Singaporeans Pooja Nansi and Ivan Heng knighted by France for contribution to the arts
SINGAPORE – Former festival director of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) Pooja Nansi and founding artistic director of Wild Rice Ivan Heng were conferred the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture on June 27.
Neither had expected to receive one of France’s top cultural honours, also known as the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Nansi told The Straits Times (ST) that she was shocked, adding: “I thought it might be an elaborate joke till I clarified it.”
Heng, who was asked if he ever thought he would be awarded knighthood, said: “Not in my wildest dream – who would have thought, right?”
Ms Minh-di Tang, France’s ambassador to Singapore, presented Nansi and Heng with the distinction on June 27 at the Residence of France. She said in her speech that the ceremony was a testimony to “the shared commitment by our two countries to arts and culture and, more specifically, to literature and theatre”.
The award, established in 1957, is given to individuals who have contributed significantly to the enrichment of the French cultural inheritance. Prominent international recipients include Nobel Prize-winning British-Japanese novelist Kazuo Ishiguro and Colombian singer Shakira.
Heng is on an awards streak as the 60-year-old will be receiving his honorary doctorate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland on July 4. He confessed he was a bit shy from all the recognition and wished it was “more spaced out”, but added that the knighthood was “quite a singular honour”.
Ivan Heng playing Orgon in Wild Rice’s production of Tartuffe: The Imposter, an adaptation of French playwright Moliere. PHOTO: WILD RICE
He said: “I am humbled that this recognition is from a nation renowned for its rich cultural heritage, one that values the arts as an essential part of life, not a luxury. An enduring belief that the arts are a vital organ of a healthy and robust civic society is a deeply French idea.”
Heng directed French dramatist Yasmina Reza’s Art in 1998 and has been a part of notable productions of French opera and theatre including La Cage Aux Folles (2017), La Voix Humaine (2018) and Tartuffe: The Imposter (2022). Tartuffe received five nominations at the 2023 ST Life Theatre Awards.
Ms Tang said in her speech that these adaptations “not only preserved the essence of the originals but also infused them with a unique Singaporean flavour”.
A dream adaptation of French theatre for Heng is Romanian-French playwright Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist plays Rhinoceros (1959) or Exit The King (1962).
“As a Chevalier, I am committed to strengthening the bonds between France and Singapore,” said Heng, adding that it can take the form of theatre exchanges and collaborations, education initiatives, joint productions or festival participation.
During Nansi’s tenure as SWF director, France was the country of focus with a line-up of French writers, including award-winning novelist Emma Becker and footballer-turned-social activist Lilian Thuram, who was part of the French national team that won the 1998 World Cup.
Throughout her tenure, Nansi presented about 20 French and Francophone authors at the festival.
Pooja Nansi, in a 2019 photo, presented about 20 French and Francophone authors at the Singapore Writers Festival during her tenure as festival director. PHOTO: ARTS HOUSE LIMITED
Ms Tang said that Nansi fostered a space where French culture could “thrive and be celebrated in Singapore”. Nansi made ST’s Life Power List 2023 for drawing new audiences and making the annual literary tent-pole event “cool and exciting” in her five-year tenure.
The 42-year-old, who is also a poet and author of We Make Spaces Divine (2021), recalled one of her favourite interactions with French authors. “There’s a video on the internet somewhere of the legendary footballer Lilian Thuram dancing at our closing party to Will Smith’s Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It. I’ll never forget that moment.”
Singaporeans who have received the award include theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kun, actor-comedian Hossan Leong and Nanyang artist Liu Kang.