Personal belongings such as books, jewellery or letters hold memories of those who have passed on. Acting as capsules, these objects retain the unique touch and spirit of the individual, helping us to remember their legacy. Multi-disciplinary artist Dahlia Osman creates an installation of capsules, including her late father's belongings, at an exhibition which will also feature artworks created by participants who responded deeply to questions on love, loss, regrets and leaving well.

Guided tour

24 Sep, 2pm-3pm

Join Dahlia and the community art-makers for a guided tour of the exhibition. No registration required.

Three siblings, Azhar, Ashraf and Azura face the unenviable task of settling their Bapak’s estate and other affairs after he passed away. Expect disappointment, despair, tension and regret to loom large in this family drama as they try to carry out their responsibilities while grappling with their own regrets and the grieving process. Audience participation is key to help the siblings come to a decision about what they should do and resolve the crisis in this thought-provoking forum theatre. Do weigh in and come be part of the solution.

To better appreciate this forum theatre, watch the back-story of this family here: bit.ly/bsnsukarmelepaskan. The 3-part drama was performed last year for Kata-Kata Kita and live-streamed from Aliwal Arts Centre.

You can also catch the screenings of these three episodes during Lepaskan Sesalan, everyday at 11.30-12.30 pm.

Waktu aims to remind participants of the transience of time while stressing on the idea of being “here and now”, reminding us to live in the present, to love and be loved. The story revolves around Ayu, who had experienced the loss of her husband. She takes us through an emotional journey of regrets, of hopes and dreams that will never be fulfilled, as she goes all out to prepare for his birthday party that’s a year overdue. She shares how death has taught her to value time with her loved ones as well as re-evaluate her life and her relationships with others, even as she heals from her loss.

Performed five times in a day, audiences can participate in different activities each time, that will help them engage with their loved ones.

Every person deals with death and grief differently. Some do it in silence, while others find comfort in sharing their stories. In this interactive programme in a relaxed setting, DJ Big will read out poignant letters about loss. At the same time, we also explore the meaning of regrets that may stem from something seemingly trivial to those that weigh heavily on our minds as we attempt to let go of them. Audiences will also be invited to share their personal stories of loss to provide comfort, hope and inspiration.

Renungan mata mencermin diri,

Ikhlasnya dari jantung ke hati.

Hulur tangan bisikan naluri,

Maaf zahir dan batin kembali.

This performance embodies stories from elders in our Malay-Muslim community. As we approach our last breath, this is a collective gesture to reflect on actions and inactions in our relationships.

Elders are the epitome of wisdom. As such, we learn to make meaning of different life experiences and challenges of physical mobility in old age. P7:1SMA (Prisma) weekly engagement with a group of elders from Montfort Care - GoodLife! Bedok entails mutual sharing of stories about asking for forgiveness, letting go of regrets and accepting loss.

Central to respecting the processual nature of life, we hope to make social change possible through our performance. Our time together with our community elders is a gift to reflect on our quality of life in this temporary world.

Read more about the process behind Kembali here.

Why do you need to do advance care planning? How do you make a will? What are some of the challenges that your loved ones will face if you don’t make your preferences known before you die? Preparing for the inevitable will help your loved ones cope better when providing care, and after you are gone.

These public talks on Advance Care Planning, Legal Matters, Palliative Care and Muslim Funerals, will help you navigate end-of-life care, death and dying. Learn about hospice and end-of-life medical care, or the distribution of inheritance. Go ahead, construct your own legacy and make it easier for those you leave behind.

21 Sep

Understanding Legacy/Estate Planning, Wills and Fara’id (Muslim Law on Inheritance)

What type of legal matters does one need to know concerning end-of-life? Find out more about the importance of estate planning, wills, and fara’id. Join lawyer Mohammad Rizuan in this talk as he shares his expertise and wealth of experience in these areas through stories and insights from his practice, and information provided. Come with your questions surrounding Muslim inheritance and managing assets for a question and answer session.

