Event
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「しまくとぅばで語る戦世」(Voices of the War Era in Shimakutuba)
「しまくとぅばで語る戦世」(Voices of the War Era in Shimakutuba)
About the event
An evening screening and conversation exploring Okinawan memory and cultural resilience through the lens of photographer Toyomitsu Higa and filmmaker Thaís Omine.
Toyomitsu Higa is one of the most influential photographers documenting Okinawan society, having devoted his practice since 1950 to recording the rituals, landscapes, and everyday life of his native community. His work articulates a powerful solidarity between Okinawa and Jeju Island—twin sites of civilian massacre and ongoing militarization. Through decades of collaboration with bone-activist Takashi Gushiken, Higa has documented the practice of returning war dead to families, bearing witness to unresolved trauma.
Thaís Omine, an Okinawan-Brazilian filmmaker and visual anthropologist based in Berlin, brings her multifaceted practice across film, research, and dialogue-based formats to examine migration, diaspora, and unspoken memory. Together, they explore how shimakutuba—the Okinawan language—carries the voices and histories of a people navigating militarization and cultural preservation.
An essential event for anyone interested in how photography and film can document resistance, community, and the enduring power of local knowledge.
