Introducing Heritage Granny
The cultural melting pot…
Singapore is a small city state; it takes at most an hour’s drive to get from one end to the other. Even so, the country is filled to the brim with diversity in race, culture, and identity. You would hear voices and see people from around the world on this little island.
People here are different in many ways, but they hold one thing in common: they are always occupied by technology. They are often engaged in their smartphones, playing their games and typing away in their messaging apps. As they walk down the streets with their eyes glued to their screens, they commonly neglect the old people, historical buildings, and timeless stories that have been passed down generations to get to them, right where they are.
Singapore is celebrated as a cultural melting pot, but not many identify with the country’s own rich culture and heritage. Its history is complex and intriguing. If people do not know the stories of this little island, they might just forget how they came to be. Singaporean history and culture need to be communicated in a way that is more convenient and engaging for today’s technology-driven generation.
That is why, in collaboration with the National Heritage Board of Singapore, we created Heritage Granny.
Who she is…
She is as old as your own grandmother, but as young as today’s chatbot hype. Heritage Granny is your kind and quirky old maternal figure who has lived in kampongs, HDBs, and even Pulau Ubin. She has lived long enough to witness today’s heritage being built from its foundation, and likes to recite stories about the various sites. She treats everyone she meets like they are a part of her family. The Ah-Ma’s, the Nenek’s, and the Pati’s are all her sisters, and the adults are all her children. She was loved by everyone in her younger years. Sir Stamford Raffles has even kissed her hand.
What she can do…
Time has not been kind to Granny’s memory, and although she has outlived us all, she has forgotten almost all of her precious memories. She assures us however that her memory is slowly improving as the days go by. As of this moment, Granny remembers that she is good at 3 things.
Stories about Towns
Granny has lived in all regions in Singapore. Every day, she would wake up early to go for morning strolls. During her strolls, she would walk past interesting structures and buildings and have conversations with their occupants, owners, and builders. The sites of these structures have become the heritage of today. She will recite a story about each site you ask from her.
Knowledge of Museums
As an enthusiast of arts and culture, Granny was one of the earliest visitors of today’s most popular museums. She loves to visit the museums in her free time, and has gone even more often with the year-round free admission to the National Heritage Board’s museums and heritage institutions, for Singaporean citizens and Permanent Residents. She can tell you about her favourite museums and link you to the programmes happening at each one of them.
Weather in her bones
It is commonplace for old people to say that it’s going to rain because they can “feel it in their bones”. This is something that Heritage Granny’s arthritis and tingling joints have taught her well. She can predict the weather in different regions of Singapore. Whenever you hesitate to bring that burdensome umbrella outdoors, you can verify your thoughts with Granny.
Granny remembers these things for now. As her memory improves, she will declare every new ability of hers that comes to mind. If you have talked to her even once, she will make sure to text you in the middle of that busy meeting to tell you that she has learnt something new.
How you can talk to her…
Disclaimer: Heritage Granny is a fictional character. She is a Facebook Messenger chatbot that we built for the National Heritage Board. She is not an app. Searching for “Heritage Granny” in the App Store or Google Play Store will not work.
In order to talk to Heritage Granny, follow these instructions:
- Log on to Facebook and like 👍 the Heritage Granny page
- Click the Send Message button
and that’s it 😄
When it is night time…
Singaporean history and culture live long through heritage and timeless tales, and Granny grasps them with her thoughts and delivers them with the modern technology of today; AI chatbot. She smiles because she recalls that she herself is the ideal representation of Singapore — where the old meets the new.
As she removes her dentures and slowly retires to her thin mattress, she hopes that she can tell her stories to many more people. She hopes that everyone will learn how the heritage in Singapore came to be. She hopes that you would message her now.
