"From Whence We Came - The History & Future of Singapore’s Raffles Museum"
When Sir Stamford Raffles founded modern Singapore, he was acutely aware of the island’s position in the centre of tropical Southeast Asia. He mooted the idea of building a natural history museum for the island, which in 1874, was realised as the Raffles Museum and Library. It became known as an international heritage and research centre for all things Singaporean and Malayan, from archaeology to local culture, and of course, natural history. In fact, it built the foundation of biodiversity knowledge for both countries! Independence from the British saw the museum evolve. In 1965, the museum was renamed the National Museum and was tasked to focus on nation-building, as well as the arts and history of Singapore.
A few years later, the National University of Singapore took custody of the rich 150-year old natural history collections, eventually becoming the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. Providence did two things. It protected the natural history heritage of Singapore and Malaysia. It also set the stage for its revival with S$46 million raised from the public to build a new natural history museum for Singapore. What is the future for natural history in Singapore and what will the new museum do? Some of these new visions will be shared with the public in this talk. Some other interesting ideas, such as the proposed acquisition of a family of three dinosaurs, will also be discussed.
The talk is free and all are welcome.
As places are limited, please register online.
More details of the talk on the RMBR News blog.
Time: 7-8pm
Venue: The Salon, National Museum of Singapore, Level 1, 93 Stamford Road map
Contact: Ms Shu Shwu Li (dbsssl@nus.edu.sg; Tel: 6601-1938)
Website: http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/
