As told to Tegan Smyth June*, from Indonesia, has lived in Hong Kong since 2006. She has a daughter, Emma that she is raising by herself. She spoke a few months after her original interview about her hopes and aspirations for her daughter. Alice, from Togo, is also raising her two children alone in Hong Kong….
Category: Hong Kong
Food, running and culture: one refugee’s story
As told to Hillary Leung and Tegan Smyth. Words by Tegan Smyth. Joseph* is a refugee from a country in Africa that is currently embroiled in sectarian violence. He spoke to us about his daily life as a refugee as well as sharing a treasured recipe from home. Could you tell us a little…
The waiting game: 16 years in Hong Kong as a refugee
As told to Leanne Ledgard. Words by Leanne Ledgard. Mahmoud* arrived in Hong Kong more than sixteen years ago, after fleeing persecution in his country. Despite all his children being born and raised in Hong Kong, each day is uncertain, as Mahmoud cannot work to provide for his family – and his children live as…
Education is an alienable right, after all… if you are a child refugee in Hong Kong
By Tegan Smyth Nino*, is a refugee from Togo. In 2005, he was forced to leave his country following a series of violent events which played out during a presidential election in his country. He arrived in Hong Kong the same year, with only the clothes on his back. He has been in search of…
Lifting the ‘no-work’ policy and contrasting cultural values: Refugee Perspectives
As told to Cynthia Chung [Editor’s note] This is the third part of our interview with Alex* from Refugee Union. We spoke at length about the no-work policy, whereby refugees and asylum seekers are unable to work or volunteer by law. How would our society be different if the no-work policy is removed? As I have…
From political violence to legal limbo: Refugee Perspectives
(Continued from previous post) As told to Mhairi McLaughlin and Tegan Smyth. Words by Mhairi McLaughlin. People in Hong Kong need to consider refugees as human beings, and understand that they need to be treated with the same respect as their own family What is life like for your kids in Hong Kong? Nino: We…
A Policy for a Divided Society: How the No-Work Policy affects the livelihood of Refugees
Refugees are left to survive on their own without any how they manage within these boundaries of meager welfare assistance. They scavenge and beg to survive which puts them in a very difficult situation because it pushes the refugee community to the extreme margins of poverty.
Bridge the welfare gap
As told to Cynthia Chung *Interviewee’s name has been changed as requested* Can you please tell me about your position in Refugee Union? My name is Alex*, I volunteer my time running the Refugee Union in HK. I’m the secretary, I handle all communications and administration. This involves the usual day-to-day work in an office,…
Food for thought
(Continued from Part 1) You have to understand that being a refugee is not a crime. It is not something we should be punished for, or a reason to squeeze us or mistreat us or use against us as though we have done something wrong. To deny us our human rights, our joy, our dignity…
Education, the greatest equaliser
To be a refugee, no one wants to be a refugee. It is part of life. You never think, when you are in your home country “oh, one day, I will be a refugee”. We kicked off the first session of Table of Two Cities with some incredible dishes from Uganda, prepared by Amanda*, one…
Finding a different narrative in Hong Kong
Hi everyone! Thanks for taking a moment to read our page. We are looking forward to sharing the first photos of this project with you. Perhaps by way of background, you might be asking – why refugees and why Hong Kong? Our starting point is simple: We are involved in the Hong Kong third sector…
Behind the Name
Welcome to Table of Two Cities. We are doing a deep-dive of refugee and asylum seeker stories in Hong Kong, through the medium of food. Hong Kong is indisputably a major foodie destination. There is a dizzying array of restaurants at every price point and the town is decorated in Michelin stars. Office workers stream…
TABLE OF TWO CITIES 