Black People Tell you about Singapore's Racism Reality 

When Law Minister Shan said that he was not so sure anymore that Singapore is moving in the right direction on racial tolerance, I felt depressed. He is to me, in the past decade, and many years to come, the guiding star and safeguard along our national building journey of racial harmony. Black community in Singapore is extremely small, yet it is mentally healing for me to hear their encouraging words through unique lens on Singapore and Asia's racial reality. We as Asians ought to be confident enough to draft our own racial theories, rather than misappropriating a malfunctioned theory created remotely. On the other side, no one should underestimate the frustration and prejudice a black person has to experience from time to time as a minority and a foreigner here. K. Shanmugam once said when he had issues in life often times he would draw strength and wisdom from the thousands of years long Tamil culture and literature. I do the same. A small portion of our ivory tower elites tried very hard to alienate themselves from their own cultures. That is sad. A person is in no position to claim he cares about other races, when he bashes his own language and culture from pretentious moral high ground. I always saw merits in Singapore's racial reality, in a fascinating way. For instance, the government which ordered Nanyang University's closure, was under a Chinese Prime Minister; a Malay, or an Indian Prime Minister, no matter how courageous, would not be willing nor able to achieve this. Another example, the most popular Singaporean scholar in China, is not a Chinese; he is an Indian, and the name is Kishore Mahbubani. Similarly, when Tommy Koh told our friends from India that he has more faith in India than most Indians do, he really means it; Tommy truly embraces the wonderful cultures in India than most our Singaporean Indians do. Positive stereotyping in Singapore is real, and people ought to celebrate their own identities with proud and not with anxiety. All above said, it is undeniable that blind spots do exist across ethnic groups and social classes. It is a long journey, and all of us should fight hard, against our own prejudices, for ourselves and our children's future.

I’m an African American male. I lived in Singapore in 2013. I can say it was the best, most peaceful free time I’ve ever had in my life. I experienced a couple of instances of racism, but nothing life threatening or long lasting, I’m used to a country where I’ve had to physically fight to defend myself so physical violence is not a problem for me if need be. But while I was there I did not feel like it was necessary at all. I felt free for the first time in my life; at the time I was in my early 40’s.

I am glad there are African American people that actually love our country. Our country welcomes people around the world.

This is all thanks to our late Lee Kuan Yew. He insisted on having a Singaporean Singapore. Not a "Chinese Singapore", "Malay Singapore" nor "Indian Singapore". There were racial riots in the past but they were quelled with the full force of the law. I remembered as a kid living in a neighbourhood where all the different kids came together to play and we'd took part in each other's festivities.

Singaporean here!!! I think people would sort of stare at u out of curiousity but generally Singaporeans are known to be much more aware of diff races sensitivities due to us being super multi racial here

Wow I was not expecting this. This is so comforting

As a singaporean, i think racism doesnt come from the skin but from experiences first hand from working and collaborating with many people of certain races, and learning patterns and habits of those people instead of simply assuming certain level of competency from them. i do feel that when you cite the singapore pledge everyday, you get ingrained in you that you are not supposed to assume what a character is before interacting with them. However “genderism” is the same everywhere in the world.

Thank you for putting the clips together. I hope more people can watch it.

I'm so happy that these gentlemen felt free and accepted when in Singapore. All the best to you 👍😊

Singaporean here Honestly, as long as you aren’t rude, we really don’t discriminate. Media wise, publish your opinions freely as long as it is fact or does not harm anyone we are as free of a country as it gets (except bubblegum😂 but that’s fine)

The African American is really feel home in Singapore. Singapore respect one another irrespective of race and religion. That how we live in racial harmony and peacefully.

I'm a mixed race. Singapore does have racism but very minor if you compare it to with other countries. Partly because Singaporeans grow up to learn to live with different races, nationalities and people with different religion. But as I grew older I realised the value and meaning of the Singapore pledge. "We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality, so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation."

Hi, I'm a Singaporean student who has lived in Singapore all her life. It is true that the black community in SG is very small, I think I've only ever seen five black people at the very most? I'm so glad that the people in the video have had positive experiences here

Liked & Shared. Amazing clips pieced together.

When I lived in Korea for a year I also felt the most American I've ever felt. I never had to specify African-American or explain to someone that I'm black despite having obviously brown skin. I was just American to them, and me being brown didn't need to be confirmed becuz it was obvious. It felt really nice to be able to just be myself and not feel like every action I take b4 I leave the house is gonna be viewed as a political statement by everyone around me.

I believe how Singapore vets foreigners who can enter also plays a big role. We sort of only allow expats with professional skills into the country as long-term workers, so we'll naturally only get a certain class of people here with respect to economic status, intelligence, work ethic whether you're from America, Australia, UK or anywhere really. And that definitely plays a part in how we perceive foreigners, be it black or white people

Singapore values work, not colour, not language, nor religion. Are you ready to work till last breath? This country values every single person who is willing to contribute to real work. Welcome to work land.❤

I’m glad you guys feel welcomed in Singapore. And thank you for speaking well of our country even though we are very lacking

It is important to know and understand that the founding fathers of Singapore (Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Kang Swee, and many others) took race relations extremely seriously. They knew that if they tolerated segregation by race, Singapore could not survive. They made great efforts to ensure that all races were treated equally in Singapore society and that segregation in housing and in the workplace did not occur. HDB flats were not allowed to be racially homogenous. English, which was not the native tongue for any native Singaporean, was made the official working language. Everyone was required to learn English. Also, the Singaporean government made great effort to eradicate “third world behavior:” Public urination and defecation, spitting, gum chewing, jaywalking, recreational drug use, gambling and other vices were outlawed and violators were punished, sometimes severely. Sloth was not tolerated. So the apparent lack of institutional racism in Singapore is the result of sustained government effort. The harsh measures used by the Singaporean government to control the race problem would never be tolerated in the United States or most European countries.

So glad to hear stories like this

I am proud to be a Singaporean always we know deep inside we are all different diverse of race We embrace it with respect since young we learn to live with one another regardless of our differences 🎉🎉🎉 If world can set Singapore example world will be more peace

Im glad we live up to our national pledge.😊

I’m happy to hear that African Americans feel good being here or have not experienced racism in Singapore. Great that you can be who you want to be and not to have to deal with discrimination by white folks and also the social pressures by the black community to talk or behave in a supposed manner.

Hey❤ Sporean here. Racism is everywhere in all countries. Is just the extent… We have grown up with different races from primary/elementary school. We have racist jokes… among ourselves. Laugh n just continue… ❤😂❤😂

Singapore is safe and peaceful, and racial tensions never take root, because crime in Singapore is not tolerated.

Because of the multitude of races and religions we all have in this region, when we do "mention" it, most of the time it's truly just facts. For example, "Oh, the Malay boy. Oh the Indian girl." Not to single out or attack but merely as a statement. Most are pretty aware of the sensitivity of race / religions and are respectful.

I have travelled in Singapore for several days. It’s a multiracial country. most people i meet were very nice and friendly, wether locals or tourists, including all Indians and most west and Chinese tourists I met. It’s just a few times that I didn’t feel welcome, they all were Chinese Singaporean. Especially a waitress who served me at a restaurant with a very good view at the airport made me feel disrespected.

It's all about Asia.... Welcome to our world.

As glad as i am to hear most of these black folks that came here that didn't experience racism or prejudice against them. I like to point out that i do believe that racism still do exist here, but its just not as violent. But there are very sly and snarky remarks being thrown around that are openly racist at times. Especially chinese vs malays. I just believe that racism exists literally everywhere and not just in America, its just the culture in America as a whole like guns being a thing there makes the situation much more prominent than it has to be. Actually the more impt point to be made here is that it's less of a racial problem and more of a cultural problem. People arent exactly racist, they don't hate the skin color, they just don't behave the same culturally if that makes sense. Here's a good example, Chinese people in Singapore really dislikes Chinese people from China and always distinguish themselves very differently from China people. And funny enough it's not just Chinese people here that feels that way.

We're taught in schools that we're Singaporeans first and foremost. Whether you're a Malay, Indian Chinese, Eurasians etc we're no different from each other. Every year, we celebrate what we call racial harmony day on 21st of July in schools especially in the kindergartens & primary schools. We also celebrate each races' important religious days like Christmas, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Vesak Day, Good Friday, Deepavali and so on. Children are encouraged to wear other races' traditional outfits and try their festive food. They are taught why these are celebrated through stories and class discussions and they learn to appreciate their classmates traditional background and beliefs. In this manner, we inculcate racial & religious tolerance in our young and they grow up to be more tolerant.

Brothers and sisters do think there is no rasism in Singapore think again

I just came back from Singapore. Overall it was fine. I did find some people really did stare at me which was kind of weird but no one was any nicer or ruder to me than they are to everyone else.

