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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| February 14, 2004 |
Examining the Identity of Nikkei Argentineans – Elisa Doi |
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| Ms. Elisa Doi |
Ms. Elisa Doi, a young Argentinean of Japanese descent, or "Nikkei" as they are known in Japanese, joined Peace Boat's 44th global voyage for three short days from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to her hometown Buenos Aires, Argentina. Any Japanese person can instantly deduce that her family has Japanese roots from her last name, Doi. Her father and mother are first generation Nikkei (Japanese) Argentineans who moved to Argentina in their youth to start a new life and family there.
Ms. Doi, a second generation Japanese-Argentinean with dual Japanese and Argentinean citizenship, is now 22 and studies at the University of Argentina in Buenos Aires majoring in labor relations. She came onboard to discuss the issues facing the Japanese-Argentinean community in Argentina, representing two organizations: Nikkei Network (Red 2K) and the Center of Japanese Argentinean University Students (CUAN). |
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Although it is not known to the majority of the Japanese living in Japan, Argentina has a long history of Japanese immigration. On February 16 and 17, Ms. Doi gave two lectures to inform the mostly Japanese Peace Boat participants about the life of Japanese immigrants in Argentina. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Japanese government encouraged emigration to Latin American countries, and a great number of Japanese, especially economically-depressed people from Okinawa, crossed the Pacific Ocean to seek a new life on a continent on the opposite side of the globe. The first group of Japanese immigrants sailed to Argentina in 1878. Since then, the Japanese community has grown in size and solidarity with over 32,000 Argentineans of Japanese descent living in Argentina today and a network of more 30 organizations representing their interests.
Ms. Doi is active as a coordinator of a cultural project called "Ugoki Arte" ("art movement"), which introduces Japanese culture such as Japanese drumming and karaoke to Argentineans, both Nikkei and non-Nikkei alike. Their art event in 2003 "Ugoki Arte 2003" was a great success that attracted 3,000 people. Various Japanese organizations hold forums and events, publish newspapers in both Japanese and English, and teach Japanese to preserve Japanese culture and to promote intergenerational solidarity in the Nikkei community.
When asked what the purpose of her active involvement in the Nikkei community is, Ms. Doi answered that she wants her fellow second and third generation Nikkei Argentinean youths to become proud of their Japanese heritage. Being proud of one's culture does not necessarily mean that one needs to be close-minded to other cultures. The Nikkei community does not limit its activities to only Nikkei Argentineans, rather everybody is welcome to join and learn about Japanese culture. Ms. Doi said that although many Nikkei Argentinean youths are often confused about their mixed identity, she is grateful that the two cultural heritages exist in harmony within her. Through her involvement in the Nikkei community, she hopes to help other Nikkei Argentinean youths to grow to appreciate their Nikkei Argentinean identity.
Her talk stirred the audience to contemplate their Japanese identity - which many had taken for granted - for the first time. What does it mean to be Japanese? What are the criteria for being Japanese? Does one have to be born in Japan to Japanese parents, look Japanese, have Japanese citizenship, and speak Japanese in order to be Japanese? What are the common characteristics of Japanese people? On February 19, those who came up with these questions organized a free discussion "What is 'Japanese'?" and 60 participants shared their opinions openly. With many different people - Japanese, Korean Japanese, Japanese Mexican, Japanese American, African American, Australian, and British - represented, the discussion group came to a conclusion that there is no set definite criteria for "being Japanese" or for any nationality per se. What is important is not to categorize but to be open to differences and recognize the value of diversity in our world. |
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