An eight-month exhibition celebrating the "deep-rooted friendship" between Brunei and Singapore begins today at the Singapore Philatelic Museum.
The exhibition, titled Abode of Peace & the Lion City: A Brunei-Singapore Exhibition, was officially opened yesterday afternoon by Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who is in Singapore on a state visit, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The display is being held in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee of a currency interchangeability agreement between the two nations. Jointly curated by the Singapore Philatelic Museum and Brunei's Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the exhibition will run until the end of February next year.
For the first time in Asia, 33 items from Brunei's royal regalia are on display outside the country. These include items - such as vases, swords and shields - used during the 1968 coronation ceremony and 1992 silver jubilee ceremony of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
Also on display are stamps and other philatelic materials, as well as 66 artefacts on loan from the Brunei Museums Department, dating back to AD960, including 19th century brass containers and blue porcelain ware from a shipwreck in Brunei.
Visitors will also get the chance to view 42 pieces of currency notes and coins, issued over the past 50 years, on loan from Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
This weekend, visitors to the museum will also get to enjoy cultural performances by musicians and dancers from the Brunei Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
"The royal regalia and other artefacts on display are treasures of Brunei, and we are proud to be able to share our culture with Singapore," said Mr Abdoh Damit, acting director of culture and the arts at the Brunei ministry.
Ms Tresnawati Prihadi, general manager of the Singapore Philatelic Museum, said that the exhibition will enable people in Brunei and Singapore "to gain a deeper appreciation of each other's history and culture, as well as longstanding political, social and economic ties".
A second part of the exhibition, focusing on Singapore's multiculturalism and efforts at urban greening, will run in Brunei from November to April next year.