While it's heartening to hear sharings like these as someone from Singapore, I wonder whether people have questioned the migration policy and why the black community is so small here to begin with. Speaking from my experience, my MBA school has a campus in Singapore, and during my school time there were multiple black schoolmates whose student visa applications were rejected outright. Hence they were unable to even come into the country and had to make alternative campus choices. I'm speaking about a prestigious school with highly qualified individuals, and they were not even coming for employment. To my knowledge most of them were from the African continent, while the few that had visas granted were citizens of places like the US. The visa rejections only happened to this particular group of people. While I do not know whether this was one-off or common, and whether our government had considerations other than race, I'm just throwing in my perspective for some food for thought. It is possible that racism may be multi-faceted and may even be institutionalized right at the start. You do not see it because you might not have even been given a chance to.

Great video! I would love to live in Singapore!

Generally, we don't differential people with color skin, we respect different races with rich cultures and traditions. We are same, "Human Beings".

I'm from Malaysia too and I've never noticed how people from homogenous countries just couldn't help to stare if they see someone with different skin colour or dressing differently. But we're taught since we're young to respect others and everyone's the same human-being. Edit to make this more relevant: this is my experience as a civilian and cannot say the same for some parties in Malaysia. Glad to hear that Singapore is doing so well in this sense!

1分14秒 这注释的也太牛了吧：大道之行也，天下为公，选贤与能，讲信修睦。。。

They don’t realize the lack of racism is HIGHLY deliberate to the culture of Singapore as designed by Lee Kuan Yew. He stove to eliminate all forms of racism from the populace.

Oh fuck! Mike is here! I LOVED your Carribean food stall, missed the Goat curry so mucn 😢

Is there a fb group to connect with black people in Singapore?

Singapore has an Indian president.

3:56 🔥✊That's the way brother

It is known as Nantah University in 1955 and the fascade is standing in the field at Boon Lay. The Nantah Alumni Association is at the junction of Lavendar Street & Jalan Besar.

All of us are racists in one way or the other. It happens to everybody. So stop hyphing the fact that racism is only reserved for the blacks. In fact, even in Africa, there is also racism amongst their own kind. Period.

it's the values that a person needs to cultivate since young.

6:06 LOYALTY TO COUNTRY, LEADERSHIP, DISCIPLINE, PROFESSIONALISM, FIGHTING SPIRIT, ETHICS, CARE FOR SOLDIERS!!!!!!!!!

As an African (Zimbabwean) living in Europe, came to see what it's like being Black in Singapore. Spotted a Zimbo being interviewed in the video...sorted 😄😄😄

As a local i think you have to be stacked to stay in SG. Thats the only downside to this country. A basic meal was $5, 3/4years ago now its at least $10 to afford a basic meal. Around $250 a week for groceries which is crazy to the point people have a hard time to decide should i cook or just eat out? White, black or asian it doesn't really matter, we can co-exist.

In the 1990's we had a group PRC nurses.I think they have never seen an Indian or hair on their arms.This very young nurse sat next to me and stroked my arm.I asked why did she do that and in her basic English she told me she had never seen a person of colour or even having hair on arms.I did not feel anything negative towards as it was genuine curiosity but I advised her like a big sister not to do it anyone else as they may not take it the right way.She became a wonderful colleague and climbed up the nursing ladder picked up singlish and the rest as they said is history.As my dear late father would say that not all our fingers are the same.

Agree alot on when you are majority. You have to be more sensitive. Hope this would be more in malaysia. Apparently the country is majority a certain race, and yet untouchable unspeakable on anything. Super super sensitive on anything racial related. 😂

Kudos to Singapore government, and her people

Singapore is a multi-racial country, society. We embrace each other culture, religion. Cheers..

Great work hope to collaborate with u on RU-vid,Namibia🇳🇦❤❤❤❤

Just want to say that if you ever caught Singaporeans staring at you, it’s cos we are amazed at your physique/beauty. 🙏🙏🙏

Proud of Singapore.

No rascist mentality is a deliberate move by Mr Lee Kuan Yew. We are all Singaporeans, not Chinese, not malays, not Indians, not baba. So we see people by their passport nationality too, rather than the color of their skin.

Whenever i come back from the US, Europe people ask me what do i miss when you're away from Singapore? My answer would always be - Racial harmony. And Singapore Airlines announcement "To all Singaporeans.. Welcome home"

Although Singaporeans come from different races,they are mostly Asian so its different from America

I wonder if they will treat Singaporean the same if Singaporean is in the US?

