Held on Thursday, January 13, 2022
Instructor: Riyo Naoi
(Associate Lecturer, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University / Board Member, Shanti International Volunteer Association)
Filmmaker/PhD (Regional Studies). Since 1998, she has been involved with Asia Press International, producing documentary films about HIV-positive individuals and refugees living in Thailand. Since 2011, she has been based in Kyoto. Her major documentary films include "Anna's Path" (2009, Busan International Film Festival AND Fund Award), and her books include "Visual Regional Studies of Illness" (Kyoto University Press, 2019).
Finding a "connection" with refugees is not easy. In this lecture, we explored together how we can form relationships with refugees and coexist with them, using the life of the film's protagonist as a guide. Many of your responses to the questionnaires and your comments showed that you imagined the "experience" of being a refugee, connected it to your own daily life, and deepened your understanding of how your own life is intertwined with the refugee issue.
I myself learned a great deal from the dialogue with all of you this time. This was only possible because of the "space" of the lecture (the creation of a time and space online). Similarly, when it comes to approaches to the refugee problem, I think it would be good to start by creating a "space" where you yourselves can immerse yourselves in your local communities and create opportunities for refugees to proactively form networks. I hope that the life of Dalatsu, which I introduced in the lecture, will inspire your efforts toward multicultural coexistence.
① What is necessary for coexistence with refugees? (Student's answer)
- After listening to Professor Naoi's talk, and as he said, "Let's start with empathy, not sympathy." While concrete support and measures are certainly important and must be implemented urgently, I felt that above all, we ourselves need to have a feeling of empathy and a desire to live together with them. (1st year student)
- I felt there were two things necessary for coexisting with refugees.
The first point is to provide mental health support to refugees in Japan. Refugees may not be able to speak Japanese and may have difficulty communicating. We believe that this lack of communication can lead to social isolation and cause significant emotional distress. Therefore, we believe that refugees need a place where they can find peace of mind, and that it is important for us Japanese people to create opportunities for dialogue. The second point is to engage with refugees without fear of differences in values. While some may feel sorry for refugees, we believe it is necessary to empathize with them and stand by them, rather than simply offering sympathy. As students in Department of Co-existing Society Studies, we believe we understand refugees better than other university students, and we hope to put these two points into practice, even if only to a small extent. (3rd year student) - I realized that gaining knowledge and deepening my understanding is important. As Professor Naoi said, if the first step in what I can do for refugees is to treat them like ordinary people and communicate with them, rather than with sympathy or pity, then I think it's necessary to deepen my understanding beforehand. This means understanding what kind of lives refugees lead, what has brought them joy in the past, and what they hope for now. (3rd year student)
② What was the most memorable part of the lecture (student feedback)
- I realized that we need to understand refugees in detail, rather than just understanding them by the word "refugee." At this lecture, I heard from someone who had actually run a refugee camp for the first time, and I was able to understand what is difficult and what kind of struggles they face. Hearing from someone who has experienced it firsthand was the most impactful part. Until now, I thought that there were many negative aspects to accepting refugees because the measures taken by third-country resettlement destinations such as Japan and the United States were insufficient. However, I felt that if we look at it from the perspective of future employment, going to a third-country resettlement destination can actually be viewed positively. What I particularly realized from this talk is that it is important to reconsider measures for accepting refugees. Japan needs to review its strict screening criteria. I understand that the strict criteria are in place to prevent fraudulent refugees from staying in Japan, but I think that countries like Japan need to accept more refugees so that refugee camps are not wasted. This lecture made me realize once again my lack of knowledge about refugees. I can explain the word "refugee," but I was unable to explain the content or current situation, so I think I was able to explain it a little better after this. I would like to think about how we should act in the future. (2nd year student)
- What impressed me most in this lecture was the point that Japan accepts few refugees, and the emphasis on promoting understanding of refugees and moving "from sympathy to empathy." I think that instead of just viewing the refugee problem with feelings of pity, having some knowledge about the specific problems and impacts, and what solutions are possible, would further promote empathy. (2nd year student)
- I listened to the first half of the lecture and was thinking that resettlement in a third country might be the best option. Then I watched an interview with someone who had gone to America as a refugee (they said they wanted to see their family), and I realized that not only are safe homes and jobs important for people, but also individual communities are important for their mental well-being. For refugees and other people who need care, that is just as important as material security. (4th year student)