elebratingpore’s builteritage with tours and stories

HeritageFest features visits to architectural landmarks, tours that go off beaten track

- Whitney William

For 27-year-old Nor Syazwan Abdul Majid, Pulau Ubin is not merely an island, but also a symbol of rich cultural heritage.

His mother, Madam Noorriah Sulong, 65, grew up as part of the island's Orang Pulau community and lived on Ubin for 20 years until 1979, when she moved to the mainland after getting married.

From listening to her stories about her life on the island, Mr Syazwan developed a fascination for the kampung lifestyle there and planned a guided tour to Ubin.

The Ubin tour is among more than 120 programmes hosted by the Singapore Heritage Fest, which runs from May 1 to 26.

The 2024 festival, its 21st edition, celebrates Singapore's built heritage and tells the stories behind the country's buildings, sites and structures.

Mr Syazwan's tour, the Malay Kampong Heritage Tour on Pulau Ubin, aims to educate the public about the relationship of the Ubin Orang Pulau (which means the people of Pulau Ubin) with the environment around them.

"It will be a tour from the main village to the Malay kampung (Kampung Sungei Durian) as well as the former Malay kampung (Kampung Surau) - a way for the (tour participants) to travel in time and for them to be able to actually experience what used to be there," said Mr Syazwan.

The social work undergraduate at the Singapore University of Social Sciences also runs the online Wan's Ubin Journal as another way to preserve the stories of the UbinOrang Pulau community.