Kizuna English Newsletter2016 / Newsletter2015: 4th Anniversary events/
Accounting report/ Articles/ The Tashme Project: The Living Archives

Date: Mon, Mar 9, 2015

To Kizuna Japon friends, family and those who have contributed or have been interested in Kizuna Japon in the past.

  

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)

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/navy-sailors-possibly-exposed-to-fukushima-radiation-fight-for-justice-a-1016482.html

 

Al Jazeera: Japan's nuclear restart meets public fears (Jan.2015)

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/01/japan-nuclear-restart-meets-public-fears-150129105332893.html

 

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

 

 

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