What were founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s growing up years like, and what did he have to overcome in order to become a man who helped build Singapore into a thriving cosmopolitan city?
Discover a different side of Mr Lee at Children’s Museum Singapore’s exhibition, LKY100 – The Boy Who Became Prime Minister from Aug 19, 2023 to Jan 14, 2024.
The exhibition, held in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Mr Lee’s birth, traces his story from childhood to his career as a statesman, and examines the values he espoused and the legacy he left behind.
The exhibition seeks to deepen young visitors’ understanding of the Singapore story through the lens of Mr Lee’s life and values, and foster a sense of pride at how far we have come.
Along with his better-known achievements, visitors will also discover a more relatable side of Mr Lee, who grew up in the 1920s playing with gasing, marbles and fighting fish. In doing so, the exhibition also aims to show that young people can have big dreams and can make a difference in their communities and nation.
Capturing the legacy
Visitors of all ages can explore different periods in Mr Lee’s life at the “Cabinet of Curiosity” where an array of artefacts are displayed. These include a Telok Kurau East School (now Telok Kurau Primary School) admission register bearing his English name “Lee Harry”, from when he studied there from 1930 to 1935; and a wooden tennis racket presented to Mr Lee in 1973.
Young visitors can also enjoy mural walls which juxtapose milestones in Mr Lee’s life and career against Singapore’s development, and also contemplate and pose with some of Mr Lee’s famous sayings in a “quotes mirror”.
Complementing the exhibition is a series of programmes which include interactive storytelling sessions, hands-on craft workshops, and a unique mystery box challenge.
The storytelling sessions, which are part of a travelling teaser exhibition, will head to selected public libraries across the island from Sep 2023 to Jan 2024. The teaser exhibition will also feature artworks submitted by young creators who participated in the Children’s Museum’s “Singapore Dreaming” competition.
LKY100 – The Boy Who Became Prime Minister runs from Aug 19, 2023 to Jan 14, 2024 at Children’s Museum Singapore.
All photos courtesy of Children’s Museum Singapore.
