AFRICAN COMMUNITY in HONG KONG
School of English
University of Hong Kong
Interview with Anthony - a soccer player for Hong Kong Happy Valley Athletic Association (HVAA)
Name: Anthony
Age: 20-30
Period in Hong Kong: 10 years
Marital Status: married
Occupation: soccer player, coach
Language: Ghana, English, a little bit Cantonese
Hometown: Ghana. He loves his hometown and his thinks the place is really peaceful without fightings and shootings.
I. Intermarriage
He lives with her Spanish wife and their little daughter in Kowloon city. His wife cannot speak his mother tongue. Though he is sending his kid to international school, he expects her to learn Cantonese.
II. Language preference and attitudes
He believes that without knowledge of Cantonese will pose great difficulties on Africans. He tries to practices Cantonese every day by interacting with Hong Kong people. He has many Hong Kong friends and he thinks he has adapted to the local society.
He admits that the African community in Hong Kong is too small. When asked about Pat Heung Yuen Long where there is a growing population of Africans, he said he doesn’t know about it. He thinks that many of his African friends want to learn Cantonese but there are not enough opportunities and supports. He also thinks that some Hong Kong people are very shy and kind of afraid of African.
III. Language at workplace
95% of his teammates are Hong Kong people and they use English to communicate. Also, he uses English in teaching children soccer in local schools, international schools and YMCA centres.
He believes that in general Cantonese and Mandarin are of great importance in workplaces in Hong Kong. Many of his friends do not have stable jobs due to lack of knowledge in these languages. He stresses that well-educated doesn’t mean good at languages.
IV. Remarks
He thinks that the mentality of local Hong Kong citizens plays an important role in affecting Africans to assimilate with the local society. Some Hong Kong people are still having a traditional and conservative mind which makes Africans feels excluded. For instance, some local school students run away from him when he teaches soccer.
