Genzo Wakabayashi

Lee Kuan Yew: I Speak English, But Never Adopted Western Individualism Some credit Lee Kuan Yew (1923-2015) for using social programming, economic and urban development, and limited civil liberties to rapidly raise Singaporeans' standard of living, leading many to dub the city-state as one of the Asian Tigers in the mid- to late-20th century. Here, Yew makes clear he would never mistake himself for an Englishman even though he speaks the language. Indeed, pluralistic Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese and Tamil. Can we say the same for Africans who speak English? Or French? Do they see themselves as Africans or Europeans? Drop us a comment. Follow us: @spearhead_af Video credit: National Archives of Singapore