[Travel Reflections] Iranian friend worried for Hongkongers facing US sanctions

Author： Kim Fan Wong

“I heard that Hong Kong is sanctioned by the United States. Is it true?” On the other side of the telephone was the voice of my Iranian friend in a worried tone. 

I was caught off guard by the question, hesitated for a few seconds and then responded, “Probably yes...” 

 “What to do then? It’s no joking being sanctioned by the United States. Just look at our situation…. Do you need help?”

I was touched but felt helpless at the same time. Hong Kong is more well-resourced than Iran and it never crossed my mind that my Iranian friend will ask me if I need any help.

The day after our phone chat, the news came that the United States is urging the United Nations to sanction Iran.

Be it coincidence or for whatever reasons, I frequently visited countries sanctioned by the United States in the past few years. These countries all have their own issues but share one thing in common: poverty. Regardless if it is Iran, North Korea or Cuba, the people’s lives are always trapped in “poverty” and real hardship.

I keep thinking what mood and state of mind should I have when travelling to such countries?

Take Iran as an example, which has been sanctioned by the United States for the last 40 years. Its economic development lags far behind, inflation is unchecked and its currency keeps devaluating. As a result, cost of living skyrockets and resources become scarce. The pandemic makes things worse, rubbing salt in the wound.  Iranians live a miserable life.  Nevertheless, tourists may not feel the hardships faced by Iranians. It is because Iranians are very hospitable, warm and friendly and they always carry a smile. 

If they see you checking a map, they will proactively offer help without you having to ask for directions. If they know you plan to visit a mosque, they will buy you a visitor ticket. When asking for the bill in a teahouse, you will find out that the Iranian family at the next table has already paid for you. If you meet a friendly Iranian on the street, say hello and have a brief chat, you will be invited to the family’s residence. Regardless of how poor the family is, they will always treat you with the best they can offer and will cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for you. While tourists are fully engaged in the hospitality of the Iranians, they may not have time to find out what Iranians are facing in real life. Often times, tourists find US sanctions against Iran beneficial to them as the harsher the sanction, the worse the currency devaluation and thus the lower the cost of travel.

If we observe attentively and put ourselves in the same shoes, travel journeys will not be the same. Not to mention villages in remote mountains, poverty scenes in the capital Tehran are everywhere. What tourists find difficult to bear is the sight of young kids selling small goods like tissues and chewing gum in the underground. The locals turn a blind eye and only tourists may buy from them. This is the moment when tourists can feel the devastating effects of US sanctions. This is a country with a civilisation of a few thousand years. Its people respect nature, love all people and are kind to others. Civilised and good natured, they deserve a better life. Unfortunately, they are sandwiched between tradition and modernisation, religious and secular life, and have no way out. Most Iranians are contented with life. No matter how hard life is, they always carry a smile. The more tourists understand the livelihood of the locals, the more they can feel their pain. This is exactly like what travel writer Matt Gross wrote in his book The Turk Who Loved Apples – when the sorrows of the others intrude into your holiday, travelling becomes heavy. Should I buy from the young kids? Thinking deeper, they should be in school receiving education and not selling stuff inside the underground.  If I do not buy, will that affect their livelihood? Are they controlled by an illegal and organised force? As a tourist, how can I help these kids? What’s the point of offering them some small change? Should I seriously consider joining an aid organisation to actively alleviate poverty and strive to eliminate injustice? These are the eternal topics of conscientious tourists.

Years ago, I was chatting with an Iranian friend at a teahouse near Isfahan Bridge of 33 Arches. He told me that in the past few decades, the Iranian government keeps printing money and keeps adding a “zero” on banknotes. Everybody becomes “poor millionaires”. For example, what one paid for a BMW car before the Iranian Revolution can only buy a pair of flip flops these days. Sadly, the lives of ordinary people have been hit hard and they struggle to survive in desperation. While talking, an Iraqi youth smoking a water pipe approached and joined our conversation. I do not speak Arabic and my friend did the interpretation. I thought after the Iran–Iraq War, there was a long running feud among the people of these two countries. That they can mix peacefully and chat was unexpected. They both complained about the hardship of life and the bleak future.  Currently the monthly income of an average Iranian is about USD120 to USD200. In other words, the total income of an Iranian per annum is even less than a month’s salary of a grassroots Hong Kong citizen.  This young Iraqi chap said the world is unfair. Why is it that I can travel to Iran by plane while they will not be able to afford an air ticket to Hong Kong in their lifetime. I really have no answer to this question.

When leaving, they hugged each other and the Iraqi said something which I did not understand at all. My Iranian friend helped interpret:

 “We must all try to live well and work hard to change the status quo."

Drawing from my observations in my many trips in Iran, even though Iranians are stifled by US economic sanctions, they do not hate Americans. Young people even want to immigrate to the United States. They can discern the government from the people. They hate the US government but not the Americans.

This should be the prime principle of travel: we must know that the people are different from the government.

Dreaming of migrating to a country which sanctions one’s homeland is a bit puzzling and difficult to understand. However this seems to be the trend around the world. This reminds me of the situation of Hong Kong facing US sanctions. This may sound absurd to people outside Hong Kong but why are there so many Hong Kong citizens happy to see US sanctions on Hong Kong? If you understand the situation Hong Kong people are facing, there should be empathy and understanding. Sadly those in power have never faced up to this problem.  The bitterness and helplessness in life must be unspeakable for one to opt to be subject to foreign sanctions. If the impact of US sanctions will extend to life and livelihood, Hong Kong people for sure will not see the end of the tunnel for a long period of time. Hence, my Iranian friend’s concerns about Hong Kong are not unreasonable.

Are Hong Kong people psychologically prepared for all these?

 “We must all try to live well and work hard to change the status quo."

At the moment, I find this sentence particularly relevant to Hong Kong people.

It seems that for a while I have not heard Hong Kong people cheering ourselves on for reasons I do not know.  Although it sounds cliché, it is very important. For important things, we say it three times:

Hongkongers, Keep Fighting!

Hongkongers, Keep Fighting!

Hongkongers, Keep Fighting!

Source: Civil Wayfarers

https://www.facebook.com/civil.wayfarers/