Volunteer transmitters to preserve stories of survivors

 August 16, 2015

Oral tradition and the bomb

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/08/15/editorials/oral-tradition-bomb/#.VdCSkPnwmot

One of the most intriguing and important stories surrounding the 70th anniversaries of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings connects to oral history. Japanese culture has long been divided between its oral culture and its written culture, though both have remained vibrant. Not only are different language forms used in both, but also different ways of feeling and thinking are encoded differently into spoken or written language.

That might seem like a small nuance, but oral tradition is the crucial element of an important project to preserve the memories of atomic bomb survivors. Those survivors have long recounted their stories of the bombings directly to schoolchildren, local groups and overseas audiences. However, as those survivors reach old age, the problem has cropped up — who is to carry on their direct, personal storytelling for the next generation?

Fortunately, a new program pairing volunteers with survivors has been working to keep their memories, their stories and their words alive. The volunteers, called denshosha, or transmitters, have been shadowing the survivors, sometimes for years, as they tell their stories at schools and community centers, soaking up the details of their experiences in order to preserve and transmit them for the next generation. The transmitters will be able to pass on their experiences in the same way.

Of course, historical archives, library records, films, books and websites have also recorded the experiences of survivors in written form. However, Japan has a long history of deeply respecting the tradition of passing on culture, skills and knowledge by oral means.

The directly spoken words of witnesses have power and authority, and just as importantly, immediacy and humanity. The transmitters and survivors are working hard to be sure those spoken words and the stories of those survivors will not disappear.

The number of transmitters, though, is just not enough. Many more are needed. It can take years to hear all the details of one survivor’s story. The number of officially recognized survivors of the atomic bombings stands now at 200,000, down by 6,000 from last year. Their average age is 80.

The program of connecting volunteer transmitters with survivors needs to be encouraged and expanded. Local governments should find funds to develop the project further. Expanding the project requires time, effort and financial support. Translation might be important, too. Japan has many things to offer to the increasing number of tourists, but the terrible experience of the atomic bombings, told firsthand by survivors, might be one of the most moving. Preserving their stories in spoken form is vital and urgent.