Re: Toronto Hakka Conference

["S. L . Lee" <sllee@asiawind.com>]

Dear Roger,

I hope you don't mind my posting your email to the forum.  This is exactly
what I feel. I want to include all those who identify themselves as Hakka,
whether they can speak it fluently or not. That is why this website is in
English rather than in Chinese.  Educated in Cantonese and English, I myself
do not speak Hakka fluently either. That is not a handicap as long as I know
who I am. I usually do not participate in the discussion to stay neutral and
leave the forum open.  However, when it comes to a point that might result
in being exclusive, separatistic and chauvinistic, I will have to intervene
and clarify the stand of this site and the forum.

Please send me a finalized version of your announcement to be posted at
Asiawind.com.
Wish you all the success in holding the conference in Toronto.

SL Lee

----- Original Message -----
From: Roger Chen <ri.chen@sympatico.ca>
To: <sllee@asiawind.com>
Cc: <Patlee@interlog.com>; <ica@interlog.com>
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2000 12:22 AM
Subject: Toronto Hakka Conference


> Dear Dr. Lee,
>
> I read your Asiawind web-page almost everyday and have found it very
> educational. There have been times that the discussions, as you so aptly
> put it, goes round in circles; and there are some who are very sensitive
> to opinions that differ from their own. Nevertheless it is a very
> educational page especially for people like myself - third generation
> from the Caribbean who were told by our parents that we are Hakka; but
> don't speak the dialect.
>
> Speaking for my generation, my parents established their residence in
> Jamaica in the 1930's, My brothers, sister and I were born between
> 1935-1950. While we were growing up and learning to speak, we learnt a
> little Hakka from what our parents taught us, English in school, and the
> local Patois dialect on the street. We did poorly in English in school
> because the language on the street had no structured grammar. We
> understood when our parents spoke to us in Hakka, but more often than
> not we replied in english/patois. I have come to realize that at that
> time our parents were learning the language along with us! You have to
> recognize their courage and respect their effort. Of course we, the
> children, never became fluent in Hakka - some only know a handfull of
> phrases. Needless to say our knowledge of our culture and heritage is
> slowly disappearing along with our elders.
>
> We from the Caribbean are proud of being Hakka; we regret that we didn't
> learn the language, but wish to pass on the rich Hakka heritage to the
> next generation. With this in mind a group of us are planning a host a
> "Toronto Hakka Conference" in December 2000. The attached proposal gives
> details of the proposed conference.
>
> The purpose of this rambling is to ask if you would contribute to this
> conference by presenting a paper and/or chairing a session to address
> the controversial topic of "Who are the Hakka people".
>
> Ohio is only a short drive away from Toronto. Toronto also happens to be
> the northernmost settlement of the last Hakka migration ... from the
> Caribbean! and it is the largest of the four Caribbean Hakka settlements
> in North America, the others being Miami, Los Angeles and Vancouver.
> They all look to Toronto for leadership and we hope to do so throgh this
> conference.
>
> Roger Chen, P.Eng.
>