The Historyogi Podcast

Between 1981 and 1990, the Communist Party of Malaya’s clandestine radio station Voice of Malayan Democracy broadcast from southern Thailand, seeking to reach audiences in Malaysia and Singapore with revolutionary messages. Long after the armed insurgency had waned, the battle for hearts and minds continued through radio. We speak to Dr Ong Weichong, Senior Associate Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam Sc...

In 1923, the Fisheries Department of the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States was formed. During the period between the two world wars, the department conducted experiments on catching fish, preserving fish and growing more fish in Singapore and Malaya. Today, we speak to Choo Ruizhi, a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, about his research into the fisheries d...

Singaporeans are generally familiar with the Covid 19 pandemic and the Sars epidemic from 2003. But did you know Singapore faced a flu epidemic in 1957? Today, we speak to Liam Hoo, author of a new journal article on the 1957 Asian Flu’s impact on Singapore. We discuss the poor response of the colonial authorities as well as how media coverage shaped social responses to the flu outbreak. The curio...

Singapore’s Old Guard leaders are well known as politicians and cabinet ministers. But the ten of them also had lesser-known passions and careers beyond politics. Today, we speak to Peh, Derek and Jaime, co-writers of the book The First Fools: B-Sides Of Lee Kuan Yew’s A-Team. In this episode, we focus on three specific Old Guard leaders: E.W. Barker, Othman Wok and Yong Nyuk Lin, and learn about...

Singapore has a long standing reputation as a clean and green city. It is also known as the Garden City. But did you know things were completely different in the 1960s? People were crammed in overcrowded and unsanitary living spaces and public areas, allowing diseases and pollution to spread easily. A pioneer civil servant, Lee Ek Tieng, stepped up to implement major reforms to improve Singapore’s...

Across Malaysia and Singapore, thousands of historic buildings are richly ornamented with motifs drawn from Ancient Greece and Rome. These classical details mix with ideas drawn from other architectural traditions from across Asia in a style that is unique to the region. Today, we speak to Dr Soon-Tzu Speechley, Lecturer in Urban and Cultural Heritage at the University of Melbourne, about his book...

Singapore’s hawker centres are a cultural institution, serving a huge variety of affordable dishes to the masses. In 2020, Singapore's hawker culture was even added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. But how did hawker centres and hawker culture evolve through our history? Today, we speak to Ryan Kueh, author of the book “From Streets to Stalls: The History and Evolution of Hawkin...

In 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia, shattering the hope of a shared postcolonial future. The new country needed as many friends as it could get. The man who led the effort to secure Singapore’s place on the global stage was S. Rajaratnam, our first Foreign Minister. Today, we speak to Irene Ng, author of The Lion’s Roar, which is the second of a two-part biography on Rajaratnam. While he i...

Singapore’s short film industry is a small but vibrant one. With limited budgets, filmmakers aim to spotlight events and issues that rarely surface in more mainstream platforms. One such filmmaker is Leon Cheo, who has directed short films that focus on Singapore’s history. Today, we speak to Leon about his films Two is Enough (about the Stop at Two population control campaign in the 1970s) and 30...

Most of us are familiar with famous intelligence agencies such as the American CIA, the British MI6 and Israel’s Mossad. But did you know Singapore has its own spy agency known as the Security and Intelligence Division (SID)? Its first chief was Tay Seow Huah, who helped build Singapore’s early intelligence capabilities during the height of the Cold War and was involved in handling the Laju terror...

The Singapore Heritage Fest this year celebrates our nation's rich built heritage. One of the most striking examples of this are the public housing estates which dominate Singapore’s urban landscape. How did we remake the island’s colonial era urban spaces into Singapore’s earliest HDB estates? How did rehousing Singaporeans change our lifestyles and hopes for the future? What does the kampong...

When we study and discuss history in Singapore, we usually focus on the social and political history of this country. However, the people’s relationship with this island’s natural environment also tells a rich story of its own. Today, we speak to Associate Professor Timothy Barnard from the National University of Singapore about his new edited book, Singaporean Creatures . We discuss environmental...

