"Voices of Tohoku" is a unique visual documentation project that builds community video archive composed from the "Life story interviews" of the survivors from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 2011. The team is composed of experts in oral history interviewing and documentation, who will commemorate and honor the memory of the Tohoku communities who went through an unprecedented natural disaster by recording their experiences, memories and hopes for the future.
IsraAID has been conducting post-trauma workshops in Tohoku during which we came to realize that the people feel the need to share their stories of survival and endurance. For many of the participants, sharing their stories helps to unload the burden of events that changed their lives. For the elderly people it is a chance to leave a massage for future generations. For the community the archive serves as a historic monument for the community endurance and memorial for the dead.
"Voices of Tohoku" had trained a group of local volunteers that will document oral history. The final product will serve both the individuals affected and the community at large. - Each community video archive will include the guided stories of those who are interested in telling his/her story. - Each community will also be featured in a short documentary film that tells its story. - Each participant will receive a book about the community and a copy of their "Life story" on DVD.
The affected communities that suffered from the events on March 2011 could move forward in their lives with a new sense of collective memory. The individuals participating in the project will have a gift to pass on to future generations. For this purpose HP has donated the printing of 3000 books for the residents of Tohoku. In addition, the collected stories could be used for qualitative research on disaster prevention.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
