Fusion

Singaporeans will tell you we are a fusion of different nations. Hearty doses of Malayans and Indians add to a big chunk of ethnic Chinese. Some days I feel like adopting that style of colourful fusion. I throw a brightly green Chinese vest over a black dress, add some dark green African bead work and walk high on colourful plateau sandals handmade in the Caribbean.

In Singapore’s East Point Mall I pulled the vest out of a bundle of freshly imported jackets in every imaginable colour of the rainbow. The green beads from Spier Wine Estate and market place in Stellenbosch had been resting in my drawer quite some time until I found out how nicely they fit with some bright green, toned down by black. 

On a home exchange to Guadeloupe I was looking for souvenirs and found a shop full of handmade leatherware in African colours and patterns. On the street in front of the shop people were singing and dancing. The descendants of African slaves imported by the French colonists for their sugar industry had an impromptu jam session.