I am South Sudanese, I am dark-skinned... the edge of black skin tone... When I was living in Kenya, I experienced racism from Kenyans. It was purely verbal and teasing but nothing physical. E1: I remember once a certain female nurse told me to go swimming in the ocean in Mombasa so that the salty water can bleach my skin. I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say to a senseless adult. Moreover, I was down with fever from malaria and too weak to argue with anyone. (She was in her mid-thirties and she had a lighter skin tone. I was a teenager at that time). E2: A waiter at a local restaurant approached me. There were few customers around. So, he had time to leisure about, stood near my table and we chatted as I ate. We were having a nice conversation, when he suddenly said, "you know, the balanced diet you are eating, can make you have a lighter skin tone." I was stunned. He was an old man and I was in my early twenties at that time. I didn't know what to tell an old man so I just looked down and kept quiet. He kept on talking about my skin color and various natural ways I can use to lighten my skin. The more he spoke the angrier I became. Then I angrily looked at him. A cashier across the table yelled at him to stop talking. He stopped and walked away, (no apologies or remorseful look). I wanted to punch him so badly, but, I was raised differently... (Parents should teach children too what they should do in situations where an adult doesn't deserve any respect. Parents forget this and only focus on telling kids to be respectful at all times. Mine forgot,,, and it has taken me a long time to learn to stand up for myself against stupid older folks.) Conclusion: It would be idiotic for anyone, be it white or black, to dream to live anywhere in the world where how he/she looks won't come up from time to time as a basis of ridicule and disrespect. As long as no one gets physical with you because you are black like it happens in Europe, Northern Africa, and North America, I think it's okay. Put safety first, because words are just words (superficial). Human beings are mysteriously superficial and how you look can trigger them to say stupid things. The earlier you accept this fact, the better your life will be no matter what part of planet Earth you go to. If you want to migrate to anywhere in the world, think of how safe it is ( institutionally and physically) not how "verbally racist" it's. Of course, there are other factors to consider such as institutional racism, economic discrimination, etc. (I mainly watched this video to see if Singapore is safe, unlike the US/Egypt/UK. And Singapore seems to me to be like Kenya. Once there, I am certain I will hear BS about my complexion once in a while, but, hey, nowhere is perfect for anyone.) For me, an extremely dark-skinned person, anywhere, even in my own country where many people are bleaching their skin, racism (verbal teasing and ridicule) exists. I plan to move to Singapore next year (late 2023) for various reasons. Among other reasons, I am mainly moved by how safe it's for a black person (unlike the US/Egypt)... Good place for someone to happily work and live. Singapore's government also has good relations with South Sudan, so it won't be a hassle to get a visa. I love Africa but I am not one to confine myself to any country (land) in the world. I want to move across the planet, experience, enjoy and learn. Life is too short to limit your life experiences because of ideologies (sentimentalities).

是的，我只是在看你的肤色，黑得发亮，见得少，感觉新奇而已，并没有其他意思。就像我看同伴有时候脸色不好，就说你脸怎么那么黄

Singapore👍👍 is the most fairest country in the world when comes to race. Regardless what race you are when you work hard you gain. Same when you do something wrong you go to jail!

My dad his skin are black my mom her skin are white peach so, my skin are mix im a malay so i half black, half white mix it become brown, in singapore color dont metter, behavior and attitude is...

It’s not true there’s no racism in Singapore, but here people dont manifest as much and try to tolerate as much. We have prejudices against other race but we try to respect from a distance and not bother them. You’ll hear in the things they say and do and the decisions they make eg in an employment. But the good thing is the government curb these racist proclivities where they could. There’s racism in the NS conscription, though not obvious. There’s a preference in a certain race than the other but subtle. Nevertheless we try to harmoniously live together.

It's a good thing, especially when you are not tuned into the actual frequency the folks here mutter with each other..........but I'll urge you to think carefully before you swallow that red pill.

Interesting perspective. Thanks

Singapore is too pragmatic to see race. It's more about what you can contribute to society and your social status.

To me it’s a cultural shock 😳 when a black person telling me that they are discriminated in their own country, America.

0:07 if you noticed, there are two people talking

Singapore is the best country in the world

Bravo

In Singapore, some would say that we don't care (bochap) about most things and that we should be more PASSIONATE about things. I like to think that Singaporeans care and do have our likes and dislikes, it's just that we rarely impose them on others. So even if I don't like someone smoking, it's not my problem that you want to smoke your way to lung cancer, as long as you don't blow smoke in my face. Just as I can fart all I want in the privacy of my home, I don't fart in the face of friends or strangers even if I sometimes wish to do that. One thing though. Christians in Singapore can sometimes be one type (Singlish activated!). I say Christians and not evangelist or extremist because, let's be honest about it. They are Christians. And even moderate Christians will try to convert you if they get a chance. The only thing stopping them is their fear of repercussion, they are too kiasu or kiasee to try proselytizing. Other than that, Singapore is a pretty comfy place to live in. Enjoy.

