I ran a creative writing workshop as part of the Cha Writing Workshop Series for a small group of asylum seekers from Rwanda, Somalia, Egypt, and the Philippines on Saturday 14 April 2018.
Asylum seekers come to Hong Kong to escape persecution back home, only to be shunned, mistreated and victimised all over again in a city that can be downright inhospitable to refugees. Creative writing provides a form of relief, a channel for self-expression that makes the writers feel visible and empowered. I came away feel inspired, and I believe I’ve gotten much more from them this morning than they did from me.
The workshop is jointly organized by Justice Centre Hong Kong and Cha: An Asian Literary Journal. Big thanks to Tammy Ho Lai-Ming, Eddie Tay and Samara Melwani for setting it up. Everyone had such a positive experience that we are exploring ways to turn the workshop into a monthly event!
///// The Cha Writing Workshop Series: We plan to hold one to two writing workshops every month, for local school children (all levels), as well as economically and socially disadvantaged groups. If you’d like to suggest an idea, please contact the organisers, Tammy Ho (t@asiancha.com) and/or Eddie Tay (eddie@asiancha.com). Click here to see a list of past and future workshops. And click here to read instructors’ reflections on the workshops. /////
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