‘We don’t introduce ourselves as Chinese, Malay or Indian, but as Singaporean’

She looked nothing like her parents and discovered the truth at 27. Her parents had adopted her from a Chinese family when she was just one year old.

But for most of her life, those outward differences had never mattered to Ms Toshiko Kadir. Growing up, identity was never singular – it was shaped by different cultures, languages and beliefs coexisting within the same home.

Her father was a half-Japanese and half-Indian-Muslim. Her mother was from southern Thailand. Ms Kadir studied Chinese in a convent school, but Malay was the language spoken at home. 

Her family ate oden and mochi to mark the Japanese New Year, which falls on Jan 1, and observed Buddhist rituals on Vesak Day. Little Toshiko grew up on a musical diet of traditional Okinawan music and Bossa Nova.

Many of her friends in school were equally diverse, their own homes filled with different dialects and languages, festivals and traditions. “It didn’t matter that we were of different races,” says the 62-year-old of growing up in Singapore in the 1960s.

Ms Kadir’s story is featured at the

Not Mere Spectators: The Makings of Multicultural Singapore

exhibition at the National Gallery Singapore.

Presented by

the Founders’ Memorial

, the exhibition explores how multiculturalism was forged in Singapore during the early nation-building years from the 1950s to the 1970s.

These milestone decades saw multiculturalism – a vital component of society – shaped through policies, ground-up efforts and the daily lives of ordinary Singaporeans. 

Through interactive multimedia, artefact displays, audio plays, and artwork, visitors are encouraged to think about what multiculturalism means to them in modern Singapore and how they can play a role in shaping our nation’s unique identity.

When communities gathered together under open skies

For Dr Uma Rajan and Madam Som Said, the exhibition took them back in time to a series of free concerts starting in 1959 that showcased everything from Chinese ribbon dance and Malay Tari Payung to Indian Kathakali and Eurasian Jinkli Nona. 

Known as People’s Cultural Concerts or Aneka Ragam Ra’ayat, they were held at public venues, including the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the former City Hall, now fittingly the National Gallery Singapore.

Dr Uma, now 85, was one of the performers who took part in these concerts. “There were so many people performing and speaking in different languages and dialects. It was a different kind of energy and made you feel vibrant,” she recalls. 

She made lifelong friends, including Madam Som Said, who founded Singapore’s first professional Malay dance company, Sri Warisan Som Said Performing Arts, in 1997.

Madam Som’s own memories of Aneka Ragam Ra’ayat began when she was a primary school student. She remembers attending the free concerts with her older sisters in 1959, where the first thing she noticed was the diversity of races in the crowd. 

“We sat side by side and I was exposed to all kinds of cultural dances, not just the Malay ones,” says the 75-year-old.

By the mid-1960s, Madam Som had become a performer herself, taking the stage at Aneka Ragam Ra’ayat as a dancer.

Both women’s recollections of Aneka Ragam Ra’ayat contributed to the content for the animated film Aneka Ragam Ra’ayat by Finding Pictures. The film can be viewed at the exhibition, which runs till March 29. 

Adds Madam Som: “Back in the past, we had different races living in kampungs. We don’t have these now, but the spirit lives on. It is not just for show, it is our way of life.”

From historical moments to modern spaces

That way of life also finds expression in contemporary art. On display at the exhibition is Mr Yeo Tze Yang’s 2021 painting, Lovers on a Train, which depicts a young couple on an MRT train. 

“The MRT felt important because it’s such a ubiquitous part of daily life in Singapore. By placing this moment on the MRT, I was interested in how multiculturalism plays out not as a grand idea, but as a lived condition,” he shares. 

“People of different backgrounds share space without necessarily interacting, coexisting quietly within the same system.”

The 32-year-old feels honoured that his painting of “ordinary people in the 2020s” is displayed next to stories from the Merdeka years. Says Mr Yeo: “Historical artefacts can be alienating, especially for younger viewers. I see my painting as a bridge that allows viewers to locate themselves within a larger narrative.”

For Tamil teacher Ilango Rama Apaswamy, the exhibition connects past experiences with present responsibility.

“I hope visitors see that they are not mere spectators of history – they are active participants shaping Singapore’s future, just as we once did.”

The 66-year-old studied in a vernacular school in the 1970s, where all subjects were taught in Tamil. Then, his interactions with the other races were more structured and separated along language streams. 

His original school notes were reproduced in two versions: a facsimile displayed on the exhibition’s wall of textbooks, and a hard-copy edition that visitors can interact with and flip through.  

“Today, students interact daily across cultures, languages and backgrounds. While the context has changed, the foundations laid by those early textbooks – respect, coexistence and shared responsibility – remain relevant,” he explains.  

He feels multiculturalism among young Singaporeans is more visible and dynamic today than it was in the past. 

Multiculturalism, however, was not always experienced in the same way.

As Chinese New Year approaches, Ms Kadir, now a grandmother of one, feels a flicker of longing when she sees other Chinese families coming together over reunion dinners. 

Yet she is also grateful for a life rich in other traditions. On her adoptive mother’s side, she grew up celebrating Thai holidays and even experienced customs such as holding a Thai wedding. 

For her, multiculturalism was never an abstract ideal. It was simply how life unfolded.

“I like it that we don’t introduce ourselves as Chinese, Malay or Indian, but as Singaporeans,” she says. 

“We don’t have a tag on our races. I consider myself so multicultural and I would say I’ve got everything.”

Not Mere Spectators: The Makings of Multicultural Singapore runs until March 29, 2026 and admission is free.