When we think about the history of Indians in British Malaya, their work in the rubber estates usually comes to mind first. But Indians also helped construct, operate and maintain the Malayan Railways that stretched across the peninsula and connected Singapore as well. Along with the tracks came numerous Hindu temples and shrines that shaped Malaya’s religious landscape. Today, we speak to Profess...

When we think about Southeast Asia during the Cold War, we usually think just about Indochina and the Vietnam War. But British counterinsurgency strategies and engagement with nationalist elites in Malaya and Singapore also influenced America’s anti-communist policies in the region. Today, we speak to Associate Professor Ngoei Wen-Qing from the Singapore Management University about his book Arc of...

Before he was President of Singapore, Yusof Ishak was the Yang di-Pertuan Negara which directly translates to “He Who is Made Lord”. Singaporeans generally know little about this role, other than it was the predecessor of the current presidency and a symbol of self-government. But in fact, the British, Federation of Malaya, and Singapore leaders all actively struggled to define the Yang di-Pertuan...

NTUC FairPrice is such a household icon in Singapore that it’s more famous than the union movement itself. But how did NTUC come to operate a supermarket chain in the first place? Today, we speak to Sue-Ann Chia, co-editor of a new book titled “The Price of Being Fair” which chronicles FairPrice’s 50 years in business. We discuss FairPrice’s beginnings during heavy inflation, the pivotal decisions...

In 1996, an Ang Moh arrived in Toa Payoh to start a new life. He loved Singapore’s idiosyncrasies so much that he decided to turn his humorous observations of everyday life here into a series of books. Today, we speak to Neil Humphreys, author of Notes From An Even Smaller Island (2001) and numerous other titles, about his take on 1990s Singapore, kiasu behaviour, colonial history and what he cons...

Long before Pink Dot and the repeal of Section 377A, Singapore had a colourful Queer history of recreation, repression, and resistance during the 20th century. Today, we speak to Roy Tan, a veteran activist and archivist who founded the Singapore LGBT Encyclopedia Wiki. We discuss the history of activism, AIDS, gay bars, entrapment operations, media portrayals and early advances in transgender rig...

Looking at Singapore’s football scene today, it is hard to imagine that we once enjoyed a golden age in football. But we did enjoy that golden age. The man often credited for nurturing it is Choo Seng Quee. Also known as Uncle Choo, he coached the Singapore national team to victory at the iconic 1977 Malaysia Cup final. Today, we speak to Reynold Pereira, author of a new book on Uncle Choo, about...

The physical shopping mall is increasingly seen as out of date with the rise of online shopping. However, shopping malls were once considered major symbols of Singapore’s rapid modernisation. They became homes to youth culture, video arcades and even artistic protest. Today, we speak to Assistant Professor Liew Kai Khiun from Hong Kong Metropolitan University about his edited book “The Singapore M...

Singapore is a city renowned for its reputation as a stern, conservative environment. But history reveals a more colourful past, where queer people carved out spaces for their own voices despite overwhelming discrimination. Today, we speak to Isaac Tng, who has curated a walking tour exploring Singapore’s LGBT past, and discuss the significance of learning that history. Sign up for the walking tou...

Raffles Institution celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2023. The school is more than an institution, weaving itself into Singapore’s history through the decades. Nowhere is this documented better than in The Rafflesian, which has been the official school magazine since 1886, and many other student publications. Today, we speak to Theophilus Kwek and Lara Tan about 135 years of student writing the...

Generations of Singapore students will remember going on learning journeys to the Kranji War Memorial. But few of us know why it's in Kranji in the first place or how its design came about. Today, we speak to Athanasios Tsakonas, an Australian architect, who has researched the history of Kranji War Memorial’s construction and its perception by various groups in Singapore and abroad.

Large numbers of Chinese men arrived in colonial Singapore to do domestic work in European households. They often worked under the supervision of white women who managed the households while their husbands took care of official business. Other Chinese men joined the local sex trade, servicing male European clients. Today, we speak to Aydin Quach, a graduate student from the University of British C...

From the 1950s to the 1970s, no Chinese community in Southeast Asia was more vigilant in identifying and rooting out suspected communists, and committed to mobilising against the People's Republic of China as the Philippine Chinese. Today, we speak to Assistant Professor Chien-Wen Kung from the National University of Singapore, about his new book, Diasporic Cold Warriors. He argues for a networked...