President Tharman Shanmugaratnam called for stronger multicultural engagement through the arts during the opening of the 2026 ISPA Mid-Year Congress in Singapore.
Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam emphasised the importance of actively nurturing multiculturalism through the arts at the opening of the 2026 Mid-Year Congress of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) on 19 May 2026 at the Esplanade Singtel Waterfront Theatre.
The event was attended by Mr David Neo, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Education; Ms Goh Swee Chen, Chair of the National Arts Council Singapore; Mr Alfonso Leal del Ojo; and Mr David Baile, Chair and CEO of the International Society for the Performing Arts.
In his speech, President Tharman said the world is becoming increasingly divided along cultural, ethnic, and social lines, while trust within societies continues to weaken. He stressed that multiculturalism can no longer be passive and must instead be actively strengthened through education, community efforts, and the arts.
President Tharman highlighted Singapore’s multicultural model, which balances strong cultural identities with shared national spaces such as schools, workplaces, and housing estates.
He also spoke about a “third space” where artists from different cultures collaborate to create new and uniquely Singaporean forms of artistic expression.
Examples mentioned included collaborations by Siong Leng Musical Association, Chowk Productions, Gendang Akustika, and Apsaras Arts.
President Tharman also highlighted the newly announced S$20 million Multicultural Arts Program Grant, supported by the President’s Challenge and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, to strengthen multicultural and cross-cultural artistic collaborations.
He encouraged artists and arts organisations to use the grant to deepen multicultural understanding and artistic exchange across Singapore and Southeast Asia.
Source: ISTANA
