Mars: Future Homeland for Humans?
家‧鄉‧歸 Home. Homeland. Homecoming
Mars: Future Homeland for Humans?
Speaker: Leung Po Kin
Moderator: Lai Chi Wai
In Cantonese
Video RecordingChasing Coral
家‧鄉‧歸 Home. Homeland. Homecoming
Chasing Coral (Screening + Sharing)
Speaker: Chui Pui Yi Apple
Moderator: Li Ming Kenneth
About the Film
Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.
Director: Jeff Orlowski | Subtitles: Chinese | Length: 89 min
About the Speaker
Dr. Apple Chui obtained her M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Science and Biology programs from CUHK, and has been with the School of Life Sciences as a lecturer since 2016. Since 2008, Dr. Chui has been studying corals in Hong Kong. Her research interests include coral larval ecology, coral recruitment dynamics and reef restoration using sexually reared corals. Apart from research, Dr. Chui has been actively engaged in public outreach and education activities on marine and coral conservation in Hong Kong. Throughout the years, she has been invited to speak at public seminars on marine and coral conservation for various organisations, including schools, green groups, and government departments. She has also been actively involved with Reef Check Hong Kong as team scientist. With practice and experience in public speaking, she has learnt to become a storyteller of science, making science easier to understand. Dr. Chui believes that teaching is not only about transmitting knowledge, but changing attitude and transforming habit. She has recently launched the outreach programme “Coral Academy”, to raise student and public’s awareness and inspire action in marine conservation through various activities.
In Cantonese and English
Born in Syria
家‧鄉‧歸 Home. Homeland. Homecoming
Born in Syria (Screening + Sharing)*
Speaker: Ip Ka Wai
Moderator: Wong Bon-wah Baldwin
About the Film
Since civil war started in Syria in 2011, an estimated 9 million Syrians have fled their homes, half of them children. These children have fled unimaginable horror: the indiscriminate bombings of Bachar Al Assad's government, and ISIS' raping and beheading, only to find themselves trapped in makeshift camps or closed borders. We witness the journey of these refugees to the promised land of Europe.
Director: Hernan Zin | Subtitles: Chinese and English | Length: 86 mins
About the Speaker
Dr. Kevin Ip is Assistant Professor in the Department of Government and International Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University. His research interests are primarily in contemporary political philosophy. He obtained his DPhil from University of Oxford. He is the author of Egalitarianism and Global Justice: From a Relational Perspective, and coauthor of Global Justice and Universal Values (in Chinese).
In Cantonese and English
* This activity is co-organized with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Migrant Crisis in Europe
家‧鄉‧歸 Home. Homeland. Homecoming
Migrant Crisis in Europe
Speaker: Chan Ka Lok Kenneth
Moderator: Wong Bon-wah Baldwin
Brief Description
Migration is said to be the number one political issue in Europe. It is a divisive issue between EU member states and for the citizens at large. The 2018 United Nations Pact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration has unexpectedly triggered a new round of protests and discontents within Europe, albeit the need for a global effort to improving cooperation on international migration is larger than ever. Anti-EU populism across the continent looks set to take advantage of the upcoming European Parliament elections to expand its power in the policy-making process not only on migration but also the future direction of European integration. Arguably, the migrant crisis in Europe has threatened the post-war liberal order with a geopolitics of emotions.
About the Speaker
Kenneth CHAN Ka Lok 陳家洛 is an Associate Professor at the Department of Government and International Studies and Director of the Comparative Governance and Policy Research Centre at Hong Kong Baptist University, President of the Hong Kong Association for European Studies and Board Member of the Asia-Pacific European Union Studies Association. He has taught Comparative Politics, UK Politics, European Integration, Democratization, Research Methods, and Hong Kong Politics. His research areas include European Politics, Democratization, EU’s external relations as well as Government and Politics of Hong Kong. A Hong Kong citizen, he read Politics at Oxford University and taught at the University of Warsaw and the University of Gdańsk, Poland.
In Cantonese
Snuggle
家‧鄉‧歸 Home. Homeland. Homecoming
Snuggle (Screening + Sharing)*
Speaker: Wong Siu Pong (Film Director)
Moderator: Li Chun Hong
In Cantonese
*This event is co-organized with Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and the General Education Foundation Development Fund.
Ethnic and Cultural Identity in Hong Kong and the World
家‧鄉‧歸 Home. Homeland. Homecoming
Ethnic and Cultural Identity in Hong Kong and the World
Speaker: Gordon Mathews
Moderator: Yeung Yang
Brief Description
This talk first goes over the meanings of ethnic and cultural identity, and then explores ethnic and cultural identity in Hong Kong. Can a South Asian who has grown up in Hong Kong be a Hongkonger? Can an African asylum seeker be a Hongkonger? Can a mainland Chinese graduate student at CUHK be a Hongkonger? Can I be a Hongkonger? What is a Hongkonger? On the basis of extensive discussion among all present at the talk, we then analyze how ethnic and cultural identity are increasingly not given but chosen, as choices from a global cultural supermarket. What, then, does this mean for the future of Hong Kong as a global/Chinese metropolis?
