From the 2019 Hong Kong Protests to the World’s Tomorrow: The Power of Disobedience, Discourse and Creative Dissent

This Forum will feature three events on Friday, 8 November 2019 as well a solo show by renowned Hong Kong political cartoonist, Kei-kwan Wong (Zunzi), which runs from 30 October to 17 November 2019.
The Program
Political cartoon show by Zunzi
Hong Kong. Now What? !! – Civil Movements through a Cartoonist’s Eyes
Venue: Fourth Floor Corridor, Department of Design, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building
Date: 30 October to 17 November 2019
The renowned Hong Kong political cartoonist, Kee-kwan Wong, better known by his pen name Zunzi, will mount a solo show featuring works published during his nearly 40-year career. His works captured a history of political changes and civil movements in Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China, including the 1997 issues, the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, the 2014 Umbrella Movement, and the ongoing 2019 Hong Kong Protests.
Keynote talk
Hong Kong in 2019: Movement Dynamics and its Political Future
This talk will address the social movement in Hong Kong triggered by the highly unpopular extradition bill. Yet, the protests are still going strong and have grown increasingly violent despite a formal withdrawal of the bill. What does a supposedly leaderless protest movement come about? What are the protest dynamics? How has the Hong Kong government handled the protests? What are the dynamics between the Hong Kong Police Force and protestors? What is Hong Kong’s political future and the outlook for “one country two system”? These are some of the questions the talk will explore.
Speaker: Lynette Ong, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto
Discussant: Rick Sin, Course Instructor, School of Social Work, York University and Co-Chair, Asian Canadian Labour Alliance
Venue: Room 306, Accolade West Building, Keele Campus
Date/Time: Friday, 8 November 2019, 1 to 2:30 pm
Roundtable Discussion
A Roundtable Discussion on Hong Kong’s Defiant Movement and Beyond
In this roundtable, panelists will discuss what they observe to be at the heart of the 2019 Hong Kong protests and what they see is missing in the public discourse of this movement. The speakers will explore implications for the international discourse and praxis of decolonization, human rights and democracy as well as the support that the Hong Kong diaspora can offer at this movement for the future.
Panellists (in alphabetical order):
o Justin Cheng, core member of the Hong Kong Democratic Alliance of Overseas Postgraduate Students; MA student (History) and a student associate of Hong Kong Studies Initiative, University of British Columbia
o J.C.C.
o Edward Wong, core member of Lausan; PhD student, School of Social Work, York University
o Vincent Wong, William C. Graham Research Associate, International Human Rights Program, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
Venue: Rm 306, Accolade West Building
Date/Time: Friday, 8 November 2019; 3 to 5:00pm
Reception & Talk by Zunzi
Hong Kong. Now What? !! – Civil Movements through a Cartoonist’s Eyes
Based on his retrospective political cartoon show held at the Department of Design, Hong Kong cartoonist Zunzi will share his creative experiences in this talk where he will review his nearly 40 years of experience witnessing civil movements in Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China.
Venue: Rm 0006, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building
Date/Time: Friday, 8 November 2019; 6:00 to 8:30pm
This event is presented by the York Centre for Asian Research and the Department of Design, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design and supported by the Canada-China Initiatives Fund at York University.