On November 10, “Caribbean Film Screening: Life, Nature, and Music in the Caribbean” was held at Chikyu Hiroba.
As part of the Japan-Caribbean Year of Exchange, the morning session featured a talk session by JICA St. Lucia Branch Office staff and former Branch Director, and a screening of “Calypso Rose,” a film set in Trinidad and Tobago. In the afternoon, the first Belizean animation film “Tecani and Duende” was screened, followed by a talk session by former Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
St. Lucia is a small country in the Caribbean Sea with a population of about 183,000, about the same size as Awaji Island. Its beautiful beaches are popular among tourists, especially those from the United States. It is characterized by a very large number of residents of African descent, but there are also residents of mixed race and East Indian descent. We connected live with Mr. Urushibata and Mr. Byoshima of the St. Lucia branch office, and also had Mr. Mimura, former head of the St. Lucia branch office, in the audience to talk about various aspects of the Caribbean, such as chocolate, beautiful beaches, pirates, and hobbies. Chocolate from the Caribbean region may sound unfamiliar, but all three major cacao products distributed in the world today originate from Central and South America and the Caribbean. Hotel Chocolat, a chocolatier that uses cacao from St. Lucia, has several stores in Japan, making it easy to feel familiar with the distant taste of the Caribbean.
Introduction of Chocolate by Mr. Urushibata
Introduction of Mr. Byoshima’s hobby “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu” at his dojo. He told us with a smile that he enjoys immersing himself in his hobby with his jiu-jitsu friends in St. Lucia.
Mr. Mimura talked about the history of pirates in the Caribbean and the locations of St. Vincent and the Grenadines used in the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean.
The documentary film “Calypso Rose,” produced in Trinidad and Tobago and France in 2011, unravels the life of Calypso Rose, the queen of calypso, the music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago, from various angles, including Caribbean culture, history, feminism and racial issues. She is the queen of calypso. In the male-dominated music industry, she raised women’s rights and other social issues through calypso, and contributed to improving the status of women in the Caribbean. In addition, by following in the footsteps of Rose’s ancestors who were brought from Africa to the Caribbean as slaves, she was able to sense the diversity and uniqueness of cultures formed through the negative history of colonial rule and slave trade in the Caribbean region today. Even in the midst of her life of hardships, her bright calypso music was depicted to create her strength, and we were able to deepen our understanding of Calypso Rose and the Caribbean region.
I was reminded of my slave ancestors and how strange it must have felt to be so deeply moved by them. I could understand what the people of African origin living in the West Indies are going through. The calypso rose song was wonderful. I could understand the feelings of the people of African origin living in the West Indies. Her representative song, “Israel by bus,” which was played many times in the film, can be heard on YouTube.
Belize, featured in the afternoon session, is a country with a population of 405,000 and an area slightly larger than Shikoku, located in the northeastern part of Central America, facing the Caribbean Sea. World-class coral reefs and ruins of Mayan civilization are popular among tourists.
Tecani and Duende” is Belize’s first animated film on the theme of environmental conservation and teaches about the importance of forest resources and biodiversity in Belize. It makes you think about how people’s activities affect nature and why we keep repeating the same problems. Belize has made conservation of marine resources as well as forest resources an important policy, and has a “Blue Economy” policy. This concept refers to the sustainable use of marine resources for economic growth and improved livelihoods while maintaining the health of marine ecosystems. As can be seen from this, Belize is focusing on the conservation of environmental resources, and JICA is also deepening its cooperation by providing assistance and sending cooperation teams to the environmental sector.
What is the capital? What is the national bird of Belize? Belize Quiz Tournament was a friendly and lively event, imagining the small Caribbean country.
JICA has been dispatching overseas cooperation teams since 2000, and a cumulative total of 203 cooperation teams have been dispatched through FY2023.
In the talk session, Mr. Yoshimura, Mr. Kimura, and Mr. Kato, who worked as Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) in Belize, took the stage to talk about their experiences in JOCV and their life in Belize, including food, fun, and culture.
As a PC instructor, Mr. Yoshimura contributed to the spread of PC education in Belize by teaching PCs to children and teachers at schools and repairing PCs used in class. Mr. Kimura, as a member of the “Environmental Education” team, conducted environmental education mainly at schools, and worked to raise environmental awareness through competitions such as the design of garbage cans. He was also active in activities outside of work, such as promoting Japanese culture and serving as a soccer coach, making use of his special skills. Ms. Kato worked at the town office in the “Administration and Business Management” category, where she was involved in a wide range of activities, from environmental activities to cultural activities and event management. I was impressed that she enjoyed talking about the cultural exchange in Belize, saying that she dressed the participants in yukata at the beauty contest held at the town hall where she works, and they were very happy. We were able to deepen our understanding of the specific activities of the cooperative and the culture and lifestyle in Belize based on the interactive dialogue with the participants by showing them photos of various themes.
Introduction of the natural landscape of Belize by a former JICA member. Beautiful sea, cacao trees, etc. The story of the Belizean cave expedition of Mr. Yoshimura, a former member of the team, the audience was also very interested.
Belize’s classic rice and beans (top left) and popular tacos (center).
Mr. Kimura, who worked as an environmental education corps member, held a trash can art competition with local children to install trash cans that would be cherished by the community as a countermeasure against littering.
This event provided a valuable opportunity to deepen understanding of the connection between Japan and the Caribbean, a region far from Japan and unfamiliar to many, and its culture and society through films and talks with people who have experienced the region.
Twenty-three countries from the Latin American region, including first-time participants, have announced their participation in the upcoming Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai, and 12 countries from the Caribbean are scheduled to participate. It is hoped that the Expo will enhance cultural understanding and interest in the Latin American and Caribbean region and strengthen relations with Japan.
If you are interested, please visit the Expo.
© Source JICA
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