Activities
活動報告
Events, Talks, Writings by Bahar Yamanashi Members
バハール山梨による講演情報・イベント情報等を掲載いたします。
3月2日にバハール山梨のジェイソン・プラットと兼子和花奈が山梨県国際交流協会の異文化理解講座を参加しました。
ジェイソンは「アフガニスタンの文化」と言うプレゼンテーションでアフガン文化におけるイスラム教の影響について話しまして、兼子がバハール山梨の目的と活動の話をしました。
とても楽しい時間を過ごして、たくさんの良い質問も聞いてもらいました。
On March 2nd, Jason Pratt and Wakana Kaneko of Bahar Yamanashi participated in the Yamanashi International Association's Cross-Cultural Understanding project's session.
Jason gave a presentation entitled "Afghanistan's culture" and focused on the history or Afghanistan and Islam's influence on Afghan culture. Following this, Wakana spoke about the goals of Bahar Yamanashi and our activities.
This was a very enjoyable session and attendees asked many excellent questions.
11月16日(木）バハール山梨の代表達が東海大学に藤巻裕之先生のゲストで行きました。
ジェイはアフガニスタン大使館から卒業した後に東海大学で１年半で教えて、藤巻先生と仲良くなりました。
2つの授業でゲストスピーカーして、今のアフガニスタンとバハール山梨の活動を話しました。楽しんだ！
On Thursday, November 16th, representatives of Bahar Yamanashi visited Tokai University's Shonan campus as the guests of Prof. Hiroyuki Fujimaki.
Following his time at the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Tokyo, the first teaching position that Jason Pratt, chairman of Bahar Yamanashi, held was at Tokai University. While there, he and Prof. Fujimaki became good friends and Prof. Fujimaki has invited Jason and the other representatives of Bahar Yamanashi to visit on multiple occasions.
On this visit, we spoke in two sessions, once in Prof. Fujimaki's seminar for 3rd graders and once in an international relations class. In both classes, we spoke about Afghanistan's current situation, the role of NPOs in helping people in conflict areas, and what Bahar Yamanashi is specifically trying to do. Prof. Fujimaki's students were welcoming and had many excellent questions.
We look forward to visiting again.
9月17日（日）、バハール山梨の代表(ジェイソン・プラット)が、YSGG (山梨通訳ボランティアネット主催)の会合で「皆の知らないアフガニスタン」と題したプレゼンテーションをしました。
YSGGは、活動の一環として毎月、会員によるプレゼンテーションとゲストスピーカーによる講演のイベントがあります。ジェイソンのほか、同団体の深澤さんが甲府城下町ぶらり散歩との関わりについて発表した。約20人が参加した。
(写真はYSGGのFacebookページよりです。）
On Sunday, September 17th, Bahar Yamanashi's representative, Jason Pratt, gave a presentation entitled "The Afghanistan you don't know" at a meeting organized by the Yamanashi Systematized Goodwill Guide (YSGG) organization.
YSGG conducts monthly meetings, as part of its activities, that feature a presentation by one of their members and also a presentation by a guest speaker. In addition to Jason, Mr. Fukazawa of the group presented about the streets of Kofu city and the relations to the Edo period of Japan. About 20 people attended the event.
(The photo is taken from YSGG's own Facebook page, which can be checked for additional information)
７月に二つの国際祭りに出ました。８日に甲府駅の北口に山梨グロバルフェスタに出ました。１６日はヴァンフォーレ甲府のヴァンフェスに参加しました。バハール山梨のテントでアフガニスタン産のドライフルーツとオリジナルのラピスラズリのアクセサリーを売ります。ヴァンフェスにプラ板のコーナーとオリジナルバハールちゃん（我らのマスコット）のシールもありました。今回特別なゲストも来てくれました。メーラン・モハブザッダ（アフガニスタンのUー14の代表のサッカーチームの元メンバー）がヴァンフォーレのファンとサッカーして、皆の名前をアフガニスタンのアルファベットで書きました。
是非、今後のイベントに遊びに来てください！
In July, Bahar Yamanashi participated in two festivals, offering us a chance to tell of the latest developments and ongoing goals regarding Afghanistan and the Afghan people. At the events, we made available Afghan dry fruits, Bahar Yamanashi exclusive Afghan accessories, and other products to fund our activities.
