Linguapax Asia participated in the international CIRLIM IV conference on revitalization of indigenous and minoritized languages at the University of Kyoto.
As the co-organizer of the conference, Linguapax Asia conducted a panel discussion on “Hawaii, the Ryukyus, Japan: Language Repression and Reclamation”, moderated by Biba Jelisava Sethna.
The panel brought into communication three spatial perspectives on language reclamation in the language situations of Hawaii, the Ryukyus and mainland Japan.
The panelists Larry Kimura (Hawaii) and Masahide Ishihara (the Ryukyus) discussed the historical repression of heritage languages and present day language revitalization efforts in their respective communities.
John Maher presented a complex formula for multilingualism in Japan, where the monocultural and monolingual self-identification persists.
He also stressed that revitalization starts with the recognition of a repressed language.
The discussant Patrick Heinrich (Ca’Foscari, Venezia) concluded the session by pointing out that there was not one single formula for language revitalization.
In the Hawaiian situation, educational programs played a vital role, whereas in the Ryukyus, grassroots community efforts are paying dividends.
A workshop on Miyakoan songs and dance with Miyako singers Miwa and Nanae was prepared by Sachiyo Fujita-Round who was also one of the conference plenary speaker.
The workshop was sponsored by Linguapax International.
Director Biba Jelisava Sethna also took part in the Linguapax International panel on “Fostering the World Language diversity to contribute to dialogue and Peace; 40 Decades of Action of Linguapax International”.
Over the two decades, Linguapax Asia has produced 12 international symposia, several publications and film screenings of documentaries on linguistic minorities, and supported work of activists in heritage languages revitalization.
During the conference, an exhibition entitled “20-Years of Linguapax Asia and Beyond” was held in the reception hall.
The display included publications by Linguapax Asia and its members, symposium posters designed by Daiju Kojima, video clips from the Southern Ryukyus prepared by Sachiyo Fujita Round and access to online Native Hawaiian Speech Archive, documented by Larry Kimura.