Kwan, Chinese tea shop Pek Sin Choon and Teochew pastry shop Thye Moh Chan as Stewards of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- Each recipient receives a S$5,000 cash award and may apply for a project grant of up to S$20,000; the award began in 2019 and this fifth cohort brought the total recognised to 22.
How to use this example in a GP essay
Should traditional arts be preserved?
Claim
traditional arts survive only if they are passed on, so public recognition and small grants aim to keep living practitioners teaching the next generation
How the evidence supports it
many traditional crafts depend on one ageing master; recognition raises their profile and money helps them teach, but neither can create young people's interest on their own
Limitation
The sums are small and only 22 practitioners have been recognised, so the award signals value rather than securing a craft's future; the drum maker's remark shows the real problem is young people's interest.
Relevance
It gives concrete Singapore names and amounts for traditional-arts questions, with a quoted, honest admission of the challenge.
Limitations
- The sums are small and only 22 practitioners have been recognised, so the award signals value rather than securing a craft's future; the drum maker's remark shows the real problem is young people's interest.
Evaluations
arts and humanities evaluation
Support
The award honours crafts from several communities, from rangoli to Teochew pastry, which treats traditional skills as art worth sustaining alongside concerts and galleries.
Counterargument
S$5,000 and a possible S$20,000 grant are small next to the cost of training an apprentice for years, so the scheme cannot by itself keep a craft alive.
Rebuttal
The award is better judged as recognition and a platform than as a lifeline; its value lies in drawing attention and audiences that can make a craft viable.
Additional support
Recipients can display their practice at heritage festivals, giving young people a chance to meet a craft they may never see otherwise.
society and culture evaluation
Support
Recognising practitioners from Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan traditions reflects Singapore's multicultural identity in practice.
Counterargument
The drum maker's remark that young drummers find Malay drums "not cool" shows that state recognition cannot change what young people find attractive.
Rebuttal
Interest often follows visibility: when a tradition is seen as honoured and modern, as with K-pop dance or fusion music, young people are more likely to try it.
Additional support
Two of the recipients are family shops, a tea merchant and a pastry maker, showing that heritage is also kept alive by small businesses serving everyday customers.
Sources
- The Straits Times via Asia News Network (2025-04-03): Rangoli artist, Malay drum maker among Singapore's stewards of intangible cultural heritage awardees