{"id":19000,"date":"2021-04-20T12:03:38","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T04:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=19000"},"modified":"2021-05-27T11:15:54","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T03:15:54","slug":"breaking-free-through-her-lens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2021\/04\/breaking-free-through-her-lens\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Free Through Her Lens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Terenia Puspita shares her life as both a domestic helper and amateur photographer in Hong Kong.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Bonnie Yam<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terenia Puspita was once a domestic worker who\nhad no knowledge about Hong Kong politics. But after she witnessed the\nanti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (anti-ELAB) movement in 2019, she felt the\nneed to show her support for Hongkongers with her photos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was shocked to see children attending the\nprotests. I was touched by their parents, as\nthey teach their children about the city\u2019s current situation and future, which\nmy parents never taught me,\u201d Puspita says.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The domestic helper who has been working in Hong\nKong for 10 years went to districts with violent clashes between protestors and\npolice, such as Wan Chai, Admiralty and Shatin, to take pictures during the social movement in 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puspita did not tell her employer about taking\nphotos at protest sites, as she\ndoes not want to mix up her work with her\nphotography. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puspita equipped herself with a helmet, gas mask\nand goggles when taking photos of the social movement. She was very cautious\nabout her safety, especially after Veby Mega Indah, an Indonesian journalist,\nwas shot in the eye during clashes on September 29, 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVeby is a journalist. She had the official\napproval to report at protest sites, but she was still vulnerable. I was very\nworried, because the police conducted indiscriminate arrests,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a collection of photos shot in her daily life and the protests, Puspita draws parallels between Hong\nKong protestors and migrant workers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Two photos taken by Terenia Puspita, entitled We Connected. (Photo courtesy of Terenia Puspita)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Puspita\u2019s picture series, entitled We Connected<\/em>, featured two photos taken\nin 2019. One shows a migrant worker who fights against patriarchy by wearing a\ntraditional mask, which is usually worn by male performers at traditional\nfestivals in Indonesia. Another is about Hong Kong protestors wearing Vendetta\nmasks fighting for democracy in the 2019 social movement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her work was featured in We Making Home Kong, a\nmonth-long photo exhibition organised by Lensational in February, 2021. It is a\nnon-governmental organisation that has provided photography training for more\nthan 400 foreign domestic workers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her other photo series, Under the Same Umbrella<\/em>, a scene of Indonesian domestic helpers\ndiscussing the 2019 Indonesian general election, and a scene from the anti-ELAB\nprotests in 2019 were captured. Umbrellas were raised in both photos.  \n\n\u201cIndonesians believe that their country is\ndemocratic, but despotic\npower is still exercised by some high-ranking officials. And in Hong Kong,\ndemocracy and freedom are no longer respected. People in both places are still\nfighting,\u201d Puspita says.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standing Up<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore learning photography, I only focused on\nmy needs. But with photography, I have learnt to speak up for myself and\nothers. It makes me feel like a human again,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puspita first learned photography when she just\narrived in Hong Kong in 2011, she then gradually became an amateur\nphotographer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut with photography, I have learnt to speak up for myself and others. It makes me feel like a human again.\u201d <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Her photos were published in Via Community Zine,\na local magazine published by Via North Point, in December, 2020, and\nIndonesian publications like Suara, where she worked as a voluntary author, in 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born to a Muslim family in a village of East Java, she has never dreamt of becoming an amateur photographer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUsually photographers in Indonesia are men, and I want to break this kind of\ntradition,\u201d says Puspita. \u201cI grew up with a mindset that women can only work in\nkitchens. Our purpose of life is to get married, have children, and take care\nof our family,\u201d she adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduated from high school in 2011, Puspita was\nvery curious about the outside world. So when her uncle offered her a chance to\nwork in Hong Kong, she accepted it without much hesitation. But she surely did\nnot foresee her first job turning into a nightmare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy employer doesn\u2019t have a kind soul. I didn\u2019t\nhave a good place to rest. I had no privacy and holidays. I didn\u2019t hold my\npassport, ID, and phone. And I was underpaid!\u201d she recalls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puspita never complained because she thought it\nwas common. But after seven months, she became mentally ill and finally asked\nfor help from other migrant workers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, her agency took her case to the\nLabour Department, and they sued her employer on her behalf. She switched to\nanother agency and participated in Lensational\u2019s photography workshops, where\nshe learned professional photography skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puspita certainly stands out while walking\nthrough crowds of migrant workers. The 30-year-old wears a black cap instead of\na Hijab and now carries her DSLR camera everywhere. She is also getting a\ntattoo that symbolises hope, which is forbidden in Islam, the largest religion\nin Indonesia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three years ago, Puspita stood up to her mother\nand refused to return home to get married. She has not returned to Indonesia\nfor 10 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough I feel lonely at my workplace, I feel free,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workers With Dreams  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puspita is not the only one with dreams. She\nbelieves other workers are unaware of their possibilities and rights, so they\ntend to give up easily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMigrant workers don\u2019t have the courage to speak\nup. They just follow their employers\u2019 orders. Can\nyou really work 24 hours a day and six days a week in your workplace? \u201d she\nsays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puspita hopes to hold a photo exhibition\nfeaturing photos of migrant workers showcasing their talents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As her contract ended in last April, Puspita\nplanned to find a job in Korea or Poland. But the pandemic made her think\ntwice. At last, she decided to work another two years in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHong Kong feels like home, but the freedom we\nenjoyed is gone,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHong Kong feels like home, but the freedom we enjoyed is gone.\u201d <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Kassandra Lai
Sub-edited by Charleen Chen<\/em> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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