The Mural Project in Hamamatsu
The Mural Project by Japanese-Brazilian and Japanese-Peruvian high school students living in Hamamatsu
The Hamamatsu NPO Network Center Mural is an expressive piece of art, completed by the community in common community space, and it portrays the 'problems,' 'hopes' and 'pride' of the community. Nine Japanese-Brazilian and Japanese-Peruvian students undertook the large scale mural project striving for multicultural harmony, and to share with the community and others in similar circumstances, the problems faced by foreign high school students.
Taking the first steps-The issues faced by children of immigrant workersIn Hamamatsu City, 4% of the population, about 23000 people are foreign immigrant workers and their families (as of April 2005 former Hamamatsu City statistics). Children of foreign citizenship do not fall under compulsory education requisites, and are faced with financial difficulties and the language barrier, so the chances of them going on to high school are slight, and it is often the case that they too have no other career options other than factory labor.
"This is a vicious cycle. If foreigners are able to study, then various options may become available to them. What they need are 'relevant' role models with whom they can identify." said Ms. YukoYamaguchi, representative of Hamamatsu NPO Network Center (commonly known as N-Pocket) and started the project, in the hope that the mural would pave the way for cultivating new youth leaders. She started with rounds of each high school to gain the understanding of the principals, she recruited several Japanese-Brazilian and Japanese-Peruvian students to participate in the project, as well as an art teacher and some art club members and in the spring of 2003, and this project started.
Learning Design- Learning through the mural creation process
As an introduction course, the participants experienced ”Ęgetting to know each other' and 'expressing themselves,' through a drama workshop and collage creation. Next, they shared their life stories. How they came to Japan, what problems they faced, how they overcame them, how they were able to get into high school, their dreams, ambitions, hopes for the future. The task of consciously collating this information and deciding whom to and how to express it was extremely difficult, but gradually it all came into focus.
In summer, the group visited San Francisco to study murals in shopping areas and elementary schools. They learnt expressive and technical methods for mural creation from mural artist called Kendall Oh. They posed and took photos to then be drawn into the mural, of themes they wanted to express, planned the background, and then the Japanese art teachers and art group also joined in and started painting. Also, they sent letters explaining the project, requesting and being granted aid by means of art materials from five companies.
And, in September 2005, a 'Community Painting Day' was held over three days at a city high school and university, where a total of 160 people of all age groups participated in mural painting. In this time, where various people shared their time to 'paint together' a great deal of communication was achieved. A large number of people, who were nearby, but never had the chance to mingle with the Brazilian and Peruvian students, had a chance to learn about their circumstances, their troubles and their hopes.
Finally, the mural was completed, and it beautifully expressed the homeland and families of the students, and the predicaments they overcame and their hopes-; 'never give up,' 'now is the time to study,' 'you are not alone,' and 'go for your dreams.' The mural was also used as a backdrop at the cultural festival of the Shizuoka University of Culture and Art and other national events, and was even displayed at the National Folklore Museum.
Result of this Learning-Results of the mural project
The mural project provided participants with a 'sense of leadership' and 'colleagues working together for a cause.' Currently a university student, Robert Alex Yamashiro along with four other mural project members, set up a circle for foreign high school students 'AJLAN'(Association for Youth of Latin America Japan), and with the help of N-Pocket is gradually working towards making a reality of ideas like 'native language classes' and 'careers counseling.'
Participant Comment- Thanks for participating in the mural project
Mr. Robert Yamashiro
"Thanks to the contributions of many people, we were able to experience this Mural Project. Likewise, I also want to be able to contribute something to others. In order to escape from the cycle of poverty like ours, I think it's up to us to take the initiative."
(Reported by Ms. Chisato Murakami, ESD-J Secretariat-General)