There are racisms in Singapore but not that much most are very open and accepting. Growing up we encountered lot of racists jokes and actions which we took it lightly as kids but when grew up, some people actually became very sensitive to those. Some even use the sensitivity of minority race to stir emotions in certain Facebook groups to get recognition. That will probably further divide the races again.

18:45 -20:00 is she saying portraying poor Black people and their experiences in the media is a negative thing? Black people come from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds and do wonderful things in this world regardless of whether they are not middle class or wealthy . Would’ve loved more clarity.

i don't think ignorance is the issue with the topic of racism, its tactlessness, ignorance is just an excuse imo, I'm Chinese i don't bring up skin tone like how i don't bring up the color of my urine, both discussions are vastly different but both discussions goes the same direction. downwards.

Not surprising that people of African descent feels more comfortable living in SG as a black person. People don't really judge or discriminate against others on the basis of skin colour here. Historically the people of Singapore were the colonised and indentured so a legacy of superiority where the populace feel racially superior doesn't exist among Singaporeans unlike white people in Western countries. That is not to say racism doesn't exist as people experience racism differently. On the whole, it's certainly far less pernicious in Singapore and according to the interviewees, mentally healthy as well, as it doesn't eat at your mind constantly.

There were reasons for Malcolm X. and MLK to be eliminated in a certain country.

pardon my ignorance but i have always been very curious about referring to a person of African descendent. Is it racist to call a "black" person black if they are referring to themselves as black? Or is it something that only they can refer themselves to and inappropriate if others uses it?

Usually Desis get it the worse.

He's really struggling not to look at your chest. Why do women think men can be genuine friends with them, especially when they're in revealing clothes? Dress Properly!.

And yes if anyone tries to be racist we will throw them in jail

Look, its simple, when you can swear at ease in another persons language, the rasicm is just not a thing anymore 😂😂😅.

It is about time to move out of the tolarance phase and into the acceptance phase. Sadly we are still far from it. Like it or not, we are all racists in small way. The weird thing is. it is usually directed towards the people that we do not know. I said it is weird because we aren't like that to our friends of different racial background.

Singapore achieved truely multi-cultureism is highly remarkable achievement of human kind, and the world should learn from it.

Much better than so called multiracial malaysia.

Most of the aisan countries are the same as Singapore isn't it?

Lets be clear singapore has a racist side to it. We make jokes about other races but thats where it stops. Theres No hate between each other just because they are from a different race or skin colour. Thats one difference between singapore and other countries

All African Nations Airlines such as Air Zimbabwe 🇿🇼, Kenya Airways 🇰🇪, Ethiopian Airlines 🇪🇹 and South African Airways Can Start Flights ✈️ to Singapore ✈️ 🇸🇬

Hot take but i think singapore dont see race but see nationality, I've witnessed many older china immigrants face really passive aggressive (sometimes blatant) sinophobia, and some from personal experiencs. Micro aggressions between singapore's own races aside, i often sense a very obvious hosility towards chinese nationals (maybe people are better now, but ive been scarred enough here lol)

You want the truth? Most Singaporeans (minority and majority) know how things are actually like here. We just keep these controversial matters to ourselves and only share them with people we're close too. All I'll say is this (and I'll try to be cautious with my words for reasons I will not mention), in my opinion, our society and culture place a reasonable amount of emphasis on us not to behave in a manner which may incite public distress. So even if some of us think a certain way, we'll try our best not to get in conflict or unnecessary trouble. Perhaps, that contributes to why most of the minority feel comfortable here. Unless you think you foreigner dua sai satki can come here do whatever you want. ...ahem... That and yea... most of us are pretty chill, we don't really care about race and stuff, all we care about is our annual bonuses, good grades in school and vacations. However if we don't have those then....

That girl is so hot

This video would've made a great trump campaign ad.

I want to come to singapore but I have no place to stay😂😂somebody help me

I'm thinking of moving to Singapore So I'm doing research

YASSSS I'M GLAD I WANNA GO GO SINGAPORE! I HAVE A RELATIVE THERE, I CAN BE BLACK AND LIVE IN A DOPE CITY!!🤩

Is it being raciest is a crime in Singapore

Hey just moved to Singapore. Are you still living here? If so do you know of any networking groups I can get with. Thanks for the video. Really enjoyed it!

Should the population of black people in SG grow to reach critical mass, attitudes may change. This has nothing to do with skin colour nor race. The PRC population in SG has reached critical mass and even though they are the same race as the majority here, friction do emerge.

What Mr. Q Butho said was so deep that I’m afraid it might go over so many heads. He’s 100% spot on. Now that being said, I’m going to Popeyes to grab some chicken as I dream about getting out of the US

I need a host in singapore