While Hong Kong is an extremely affluent city its wealth is by no means shared evenly. As someone living in a comfortable apartment in an attractive part of Hong Kong, attending university and spending time alongside many others who are very fortunate, I believe an understanding of the lives of others in the city is important. Unfortunately, the stories of those with the lowest mobility are generally heard the least.
There are perhaps none with less mobility than the so-called ‘Cage Dwellers’ – people living in tiny and cage-like living spaces. These are people who have generally come across from mainland China for employment and often earn just HK$2000 or less per month. Those living in such circumstances have an unenviable life; their bed cage consisting of a single bed in a room with often a dozen people – relationships and family are either out of the question or long gone.
Approaching this topic as a journalist is not simple – particularly given that this is journalism using multimedia. It is likely that the people living in these circumstances will have a sense of shame, and may not be keen to be interviewed, or for that matter, photographed. Evidently, this is one of our team’s biggest challenges. For this reason, contact with the non-governmental organisations Society for Community Organisation (SOCO) and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) (which we have already made) along with journalists with existing connection to the issue is vital. It is not just our preference to have subjects and locations recommended to us, it is likely to be our only realistic avenue for the story. Establishing a relationship of trust with our subjects will be vital for the elicitation of quality photographs and sound.
My role in the group will primarily be in two parts. The first is to conduct wide-ranging research into the phenomenon of ‘cage dwelling’, in order to optimise the line of questioning for the interviews and ensure our overall presentation does not misrepresent or put findings out of context. Besides the material available from organisations such as SOCO and the AHRC there is also significant academic study dedicated to this field, which can be found using the university’s electronic resources. I am also in charge of liasing with the JMSC regarding the borrowing of cameras and other equipment required. In addition to taking photographs while on location and assisting with sound during interviews, the second role I have in the group is to do the initial ordering of collected media and then create a first rough sequence to be taken to the other team members for consultation.
This will no doubt be a fascinating project and I do look forward to pursuing it. Watch this space for further instalments.