About the Speaker
Prof. Gordon Mathews is the Chairperson, Department of Anthropology, CUHK. His latest publications include The World in Guangzhou: Africans and Other Foreigners in South China's Global Marketplace, Globalization From Below: The World's Other Economy and Ghetto at the Center of the World.
In English
Fly, Kite Fly
家‧鄉‧歸 Home. Homeland. Homecoming
Fly, Kite Fly (Screening + Sharing)
Speaker: Liang Chieh-Te (Film Director)
Moderator: George Jor
In Mandarin
Ballad on the Shore
家‧鄉‧歸 Home. Homeland. Homecoming
Ballad on the Shore (Screening + Sharing)
Speaker: Ma Chi Hang (Film Director) and Fisherman
Moderator: Chiu Chu Lee
About the Film
On the small isle of Tap Mun, the ocean breeze gently lifts up strands of grey hair on Lai Lin-shau’s head. He quietly sings in the characteristic tones of the fisherman’s ballads: Anchor large boats at the tip of To Nin, a sampan sends the lover to Sai See Island.....”. The melody alters with his moods and, seemingly without rules, the pitch and tones alternate and repeat themselves as if they were synchronising with the ocean waves. The lyrics of these ballads tell the stories of the trials and tribulations of the life of the fisherman. The Lai family had, for generations, fished for a living in the waters of Tap Mun, their ballads are passed down from one generation to the next, but the songs are finding fewer and fewer listeners today. Born before WWII, Mr. Lai has been wed to his wife for over 60 years. He is one of the few people alive who knows the fisherman’s ballads intimately. None of his children followed the ancestral path of a fisherman, and none experienced the harsh and unforgiving life at sea. They are not even aware of his singular and priceless knowledge of the ballads.
The deeply tanned skin with a whiff of sea salt coming off their bodies are the distinctive signs of an ex-fisherman to the city dwellers. As the fishing community shrinks, they found new ways of life on land. One performs and teaches the ballads to young children; another uses the ballads to spread her Christian faith. The ballads have become a spiritual harbour for these landed fishermen and appear to offer solace and certain selective nostalgia to a life of hardship. These ballads were once part of the nautical landscape of Tap Mun and as the memories of the fishermen’s past lives fade, the words and melodies have come ashore bringing spiritual serenity to those who would hear the songs of the sea.
About the Director
He receives his B.A. in Fine Arts and M.A in Philosophy from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Attributed to the trainings on fine arts and philosophical thinking, his films have a thematic consistency on humanity and justice. Short films, Women Security Guard (2015) was awarded Silver Award in Incubator for Film and Visual Media (IFVA). Malinois Gaze (2016) made a presence in several film festivals, including Clermont-Ferrard Short Film Festival and Chinese Independent Film Festival. He moves on to directing his own feature films.
His latest documentary film, Ballad on the Shore (2017) is widely reputed for its poetic handling on a disappearing local fishermen culture. The film opens an active dialogue on the unconquerable vanishes of old cultures, attracting over 50 pieces of critic reviews and extensive media coverage. The film was selected to the 2016 CNEX pitching forum. He is the founding member of an emerging independent film organisation Autonomous Cinema, promoting film culture and community education.
In Cantonese
Africa as Home to Humanity: Immigration, Current Challenges and Facing the Future
家‧鄉‧歸 Home. Homeland. Homecoming
Africa as Home to Humanity: Immigration, Current Challenges and Facing the Future
Speaker: Lawal Mohammed Marafa
Moderator:Lui Wing Sing
Brief Description
Scientifically, it is still debatable as to whether Africa is the origin of humanity. Although there are many documents that allude to this notion, others have assumed otherwise. Whether this is a myth or reality, that fact that Africa has seen its share of exodus from the continent cannot be disputed. In recent times, the migration out of Africa has assumed a new dimension. This trend is posing challenges to a continent full of resources and to destinations with historical connection either as colonialists or trade partners.
In current times, Africa has also acquired new partners like China and India with aid and trade as items of discussion in addition to its traditional partners in this new scramble for Africa. What is the situation like on the African continent? What has it got to contribute to the global commons? In fact, who are the Africans? What are the challenges and prospects for prosperity? Seen as the last frontier of development, this presentation will seek to discuss the myths, identify the realities and highlight the challenges that confront the African continent. In conclusion, the prospects and potentials of Africa as an emerging destination of note, will be discussed.
About the Speaker
Lawal Mohammed Marafa is associate professor at the Department of Geography and Resource Management of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
In English
A Plastic Ocean
家‧鄉‧歸 Home. Homeland. Homecoming
A Plastic Ocean (Film Screening + Sharing)*
Sharing: Samantha Lee, Li Ming
Moderator: Li Chun Hong
In Cantonese
* This activity is co-organized with the Campus Planning and Sustainability Office
