With an eager smile, Areeba Javed led a group of Hong Kong students on a tour of Fu Tai Estate in Tuen Mun, where she grew up.
In fluent Cantonese, the 18-year-old Pakistani-Hongkonger guided the group through her childhood haunts: The Salvation Army Centre, a children’s playground, a tuck shop and a mosque beneath a residential building.
“We used to frequent the centre for the fun activities ... And after class, 20 of us would play dodgeball at the parking area,” Areeba reminisced, adding that the mosque was where she learned about her religion by studying the Koran, a sacred text for Muslims.
“We read and learned the Koran from a teacher, and he would punish us if we didn’t perform well,” she recalled.
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As they listened, many pupils found they could relate to her anecdotes.
“We found some similar childhood experiences,” Areeba noted.
This tour over the summer was part of The Salvation Army’s project, called “Hi! Strangers”. Launched in 2018, it aims to promote inclusiveness by having ethnic minority youth guide other Hongkongers through their neighbourhoods.
In the past five years, the project has facilitated hundreds of tours led by 46 ethnic minority guides.
“Hong Kong should have more interesting tours and talks to let the students and public learn about our culture,” said Areeba, who has led four tours since joining Hi! Strangers earlier this year.
Inclusiveness is needed
A recent government census revealed a 37 per cent increase in Hong Kong’s ethnic minority population over the past decade, with more than 610,000 non-Chinese residents now representing 8 per cent of the total population.
Major ethnic minority groups include Filipinos, Indonesians and South Asians. Without counting foreign domestic workers, data from 2021 showed that most ethnic minority youth were born in Hong Kong.
Cherry Kong Hau-in, who coordinates the “Hi! Strangers” project, emphasised the need for greater inclusiveness in Hong Kong.
“Some schools still separate the classes for non-Chinese which limits their chances to communicate with each other,” said the social worker in her 20s, who has worked with ethnic minority groups for five years.
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“It’s crucial to interact with people from different backgrounds at a young age as ... you would be more comfortable in getting along with them.”
When she invited some of the youth she worked with to be tour guides, they immediately said yes.
“They all agree with the tour rationale that sharing the non-Chinese upbringing in Hong Kong highlights the things in common ... instead of emphasising the differences,” Kong said, noting that each tour took a few weeks to plan.
“For example, we will include cricket in some Pakistani boys’ tours. So each tour is unique and special.”
Bridging communities
For Areeba, who is now studying image design at the Hong Kong Design Institute, leading these tours is a way to encourage more communication between people of different cultures. This is especially meaningful to her because she spent most of her youth as the only non-Chinese student in her school.
“Even though there was no language barrier, I still had challenges interacting with local students ... Since I have a different skin colour, they saw me as weird,” said the teen. “At first, I felt [upset], but after that, I was used to it.”
Areeba added that things got better after she transferred to a school with more non-Chinese students in Form Three: “In my second secondary school, the principal prepared a spare room decorated with Pakistani culture for [Muslim] students to pray. I hope more schools can follow [that].”
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She noted that most misunderstandings were because of a lack of communication, not hatred.
“Some of my friends always think we have strict family rules and no freedom as we need to wrap our hair,” Areeba said. “But ... I explained to them that my family didn’t wear a hijab, and it was me [who] chose to wear it because I read from the Koran that it’s a way to protect ourselves. And my friends were all impressed.”
The teen hopes her tours will help others be more open-minded: “People often see us as hard to communicate and with bad tempers, but actually we are very nice. Most young non-Chinese understand Cantonese, and we are also able to talk in English.”
Kong noted a positive change in participants after joining tours with “Hi! Strangers”. Some students shared that their parents had advised them not to play with ethnic minority children, but after the tour, they realised that they could interact and play together.
“Don’t be afraid to ... say hi,” Kong stressed. “During the process, you will find something in common, and most importantly, respect one another.”
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