In Pursuit of Love and Peace 

HKU General Education Unit and UNESCO Hong Kong, co-presented the PeaceMakers' ConFest consisting of seminars,screenings, concert, workshop and exhibition from end-Feb to mid-Mar. It aimed to reflect our responsibilities in making the world a safer and better place for humankind. While our lives are increasingly affected by non-traditional security issues in other regions, like natural disasters, epidemics, surveillance, and climate change, the ConFest appealed for the awarenessof global issues and their peaceful resolution by accomplishing the  wide spectrum of the meaning of peace. 

The ConFest kicked off with the Bioethics Art Competition Winner Exhibition organised by UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights. The 15-winning artwork shed a special light on developing life sciences and biotechnology in harmony with ethical values. The ConFest brought together a dynamic collection of speakers including science, journalism, politics, economics to give their views in a series of seminars, screenings and post-viewing discussions covering climate crisis, wars and humanitarian aid, and foreign relationships and diplomacy. Speakers included, Mr. Leung Wing-mo (梁榮武先生), Former Assistant Director, Hong Kong Observatory, Dr. Fan Ning (范寧醫生), President, Medecins Sans Frontieres Hong Kong, Mr. Clifford A. Hart, Jr. (夏千福先生), Consul General of the United States in Hong Kong and Macau, Mr. Kevin Sites, award-winning foreign correspondent, Associate Professor of Practice, Journalism and Media Studies Centre, HKU, Dr. Chan Kin-man (陳健民博士), Director, Centre for Civil Society Studies, CUHK, Dr. Baldwin Wong (王邦華博士), Part-time Assistant Professor, Department of Politics and Public Administration, HKU, Mr. Teddy Robin (泰迪羅賓), veteran musician, film actor, producer and director. While participants were given a deeper insight into the above global issues, our students also had an opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes confronting the plight of refugees by participating in a simulation workshop ‘My Life as a Refugee’. In the summer of 1969, Woodstock Festival - three days of music, peace and love in the east coast of the US, has changed the ways how people perceive of our world and live our lives. Based on this philosophy, we curated a concert which revived these spirits during our PeaceMakers ConFest. Artists including C Allstar, Ketchup, Lil' Ashes, Shandy Gan, Michael and Walter, Brighten Me With Virtues Choir (明我以德合唱團) all came together with similar ideals of embodying peace and love. 

Peacemaking is an ongoing process despite the ConFest has just finished. In HKU, where students from over 80 countries study together, we would continue to strive for a peaceful world.

For more details, please visit: http://beta.gened.hku.hk/programme/sub_programme?id=72%20