Hong Kong homeless raise awareness of their plight by snapping photos of daily life
Unique diary project hands cameras to street sleepers in face of rising numbers
On a bench underneath the footbridge opposite Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, you can usually find 68-year-old Peter Goh sitting quietly in a buttoned-down shirt, reading a newspaper.
Cheerful and polite, he’s well known by those who work nearby, with many stopping to chat with him during their commute. But when the day draws to an end and the streets slowly empty, Goh remains, hunkering down at a spot in Tamar Park where he spends his nights.
“I take the cleanest papers and spread them out on the ground at about 8pm,” he said. “Around 3am I’ll make my way to the [Khalsa Diwan] Sikh Temple where they serve free food, and then come back to the bench at 7am.”
Goh is one of eight homeless participants in a new photo diary project that aims to highlight homelessness in the city. Created by two Hongkongers and an expat, the “Our City, My Story” project involves giving disposable cameras to the homeless and encouraging them to take photos of their daily lives. The photos are shared on a website that launched last month ahead of World Homeless Day on Monday.
