Jan* is a Pakistani elder living in Hong Kong’s Eastern District, a neighbourhood home to a vibrant South Asian community. Like many women of her generation, her life, for decades revolved around caring for her family while her children went out to work. Because of language barriers, she found it hard to integrate into the wider community and had little opportunity to communicate with her Chinese-speaking neighbours.
Since joining the “Narrating Life Stories – Supportive Project for Ethnic Minority Elders”, organised by the Methodist Epworth Village Community Centre, Social Welfare, Jan has begun to find a sense of belonging. Centred on the sharing of life stories, the project aims to promote social inclusion through the power of storytelling.
As a member of the project’s art therapy group, Jan has created several artworks under the theme “The Five Flavours of Life”, using art to explore stories behind the different “tastes” of her life. Volunteers also visited her at home and, based on her sharing, crafted a “family tree” artwork symbolising intergenerational legacy, and placed it in her personal “life story treasure box”. These works were later showcased to the public at the Life Celebration Exhibition.
“Through art, I found my place here. ” she said.
Read more about the project here. Follow their Instagram @mevcc.official to stay updated.
*Full details of the interviewee have been withheld for privacy and consent reasons. The photo has been blurred at the interviewee’s request.
