VIDEO DIARIES
Activism Interviews
The history of taiko has an undeniable and intrinsic connection to activism in the United States and Canada. As a part of RE-IMAGINING A NEW WORLD: Building Practices of Awareness, Activism and Anti-Racism as a Taiko Community, Michelle Fujii interviews several preeminent North American taiko artists. They dig into the lifelong and ever-evolving personal practices and roots of activism, identify connections between past historical patterns and the issues we face today, and recognize the opportunity for transformative change at this moment in time.
Gatherings
Each gathering began with an Opening Plenary as an opportunity for togetherness and community while centering in the power of the collective experience. Thoughtfully curated by organizers Michelle Fujii and Karen Young, each plenary featured guest speakers, music provided by amazing taiko artists, and moments of engaging reflection. This was the shared jumping off point for facilitated small-group sessions. We hope these recorded events might act as a jumping off point for further conversations in the taiko community and beyond!
Discussion Topics
Over the span of 4 weeks in the summer of 2020, made urgent by COVID-19 pandemic and the BLM, anti-racism movement. 23 taiko thought leaders came together to facilitate unique topics that were personally relevant and authentic to each of them, centered around building practices to address racism, anti-blackness, systemic oppression and activism together as a Taiko Community.
Michelle Fujii interviews several of the facilitators. They discuss their topics, examining what they hoped for in creating these spaces and reveal what made exploring and discussing their topic feel so urgent.