Date: Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Time: 15:00-17:00
Venue: Current Plans
“Together Apart” is a research project documenting the voices of the marginalised in Hong Kong. A group of researchers from AVA, CISL, ENG and HMW (in alphabetical order), who work together in the FNRA group, Minority Studies/Marginalised Populations Studies, aspire to capture the voices of the marginalised and make them visible to the public via various forms of digital storytelling.
This project not only aims to recognise and acknowledge the existence and significance of those in the margins who have been struggling to lead and/or resume their normal lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain their well-being, but also creates a platform that allows them to speak for themselves.
The pandemic exacerbated the conditions of exclusion and isolation. In this scenario, how do the marginalised overcome the distance (physical/mental), spaces (private/public) and borders (social/cultural) of their positions? We ask: What/Who is being forgotten under the new normal? Is it possible to be apart together, and how can one’s well-being be enhanced whilst adapting to an unprecedented state?
With “Together Apart Video Podcast Launching” the group is releasing a series of videocasts featuring three interviewees:
𝐒𝐢𝐮 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐠, a genderqueer advocate-cum-bodybuilder who keeps up the spirit of herself and others during the pandemic;
𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐌𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚, a Zimbabwean who came to HK as a political refugee and now works as a financial analyst and co-founded “Africa Center Hong Kong”;
𝐂𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐬, a veteran Filipino domestic worker who found joy in kickboxing.
There will be a preview screening of the videocasts followed by a sharing and discussion section with the interviewees. The interviewees will share their stories on displacement and adaptability when they come to terms with the pandemic and their attempts to seek and promote well-being amidst COVID-19.
