Fabric of the Nation

6 August 2003

By Jerry Siah

Singapore's National Day is just around the corner (Singapore will be 38 years old on August 9) and Joshua decided to get us to contribute a few patchworks to Fabric of the Nation, a community project by Channel News Asia.

Joshua organised everything, even buying cloth, scissors, thread and needles for us. We broke up into groups of about six people each, and set to work with gusto. The lack of practice showed, but in the end we managed to produce eight small patchwork quilts, three of which are shown below.

My group did the one of a pink heart and white cross over a rainbow flag. Actually, it was mostly done by Alf and Wei. I merely cut the rainbow strips. Too many cooks spoil the broth, so I kept well aside and cheered the others on.

A few thoughts came to me as I was watching everyone busy working—we are ordinary Singaporeans and residents, all of us, no different from anyone you see on the street. Like most, we struggle with our daily lives, yet contribute in whatever way we can to build our homeland. We love our friends, families and country. We are not asking for special rights. We are just seeking for our voices to be heard, our existence to be acknowledged.

We are all part of Singapore, this marvellous, diverse nation.

[Taken from the Channel News Asia website]

ABOUT THE FABRIC OF THE NATION

Over the past year, Singaporeans have been put to the test like no other time in recent memory. SARS, terrorism and unemployment have tested the resilience of this nation of people to the core but out of these challenges, grew a new-found sense of strength and courage, pragmatism and conviction in the belief that while things may fall apart, the centre can and will still hold.

To mark this special milestone in Singapore's history, Channel NewsAsia is embarking on an exciting nation-wide project to rally the people of Singapore to take part in contributing their own personal patchwork blocks. These patchwork blocks will reflect their feelings, thoughts and emotions about the setbacks and challenges, and how pragmatism, courage and resilience of a people acting together, overcame the odds.

The individual patchwork blocks will then be stitched together into a giant tapestry at the Sewing Day on Saturday, 23rd August 2003. To be unveiled by the Prime Minister of Singapore, Goh Chok Tong, the final patchwork, called the Fabric of the Nation will become an artwork, a symbol of a nation stitched and united in diversity.