Asia+ Festival Features Dynamic Dance Production We Wear Our Wheels With Pride on October 18-19.

Asia+ Festival to present Olivier Award winner South African choreographer Robyn Orlin's work "We wear our wheels with pride" in October

The Asia+ Festival, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, will offer an exhilarating multi-media dance production, "We wear our wheels with pride", on October 18 and 19. The programme is created by Robyn Orlin, a renowned South African choreographer honoured with the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement, and performed by dancers of Moving Into Dance Mophatong, a flagship contemporary dance company, together with an electronic duo in South Africa. Featuring high-energy dance and a colourful stage, this piece pays homage to the Zulu rickshaw drivers who demonstrate resilience and creativity in adversity.

Orlin is globally revered for her bold theatricality and concepts. Her work, "We wear our wheels with pride", has received widespread acclaim when staged in Europe. The programme is inspired by the rickshaw drivers once seen on the streets in South Africa who adorned themselves with tunics decorated with pearls and fringes, feathered headdresses and flamboyant cow horns. They painted their rickshaws with vibrant colours and pulled them with a bouncy, dance-like gait. Orlin reimagines the scenes on stage, captivating audiences with a stunning visual feast.

Moving Into Dance Mophatong inherits Zulu traditions, with both body language and visual elements rooted in the tribe's heritage. Blending traditional and contemporary techniques, the dancers narrate the enduring history of Africa with powerful and fluid body movements. In the performance, dancers' silhouettes are instantly projected onto giant screens, morphing into swirling, multi-coloured hues that reflect the Rainbow Nation's spirit.

The live music is created by two South African musicians Annalyzer (Anelisa Stuurman) and Yogin Sullaphen, who fuse Khoisan chants and slam poetry with electronic beats, hip hop and Afrofusion, evolving into a unique soundtrack that perfectly complements the visuals.

"We wear our wheels with pride" will be held at 8pm on October 18 and 3pm on October 19 at the Sheung Wan Civic Centre Theatre. Tickets priced at $360 and $480 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288, or use the mobile ticketing app "URBTIX".

The programme contains strobe lighting effects. Songs will be performed in IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Sesotho and English. Audience members may be filmed, and the footage will be used as part of the performance. A meet-the-artist session will be held after the performance on October 18.

In addition, an outreach performance by dancers of Moving into Dance Mophatong will be held on October 17 at 7.30pm at the Main Entrance, 1/F, Central Market. Admission is free. A dance and music workshop will also be held at 8pm on the same day at the Rehearsal Hall, 7/F, Sheung Wan Civic Centre. The ticket price is $220. For details, please refer to www.asiaplus.gov.hk/2025/en/wwowwp.

The Asia+ Festival is held annually from September to November with the aim of creating a sustainable platform for arts and cultural exchange. While focusing on Asia, the Festival also connects with Belt and Road countries and regions in Europe, Africa and the Americas. Now in its third edition, artists from more than 30 countries and regions, including 12 new participating countries, will take part in the Festival, featuring over 100 performances and activities. Apart from stage programmes, there are also an outdoor carnival, a thematic exhibition, workshops, a backstage tour, masterclasses, talks, outreach performances and more. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2370 1044 or visit www.asiaplus.gov.hk.

Asia+ Festival to present Olivier Award winner South African choreographer Robyn Orlin's work "We wear our wheels with pride" in October Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asia+ Festival to present Olivier Award winner South African choreographer Robyn Orlin's work "We wear our wheels with pride" in October Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asia+ Festival to present Olivier Award winner South African choreographer Robyn Orlin's work "We wear our wheels with pride" in October Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asia+ Festival to present Olivier Award winner South African choreographer Robyn Orlin's work "We wear our wheels with pride" in October Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Seven persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operation

The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted an anti-illegal worker operation codenamed "Contribute" today (January 15).During the operation, ImmD Task Force officers raided premises under renovation in a newly built public housing estate in Sheung Shui district.A total of six suspected illegal workers and one suspected employer were arrested. Thearrested suspected illegal workers comprise six men, aged 22 to 41. Furthermore, one man, aged 45, suspected of employing the illegal workers, was also arrested. An investigation into the suspected employers is ongoing, and the possibility of further arrests is not ruled out.

Apart from mounting the enforcement operation, ImmD officers and a promotional vehicle have been deployed to distribute "Don't Employ Illegal Workers" leaflets and convey the message in the estate.

An ImmD spokesman said, "Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties."

The spokesman stressed that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years' imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years' imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.

According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.

Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) and/or forced labour victims. When any TIP and/or forced labour indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP and/or forced labour elements. Identified TIP and/or forced labour victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP and/or forced labour victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.

For reporting illegal employment activities, please call the dedicated hotline 3861 5000, by fax at 2824 1166, email to anti_crime@immd.gov.hk, or submit "Online Reporting of Immigration Offences" form at www.immd.gov.hk.

Seven persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Seven persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases