Kizuna English Newsletter2016 / Newsletter2015: 4th Anniversary events/ Accounting report/ Articles/ The Tashme Project: The Living Archives
Wishing you a happy new year.
This
year is the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and 45 years
since the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) entered into
force. However, it is difficult to see if we are going in the right
direction. The March 11 anniversary is
approaching. It has been 4 years since the nuclear disaster in Japan.
Thank you very much to those who came to see film “A2-B-C” last
November 2014. It was a success.
The same film was scheduled to be shown publicly in Fukushima
city this month for the first time, however, the director Ian Thomas Ash
decided to cancel at the last minute.
Here is a quote (from his blog):
“One of
the scariest parts of the current situation in Fukushima is a thickening
atmosphere of not being able to speak out, or share one's thoughts, or have a
healthy debate. Self-censorship is endemic. And silence, like
radiation, can be an invisible killer.”
It
is very sad that the victims, self-evacuees and people who voiced up are
ignored and kicked out, in order to cover up the facts about the effects of the
Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown. It seems that major media, including
newspapers in Montreal depict the whole of Japan in recovery with a happy mood
and business/tourism is blooming, etc.
Evacuees
who used to live near the power plant are being forced to move back to the
area, which is still very unstable (leaking radiation into the air and the
ocean every day). Near Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are mountains of
bags of contaminated soil and other problems. The roads are now open now
in Fukushima Prefecture even though some parts of road are in highly
radioactive areas. 117 Fukushima children have been diagnosed with Thyroid
cancer. Some specialists say that people in other areas also need to be
tested soon, not only for cancer but also for other illnesses.
There are some upcoming events (I’m sorry to those who don’t
live in Quebec). One is at Montreal University this weekend and another
is in Quebec City next month There is also is a play
taking place in May in Montreal. Please spread the word and join if you can.
Events are organized by a third party (not Kizuna Japon).
I know some people who contributed and I do not have contact
address to thank you. Please forward the information if you know somebody
who helped us in the past. Also please let me know if you do not want
to receive this kind of email in future.
On a personal note, I am going to attend two events in
Dusseldorf, Germany and one protest walk at Belgium’s Tihange
nuclear power plant. On March 11, about 10 individuals who are involved
for bringing awareness about the issues of radiation explosions, social
problems, nuclear weapons etc., will gather at our place to commemorate 3.11
and discuss.
The remainder of the newsletter will cover:
•
Upcoming events
•
Accounting report of Kizuna Japon
•
Recent articles.
•
Special on The Tashme Project: The Living Archives
is added after the articles.
Upcoming Events
An International Conference with Film Screenings:
Repenser les écologies d’irradiation: Nouvelles approches de l’histoire, esthétique, épistémologie et politique des environnements radioactifs/
Rethinking Radiation Ecologies: New Approaches to the
History, Aesthetics, Epistemology, and Politics of Radioactive Environments
Date:
Saturday-Sunday March 14-15, 2015
Time:
9:00am to 20:00
Location:
Auditorium B-0215, Pav. 3200 Jean Brillant Building
Université
de Montréal/University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
The
event is free and open to the public
Sous la
direction de/Organizer: Livia Monnet, Littérature comparée/Comparative Literature, Université
de Montréal
A short
documentary “Radiation” is scheduled at 18:20 on March 14. There
are two sessions each day. Please see about guest speakers, program and
more details by clicking on the following link:
https://rethinkingradiationecologies.wordpress.com/
International Uranium
Film Festival
It is dedicated to the 70th
anniversary of the first explosion of an Atomic Bomb and the A-bombing of
Hiroshima & Nagasaki in 1945. The festival takes place in Quebec City,
Concorde hotel, together with the World Uranium Symposium.
Date:
from April 15 to 25, 2015 (in Quebec city),
Special
screening April 20 in Mistissini and April 22 and 23
in Montreal.
There
are many interesting films include six Japanese films and four Canadian films.
http://www.uraniofestival.org/en/
Accounting
Report
Kizuna
Japon raised $3921.91 last year, plus $997.50 were generously donated. 1. Form that, $3422,28 were used to fund the following:
•
a few non-profit organizations in Japan that organize
recuperation camps for children who live in contaminated areas
•
one citizen’s Radioactivity measurement station in
Miyagi Prefecture
•
funds to help rebuild new schools that were destroyed
by the Tsunami in Iwate Prefecture.
2. Also
$500 were used to fund the A2-B-C screening committee
3.
A sum of 10000yen was used to support to final editing of Hitomi
Kamanaka’s new film “Little Voices from Fukushima “
I’m
sorry but the following accounting file is only in Japanese. Thank you
very much to those who contributed.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9u1Vmm9mcRmVFlaTlZaZExldlk/view
Some
organization’s project reports are available in English. By reading, you
will know what your contributions were used for.
http://kizunajapon.web.fc2.com/connection_e.html
Recent Articles
by Stéphane Dion: The Fukushima Shock (Dec. 2014)
http://commonground.ca/2014/12/fukushima-shock/
Germany’s Spiegel:
'Uncertain Radiological Threat': US Navy Sailors Search for Justice after
Fukushima Mission (Feb.2015)
Al Jazeera: Japan's
nuclear restart meets public fears (Jan.2015)
Documenting ian, blog: First public screening
of 'A2-B-C' in Fukushima City cancelled (March 2015)
http://ianthomasash.blogspot.jp/2015/03/documenting-march-11-disaster-four.html
The Tashme Project: The Living
Archives
The Tashme Project: The Living
Archives is a 75-minute play tracing the history of Japanese
Canadians from pre-WW2 childhood in BC, through evacuation, internment and
post-war dispersal to present day. As a verbatim piece, the play is
constructed with the testimonies of over 30 Nisei (2nd generation Japanese
Canadians), who were children at the time of internment. The voices of myself and Matt feature into the piece contributing
perspectives from the younger generations of JCs who are still resolving the
internment legacy in their own lives.
I wonder if you would be willing to help us spread the word
about our production. We believe it would be of interest to any generation of
Japanese Canadians, or anyone wanting to hear about the JC experience in a
theatrical setting.
(an email from Julie Tamiko
Manning, the theatre artist)
The
shows are in Montreal:
Friday,
May 8, 8 PM
Saturday,
May 9, 8 PM
Sunday,
May 10, 3 PM
Wednesday,
May 13th, 8 PM
Thursday,
May 14th, 8 PM
Friday,
May 15th, 8 PM
Saturday,
May 16th, 8 PM
Sunday,
May 17th, 3 PM
Location:
MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels)
3680,
rue Jeanne-Mance, bureau 103
Montréal
(Québec) Canada H2X 2K5
Indiegogo
fundraising campaign:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-tashme-project-the-living-archives
Another
way that you can help the Tashme Project: Aeroplan points donation
Playwrights
Workshop Montreal has set up their account to accept Aeroplan
points donations to bring Mieko, the director, to Montreal from
Edmonton for The Tashme Project rehearsals
in April. The account is accessible for a month but we are hoping to
raise enough points in the next week so we can book quickly,
as Air Canada sets aside select seating for Aeroplan points users, and these seats will lessen with time.
If you
click on https://beyondmiles.aeroplan.com/eng/partners/313 it
will bring you to Playwrights Workshop Montreal's donation page on the Aeroplan website. The minimum amount accepted is 1000
points and our goal is 35 000. If we end up with more points than we
need, we will donate it back to PWM (so they can use it for the next Canadian
playwright they throw their support behind) as they have been an incredible
help to Tashme Productions- we could never have done
it without them.
Thank you very much. I hope spring comes soon.
Ryoko Hashizume (Leuven, Belgium)
Kizuna
Japon