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Fiona Sun

For asylum seeker “John Outsider” laughter is the best medicine.
The 37-year-old Iranian knows what it means to be isolated, to be looked down upon, to be persecuted and to be in pain, and his coping mechanism is comedy and writing.
A member of his country’s Green Movement in 2009, Outsider, who will not reveal his real name, says he was arrested twice and tortured for his role in the uprising that was also known as the Persian Spring.
While his experiences in Hong Kong have not yet included physical violence, he says the way asylum seekers and refugees are treated in the city left him feeling like he had a contagious disease.
“Every time I told someone at a bar that I’m an asylum seeker, they excused themselves to go to bathroom and never returned,” he says.

For a man with a degree in electrical engineering, having to rely on social welfare and handouts from charities left him with a feeling of hopelessness.
“I was a good kid. I studied hard. I didn’t hurt anyone. But what happened to me? Nothing makes sense,” he says.
Finding laughter in tragedy keeps Outsider sane, and to mark this year’s World Refugee Day, he will bring his humour to the “Comedy Without Borders” show on Saturday, the first of its kind in Hong Kong to feature refugees and asylum seekers.
Also featuring music by two asylum seekers from Africa, the idea of the show is to break down the stereotype that refugees and asylum seekers are only poor, needy and dangerous.
“That is not a full picture,” Outsider says. “Refugees and asylum seekers can be talented and funny.”
Hong Kong give asylum seekers and refugees have little to celebrate
For his part, Outsider, who has based his stage and pen name on the discrimination he says he faces on a daily basis in Hong Kong, intends to take inspiration from his own experiences.
He has spent seven years stranded in the city waiting for his claim to be processed by the Immigration Department so he can leave for a third country. Despite the persecution he experienced at home, his claim has been rejected twice.
As an asylum seeker, he is not allowed to work and has to rely on social welfare stipends, including a monthly housing allowance of HK$1,500 (US$192) and handouts from charities, which is far from enough to live on in Hong Kong, he says. To save money, he once stayed in a cramped shelter with 12 people, sharing one bathroom.
As a release, and as a means of venting his frustration, he has written three books, which he has self-published on Amazon.

The Curse of Love, The Edge, and The Shadows of the Sun deal with themes arising from his personal experiences and his observations of Hong Kong, including race, social class, relationships and family matters.
He says he can see the beauty of a city he calls safe and diverse, while also finding humour in the darker side of his uncertain existence.
“Most refugees and asylum seekers are depicted as poor, needy and even dangerous. I hate that picture because that’s not all about them.”
To provide a platform where asylum seekers and refugees can show a different side, Table of Two Cities, a local community project dedicated to refugees and asylum seekers, organised the comedy show.
“Comedy and music are the media that make sense for them, and are important for them to move away from people’s sympathy,” says Tegan Smyth, the project’s founder. “For them, they want to be known for their artistry and have a platform to reach a wider audience.”
Comedy without Borders is taking place at Social Room in Central, from 7pm to 10pm, on Saturday, June 22.


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Finding light in the darkest of times provides comic relief for one Hong Kong outsider

‘John Outsider’ will be giving his humorous take on being an asylum seeker in Hong Kong at the ‘Comedy without Borders’ show. Photo: Fiona Sun

John Outsider's Comedy without Borders Photo: Facebook

Asylum seeker John Outsider published three books based on his experiences and observations of Hong Kong society.  18JUN19  SCMP/ Fiona Sun

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Asylum seeker ‘John Outsider’ will share his humorous take on the darker side of being a refugee in the city
Iranian who fled his country after 2009 Green Movement will perform at Comedy without Borders show


Asylum seeker ‘John Outsider’ will share his humorous take on the darker side of being a refugee in the city at Comedy without Borders show.


Ethnic minorities in Hong Kong

Asylum seekers in Asia

Iran