HKU Bulletin April 2006 (Vol. 7 No. 2)

3 2 In the Arms of a Goddess T he Hindu goddess of knowledge and the arts, Sarasvati, has extended her blessings into the Department of Music. A painting of the four-armed goddess by Balinese artist, Subrata from Batuan, was presented to the Department by the Mayor and Raja of Gianyar, A A Gde Agung Bharata, in appreciation of the Department’s efforts to promote the performance and enjoyment of gamelan music. The Raja watched the University Gamelan perform in Bali in 2004. Students have been travelling to the Indonesian island for six years to study its music and culture under the auspices of the Department of Music and Associate Professor Manolete Mora, who has also conducted research there. Dr Mora said the experience was a transformational one for students because they stayed in Balinese homes and experienced the importance of art and music in creating a sense of community. “Many of the students have a genuine interest in music, but they have been dissuaded from pursuing it by parents and teachers. They feel vindicated to go to a place where music is not seen as marginal. This is why the gesture of the painting is so important,” he said. The painting hangs in Hung Hing Ying Building outside the Department’s offices. The goddess holds several items in her arms, including a string instrument associated with learning and a higher form of enlightenment. Along with the painting, the Raja has promised to offer assistance with future field trips by providing accommodation for students in Bali. He also supported a performance by the University Gamelan in Hong Kong in November at the Cultural Centre and sent four Balinese dancers and musicians to the event. Dr Mora said the painting symbolised these new connections with Bali. “This gift says what gifts are all about: to establish bonds between people. In places like Bali and other parts of Southeast Asia, gift giving is not meant to ingratiate yourself, it is tantamount to giving a part of yourself. This is why gifts are treated with profound respect. You can’t take it for granted or give it away, you have to treasure it,” he said. NEWS ROUND-UP Human Rights Generosity A record number of entrants were admitted to the Master of Laws in Human Rights programme this year thanks largely to the generosity of one man. The Faculty of Law accepted 35 students for this unique course, six of whom were given the opportunity to join by Dr Helmut Sohmen. The chairman and president of World-Wide Shipping Group has agreed to donate $1.2 million a year, over the next five years towards the education of ten students, annually, from across Asia. Suzannah Linton, Associate Professor and Programme Director, said she was delighted with Dr Sohmen’s support. “The personal generosity of one man is supporting six students this year and we are genuinely and deeply grateful to Dr Sohmen,” she said. Launched in 1999, to promote human rights in the region, the course has continued to go from strength to strength. “Our vision has been to equip our students with the means and methods to go out and make a difference in the promotion and protection of human rights across the world, but especially in Asia. We work to give our students knowledge, skills and the capacity to think creatively and outside the box. The programme routinely attracts students from as far afield as Mongolia and Fiji. “They come from Indonesia, Nepal, Mainland China, Thailand, UK, the Philippines, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia and they also benefit from the tremendous wisdom and experience of the Sir Y.K. Pao Professor of Public Law, for which we also have Dr Sohmen to thank” said Linton. “Not just that, we will also be having two visiting academics a year contributing to the programme. Such generosity is rare, particularly in relation to human rights programmes.” Linton joined the University in August last year after some 12 years of working on the front line of human rights protection in countries like Bosnia, Croatia, Yugoslavia, East Timor, Indonesia and Cambodia. “I can assure you that investment in building human capacity and expertise through scholarships and support of a programme such as this is investing in a better future for the countries that our students come from, and for the international society as a whole. “Whether they go back home to work or remain in Hong Kong, our students will take with them a thorough understanding of this specialized area of international law known as human rights. “It doesn't matter if our graduating students work in NGOs, foreign ministries, national human rights commissions, inter-governmental agencies; it doesn't matter if they are lawyers, prosecutors or judges.” The goal of the programme she said was to ensure that what students learn here will inspire and empower them and those around them as well as entrench respect for people in the places they work. “Many have already become, or will become, leaders in their fields. One of the sure ways for human rights to enter the mainstream and enter policies of state is through enlightened leaders with a progressive approach towards the human person and his or her role in society. “After seven years, we can say with confidence that many of our graduates are indeed making a difference. It should be clear that part of our vision also involves making The University of Hong Kong the home of one of the world's finest human rights programmes,” she added. NEWS ROUND-UP