Ravi MirchandaniRavi MirchandaniThe concept of race or ethnicity in contemporary Singapore emerged from the attitudes of the colonial authorities. Today, the Chinese-Malay-Indian-Others (CMIO) model is the dominant organising framework of race in Singapore.
But is it really that simple to pigeonhole our makeup to one of the four races? Or are we made from more?
As part of the Singapore Bicentennial, we wanted to show Singaporeans that while we may adhere to the CMIO model, our roots are actually more diverse than we think. And that we simply cannot be rooted to the race on our ID cards.
In an attempt to explore our melting pot, we traced the DNA of a few regular Singaporeans. We learned about their diverse ancestries and uncovered how their forebears might have come to settle in Singapore.
Instagram posts that traced the roots of Singaporeans and the historical significance of their forebears.
Working on this project got me thinking about my own race. Being of mixed parentage – with an Indian father and a Chinese mother – I’ve always identified with both cultures. Which is why, if there’s a race attached to me, it should be ‘Chindian’, and not either or. But there could also be more to my heritage. After all, I’ve often been mistaken for other races apart from my own. But I guess only a DNA test can help uncover that!