Stories of Japanese Internment: Ohanashi: The Story of Our Elders at Schema : more than ethnic

Stories of Japanese Internment: Ohanashi: The Story of Our Elders

Come check out of the difficult, but exciting life stories of Japanese Canadian elders on Saturday, February 13th, 2010. The public screening of the ten-part series, Ohanashi: The Story of Our Elders, starts with the life stories of Kazue Oye and Alfie Kamitakahara. The short films are directed by Susanne Tabata and produced and presented by the Japanese Canadian National Museum.

Kazue Oye's story starts with her growing up between Japan and Canada. She attended school in Steveson until grade 8. She then went to Japan to get a higher education. Kazue Oye eventually came back to Canada to start her family. She became widowed, and had to work in the self-supporting community of Christina Lake during World War II. Alfie Kamitakahara grew up in Steveson. He was interned in Slocan. After, his internment he moved to Alberta to work on a farm before starting an insurance agency.

The series reveals the troubling experiences of Japanese Canadians in the face of discrimination and exclusion around the period of World War II. The series also displays the work Japanese men and women did to overcome the racial obstacles they faced, for a better life.

Both Kazue Oye and Alfie Kamitakahara will be in attendence. The screenings will be followed by a discussion of Japanese Canadian issues, particularly regarding internment. The discussion will be lead by Leslie Komoro, a third-generation Canadian, who is active in the Japanese Canadian community.

When: Saturday February 13th, 2010
Time: 2PM
Admission by Donation
Where: National Nikkei Museum and Heritage Centre
6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby, BC

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