On 17, August, I watched a play "Hiroshima" performed by USM students and a few Japanese students at Dewan Budaya, USM. The story is about a Malay man named Abdul Razak (the father of USM's Vice chancellor ), who was sent to a university in Hiroshima to study during the Japanese colonization of Malaysia, and survived the tragidy caused by the atomic bomb dropped by the Ameircan in 1945.
The story was told from Razak's point of view. I was kind of surprised that Razak wasn't mentally forced but actually willing to go to Japan because he was curious about some of Japanese cultural stuffs such as sumo and samurai, and he considered studying in Japan as a big chance given in his life. Even some of his local friends understood his wish and gave him encouragement while his mother tried to stop him from going to Japan.
Through the play, the audience witnessed Razak and his friends had built close relationship with his Japanese teachers, neighbors and caregivers at their hostel. It is said that about 100,000 people died when the atomic bomb was dropped, and Razak's two other Malaysian friends also became victimes. Razak and other survivors tried to save as many friends as they could, regardless of their nationality.
In this play, Japanese local people were portrayed not as cruel invaders but as victims of the war, which is very different from what I saw a few years back in another play also performed by USM students during the celebration of Independence Day. In that play, Japanese soldiers shouted at local people so loud and treated them cruelly. I remember I felt uncomfortable to sit there to keep watching it. (At that time, one of my colleagues walked to me and asked me to leave the theater with her. I politely refused her offer because I was still curious what would go on on the stage and also didn't want people to think I am running away from the fact , but I really appreciated her care for my feelings.)
The play "Hiroshima" reminded me that we could see history differently by listening to an individual's story. Communicating more locally and individually would enable us to understand the world deeper and give fair opinions about the matters around us.
10 件のコメント:
rika sensei,
Well, actually i want to go for the "Hiroshima" but unfortunately was on holiday...
From what sensei had wroten, In my opinion, I felt the Hiroshima incident which happened in Japan at that time is not a matter who's wrong or fault. However is a matter of disaster that can bring lots of harms or even death to all the victims who stayed in Japan. It was kind like amazing for those who can survive on that time!
Therefore, as a human being we should cultivate a loving community with peoples which are around us. So that, the tragedy had occured and won't happen it again in the future.
World peace and smile always!!!
Hehe....^^
To Elizabeth,
Thank you for the comment!
Yes, I think it is a miracle that Mr. Razak survived and came back to Malaysia. And I think he contributes to the countries, both Japan and Malaysia, by telling his experiences to the people so that people will not forget what had happened. (He has published some books, too.) I agree to you, peace is so precious. Since we live in peace, I can teach Japanese in Malaysia and meet you guys!
I went to see "Hiroshima" on the 17th night. The naib canselor and his father were there. They look really alike. Haha. However, they were very late. That night the play started about 9.15pm. I understand the theme of the play but i don't like the part when they release the pigeon as significant of freedom during the end. I feel that they are torturing the pigeon as it keeps flying everywhere, trying to escape.Other than that, this play is still okay for me. I went to a rakuga performance held last year also at dewan budaya. It was performed by Japanese actors. I like that better. Maybe because it is more relaxing and amusing.
In fact, the Japanese Occupation in Malaysia has caused the Japanese soldiers serving in Malaya during that period to be labelled as cruel and inhumane. Lots of stories concerning how Japanese soldiers had tortured the local residents have been told, time and again. You can get those information from our history textbooks for the high school, local literature, movies, and so on. And yes, I’d like to recommend this movie “Embun” to sensei. I think you may have watched it. It’s about the Japanese Occupation in Malaya. With the Malaysian history and literature all against the Japanese soldiers, it is of no surprise that sensei felt uncomfortable watching that drama. Haha… I will feel that also if I’m Japanese. But, as to what the truth is, I totally have no idea. But I hold no grudges against Japanese because it did not matter to me at all because I was not born yet at that time and I totally cannot relate to it. Haha…Anyway, regarding the Hiroshima incident, it will always serve as a warning of how war will result in the loss of life. Lots of innocent people are killed and it’s a curse against humanity. So, it will remind the leaders around the world to use science and technology appropriately, and to make better decisions, like when to declare war, and when not to.
Pls: I don’t sleep during Japanese class because I like Japanese. I’m a great language lover and I think it language is something magical and powerful. Knowing one more language enables you to access to another new culture and lifestyle, which I’m really interested in! The rest of the classes, I skip or sleep. Haha..
Sumimasen, above my comment there's a deleted comment and it's mine. Because just after I've posted it, I realized that some of the pharses i used were a bit confusing...So i rephrased some sentences to make it clearer..Hehe...
Ii Lee san,
Comment, arigato~!
I was glad to see you in the audience. Haha, I was also wondering how the pigeon could get out of the hall. Anyway, I understand the war story is always depressing, and makes us wonder how to relate ourselves to the tragidy that our old generation had experienced. But maybe what is important after all is we don't forget what had happened and pass the memory to the next generation so that we don't start a war again or we don't allow other countries to start it. I really appreciate your participation as a witness of the history.
Vincent san,
Komento arigato!!
I have heard many stories about what had happened here in Malaysia during the Japanese occupation, but I have never watched the movie. Please help me find it, I'd like to watch it (I need a lot of courage to watch it, though). Even though I was born long after the war, somehow I feel related and responsible for the war, because the old genaration in my country didn't oppose the government war policy strong enough, and participated in and support the war in many ways. But I cannot blame the people who lived during the time much becuase if I would lived during the time, I would have been one of them, believe what the government says, and send off sons to the war, saying "banzai". I was born and raised and recieved benefits in the society that our generations have created after the war. I have inherited many things from them. I can't apologize for what Japan did to Malaysia during the war, because I am not representing the country. But I feel as one of the Japanese I shouldn'r close my eyes to the fact and listen to the criticism and receive thier message with patience.
こんいちは、せんせい。"Hiroshima" を みませんでしたからうちに いきました。Anyway, i get to know what was happening during the show in sensei's blog.yea,no matter what had happened, first and foremost we should get the lesson from the incidents.Let the past passed us peacefully.We need a world surrounded by love.^^
>xin xinさん
Thank you for the comment!
Yeah, I agree peace is so precious. I am afraid we will forget it when it becomes so common.
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