Testimony

Directors' Notes

In one of our interviews about society’s perception of ethnic minorities, we asked the interviewee: "If people say: 'Resources are limited, we should look after local people first.' how would you respond?" She took an unhurried sip of coffee and replied: “They are local people.” We all laughed, disarmed by her simple answer. Actually ‘local’ and ‘non-Chinese’ have never been opposites; these two concepts can stand together.

Going into the research phase of this show last year when we met Prof. Lisa Leung, we had a lot to learn. Neither of us can claim any South Asian heritage, so it was vital to form our opinions by talking directly to the people we wanted to learn about. We ran theatre workshops for Hong Kong South Asian youth, we volunteered teaching at their Chinese lessons, and arranged interviews with upwards of 30 people related to the topic. We also knew it would be essential to have actors with South Asian heritage involved directly in the creative process, and luckily we found there are plenty of very talented people in Hong Kong. We worked together to create the content and the script, based on verbatim interview transcripts as well as the actors’ own experiences and reflections. - Ivor Houlker, Michelle Li

"As someone with partly Sri Lankan heritage, I thought I knew about all the issues relating to ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, but I really didn’t. Making this show opened my eyes and made me realise that some ethnic minorities are more neglected than I thought. The question I kept asking myself was ‘Well, what can I do?’" - Arisa

"Doing this show has made me realise the important role we South Asians have played in the development of Hong Kong’s society. It has changed the way I think about myself as an ‘ethnic minority’. It made me realise that I am part of Hong Kong - our history and future is intertwined." - Tusar

"Our rehearsal process coincided with a historical social movement, but instead of hindering our progress, it actually helped me better understand Hong Kong’s culture, history, and interpersonal relationships. Through learning the history of the path that ethnic minorities have taken, I realised that we should act - not just for ourselves, but for those around us; together we are proud of being Hongkongers." - King Lung

"I discovered that there is still so much to discover; this is just the beginning." - Kashif