Mohammad Rizuan Bin Mohammad Yasin is the Managing Director of Emerald Law LLC. He practices a wide area of law including Syariah/Muslim Law.

22 Sep

Understanding Muslim Burials: Preparation and Planning

What preparation and planning is required to manage a Muslim funeral? Understand more about Muslim funeral management with guest speaker Uztaz Muhammad Saiful, a passionate educator in this area. He will share more about the preparation, traditions and rituals that goes behind Muslim funeral rites, and engage with questions attendees might have.

Ustaz Muhammad Saiful Bin Abdul Karim was appointed as Manager of MTFA Ihsan Casket in 2021. He is also a certified religious teacher under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS). Prior to managing MTFA Ihsan Casket, he took on Managerial roles at MTFA Darul Ihsan Orphanages as well as Executive roles in Estate Management & Properties over a combined period of 11 years. Ustaz Muhammad Saiful currently actively conducts Muslim funeral management courses on a bi-monthly basis. His educational efforts have raised the community’s awareness on the traditions and importance of Muslim funeral rites.

23 Sep

Advance Care Planning: What does it mean to me?

How does one plan for one’s own current, or future healthcare needs while also navigating difficult conversations such as death and dying? Why is it never too early to have such conversations with loved ones, and why are they so important? Join guest speakers Hasnah and Sahnan as they unpack Advance Care Planning (ACP) and its benefits, as well as ways to approach end-of-life conversations with your loved ones.

Hasnah bte Abdullah is a Senior Staff Nurse in the Specialty Nursing department in Changi General Hospital (CGH). She has more than 40 years of experience in nursing across various departments – specifically, surgical wards, intensive care units and high dependency units. Hasnah is a core member of the Advance Care Planning (ACP) Workgroup and carries out ACP training in CGH and nursing homes. She provides clinical supervision for new ACP facilitators to guide them to a higher competency. She also represents CGH in the Community of Practice (COP) to ensure best practices and quality standards of ACP across public hospitals and institutions.

Sahnan Bin Rahim is a mental health trained nurse and is currently a Nurse Clinician in the Community Psychogeriatric Programme (CPGP) at Changi General Hospital (CGH). He has worked with both adults and elderly with medical and psychiatric conditions. Trained in dementia care, he currently provides home based assessment and education to clients and carers, community elderly screening and mental health training.

24 Sep

An Intimate Sharing by a Palliative Care Nurse on Caring for the Dying

What is palliative care? How does home palliative care differ from hospice care? Hear more about what difference palliative care can make for those who are actively dying or with chronic illnesses, and their caregivers from guest speaker Halijah, Senior Nurse Manager. She will share her reflections and insights from her professional practice as well as personal life, having survived cancer.

Halijah Bte Jantan is currently working at the St. Andrew’s Nursing Home as a Senior Nurse Manager/Educator. She has more than 38 years of nursing experience, of which in the recent decade her focus has been in the geriatric and palliative care settings. Being a cancer survivor, she is passionate about end-of-life conversations.

What do you do when faced with the task of taking care of an ailing parent?

How would you feel when your siblings seem to shirk responsibilities?

Who do you turn to, to share your regrets about the loss of a loved one?

If these are some issues that you are grappling with, then you are not alone. This drama series may well strike a chord with you. Watch how three siblings deal with hard questions regarding death, dying and grief after their parents passed away.

Kite flying has long been a symbol for freedom, joy and even patriotism. It also symbolises the feeling of letting go.

This is the idea behind this activity – where you can take your time to pen thoughts of regret on a kite, then release it into an imaginary sky and watch it soar, along with any feelings of anger, frustration and regret!

Participants can choose to exhibit their layang-layang or bring it home with them.

End each day by being part of conversations facilitated by our trained volunteers that aim to reflect and share the audiences’ experiences during Lepaskan Sesalan. We encourage you to share your related stories with other audience members too. Just like during a “rewang” or get together session, it’s an opportunity for you to open up, connect with others, share your perspectives and perhaps even resources that may help others in caring for their loved ones, releasing their regrets or in preparing their own journey towards the end-of-life.