A few days shy of Hari Raya 2022 in Singapore, Hafiz Spencer visits the iconic mall during the month of Ramadan to capture the stark difference in activity from 2021.
On 16th May 2021, Singapore entered Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), just as the local Muslim community looked set to celebrate Hari Raya. Only two unique visitors were allowed per household per day, and festive spirits were dampened for the second year in a row following 2020’s Circuit Breaker.
The tightened restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 were reflected in the empty aisles and concourse of Joo Chiat Complex. The iconic mall in Geylang is usually bursting at the seams with shoppers in the days and weeks leading up to Hari Raya.
But with the Ministry of Health (MOH) easing its Safety Management Measures in 2022, Joo Chiat Complex has returned to its lively, bustling glory. This year, crowds in dizzying numbers can be seen making their way down to the mall to do their Hari Raya shopping.
Adding further joy to the festive season, MOH also removed group size limits and lifted the cap on household visitors on 26th April 2022. This means that full family units can now visit the homes of loved ones this Hari Raya without worrying about restrictions.
Ecstatic, photographer Hafiz Spencer visits Joo Chiat Complex to capture the electric pre-Hari Raya atmosphere. And we’ve placed his images next to photos that were taken last year by photographer Hisham Zainal to illustrate just what a difference a year makes.
Copy by Arman Shah
Photos by Hafiz Spencer & Hisham Zainal
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![[Content warning – this profile piece discusses the subject of suicide that may be sensitive and potentially triggering. Reader discretion is advised. Information about seeking help is available at the end of the carousel post. Stay safe]
“My brother died 8 years ago. I was at home when I found out. It was a Friday night, and I was on a long-distance call with my partner who was in Europe at the time. At 1am, I got up from bed to go to the toilet. That’s when I saw my mum crying alone in the living room.
My mum isn’t a particularly emotional person. I’ve probably seen her cry three times my whole life. I was worried and concerned, of course, and asked what’s going on. She turned to me and said, ‘I have bad news. Joel died.’
When a sibling dies unexpectedly, it takes time for you to process the news. And then you realise that your family will never be the same again. You will never be full or complete anymore. There is only brokenness. And that was the first emotion that hit me really hard.
The next morning, we got more details, and I learnt that he killed himself. When someone commits suicide, family is required to identify the body at the mortuary. My mum said, ‘Look, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.’ And I’m thinking, how can I let you do this alone?!
Even though I could sense a heaviness in the air around her, my mother looked relatively composed. But when they wheeled in the body, she simply broke. She kept saying that it’s not him. It’s not him. It doesn’t look like him. I had never seen that side of her before.
My mother was always put together, but at that moment, she sounded like a young mother who had just lost her newborn baby. It was less heartbreaking that I lost my brother, and more painful that I had to see her that way.
When my brother was 12, he moved out of the house and lived with my grandmother. I never knew why. Maybe it’s because we weren’t well-to-do. Maybe it’s because our parents didn’t have the best of relationships. I was his younger sister, but I didn’t know much about him.
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