Afghanistan, the Taliban, and true stories from Kabul to HK

Politics, Philosophy and Big Ideas is proud to host 2 speakers who will talk to us about the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as a result of the takeover of the country by the Taliban from both a personal and humanitarian perspective.

Our first speaker is Sitara Zamani, an Afghan HKU student who had recently returned from the country right before it fell to the Taliban. Our second speaker will be Helen Leung from the Hong Kong Dignity Institute, who deals with issues about refugees and asylum seekers here in HK.

Sitara will share about her personal journey, most recently how she came from Kabul to Hong Kong for her undergraduate studies. She'll also share about growing up female in Kabul and her hometown of Ghazni; plus her post-HKU plans. She'll also share some of her YouTube vlogs about life in Afghanistan.

Helen will shed some light on Afghan migration and related issues in the context of recent events; and share some of her personal experiences supporting legal aid, community legal empowerment and human rights programmes for asylum seekers.

There is no fee or minimum spend but we encourage all our guests to get at least one drink as Salon 10 has been very kind for letting us use their space. Hope to see you all on Oct 5!

About our speakers:

Sitara Zamani

Sitara Zamani is an undergraduate student at the University of Hong Kong, majoring in Management Information Systems. She was born and raised in a village in Ghanzi province in Southeastern Afghanistan. Sitara belongs to the Hazara ethnic group that has a long history of persecution in Afghanistan; the Taliban and other terrorist groups have directly targeted Hazara people in recent years. After completing her studies at HKU, Sitara plans to advocate for women's rights and gender equality in Afghanistan.

Helen Leung

Helen Leung is a casework and research manager at the Hong Kong Dignity Institute. She is an NGO practitioner and researcher supporting asylum seekers, refugees and victims of human trafficking in Hong Kong. Prior to Helen's current role, she worked in Tanzania, Jordan and Syria; and worked for organizations like Asylum Access and IMPACT Initiatives, supporting legal aid and human rights programmes. Helen authored the research reports ‘Far From Home: future prospects for Syrian refugees in Iraq’ and ‘Picking Up the Pieces: realities of return and reintegration in North-East Syria’ published by the Durable Solutions Platform. Helen holds a MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford.