The Myth of Racial Harmony
Can we be satisfied with the veneer of ‘harmony’, or do we need to go much, much deeper?
I’m from Singapore, where this week, we celebrated Racial Harmony Day — a day of commemoration and remembrance of the racial riots of 1969. This day is especially important to a country so small yet so diverse as Singapore, where any small issue can erupt and spread across the entire country like wildfire, and where we have hundreds of different ethnic groups, each with their own needs and beliefs, calling the island nation home.
On this day, some companies hold diversity and inclusion workshops, our ministers present speeches preaching about preserving unity to the nation, and schools across the country all organize full-day programmes for students, including cultural performances, costume exchanges and showcases, and a feast of different foods from the diverse ethnic groups found in our country. It’s often a day of much joy and fun, with students celebrating a day free of lessons and instead full of fun ‘insta-worthy’ moments with friends.
However, no one can dispute that Racial Harmony this year is a lot more muted than usual. We’re living in the middle of the world’s worst pandemic in decades, and our smiles and laughter are now hidden behind masks. The past year has also exposed extreme inequalities both abroad and back home, and just in recent months…
