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Indonesian Council Open Conference 2025
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Indonesian Migrant Workers in Hong Kong showcasing Indonesian Culture
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Talk Description
There are over 70,000 Indonesian domestic workers (IMDWs), mostly women, in Hong Kong. On Sundays, on their only day off, many congregate at Victoria Park in the Causeway Bay area. Their intense working conditions as live-in maids, often on 24-hour calls, pose significant challenges for this community. They face exploitation, poor living conditions, and social isolation. However, despite these hardships, their respite day is a time to reconnect with their homeland and community.  Victoria Park acts as a counter space for the IMDWs in Hong Kong, as a form of resilience, empowerment, and reconnection to Indonesia. This research explores how IMDWs reclaim and display the freedom to express their culture through activities like Pencak Silat (Indonesian martial arts), Reog (traditional dance), and learning Nusantara scripts. These are seen as culturally meaningful ways to create closer bonds within the diasporic community bolstering self-esteem, identity, and social capital.    
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