On July 8th, for the second year, we participated in Yamanashi Global Festa. Held just outside the north exit of Kofu station, we received many visitors. Other participating groups were organized around such goals as raising awareness of the SDGs or irrigation projects in Africa.
The following weekend, on July 16th, Bahar Yamanashi had a tent at VentFest, a festival organized by Kofu's famous soccer team, Ventforet. Tents were erected all around the stadium and the international organizations were situated on the practice ground. In addition to the accessories and dry fruits, at VentFest we debuted "puraban", plastic accessories decorated with our character Bahar-chan, and original soccer-themed stickers. We were also joined this day by Mr. Mehran Mohabzadda, a former member of Afghanistan's national under-14 soccer team. Mehran played soccer with local children and wrote visitors name in the Afghan alphabet.
Please look out for our next events and join us there!
5月２０日山梨県立大学で「アフガニスタンを知り：平和について考えましょう」がありました。
アフガニスタンのアブダリ大使閣下、アフガニスタンからのミュージシャンとバハール山梨の代表のジェイソン プラットが参加しました。
スピーチとパフォーマンスの後でアフガニスタンの服のインスタグラムのコーナー、ヘナタトゥー、アフガニスタンのお茶でもありました。
On May 20th at 2 pm at Yamanashi Prefectural University's Iida campus (Building C), Bahar Yamanashi welcomed H.E. Ambassador Abdali of Afghanistan to its largest event ever.
In addition to H.E. the ambassador, Afghan musician Azizullah Karimi performed songs on the rebab and Bahar Yamanashi's own representative, Associate Professor Jason Pratt, spoke.
In his speech, Assoc. Prof. Pratt spoke on how Afghanistan has historically been a nation that gravitated towards peace and harmony. He spoke of the great cultural and social movements that arose. The modern decades of fighting, he said, came due to outside interference and also stated that many now fighting would rather not fight if they had another way to make a living. He stressed how Bahar Yamanashi hopes to help this.
Mr. Karimi performed a number of songs in both national languages of Afghanistan and explained about his instrument.
H.E. the Ambassador then discussed Japan's role historically in Afghan peace and development and the need for Japan to remain involved. He further discussed the role of great Japanese individuals, such as Dr. Tetsu Nakamura, in bringing great developments.
After the speeches and performances, time was dedicated to enjoying Afghan culture first-hand. Afghan tea was served, guests had henna tattoos done, and people tried on Afghan clothing.
The event was covered by NHK, Yamanashi's Nichi Nichi Shimbun, and YBS TV.
On March 29th at 2 pm at Yamanashi Prefectural University's Iida campus, Bahar Yamanashi organized its latest study and cultural session.
The theme of this event was the current challenges and status of women in Afghanistan, or in Japanese "アフガニスタンの女性の現状". Speaking on this issue were Mrs. Sedeka Eto, the head of Eagle Afghan and a former NHK radio announcer; Ms. K, an Afghan refugee in Japan; and Ms. Wakana Kaneko, a representative of Bahar Yamanashi. Ms. Aiko Tanaka of Bahar Yamanashi also spoke about our group's activities.
In addition to the talks, attendees had their names written in the alphabet of Afghanistan's Dari language, participated in a quiz, and tried Afghan tea.
On February 20th, members of Bahar Yamanashi's staff, specifically Jason Pratt, Wakana Kaneko, Nozomi Sato, Yuto Hagiwara, Aiko Tanaka, and Shin Shimada, visited Tokyo on trip to study and to foster connections for our organization.
Specifically, we visited Tokyo Camii, a Turkish mosque, located near Yoyogi Uehara station, and had dinner at the Afghan restaurant (PAO Caravan Sarai) near Higashi Nakano station.
At the mosque, we received a tour from Mr. Shigeru Shimoyama, the Media and Publications Representative. We learned of the history of the mosque, were shown the attached cafe, madrassah (religious school), and halal market. Many key points were mentioned, specifically, as per the mission of Bahar Yamanashi, we focused on the idea of peace. The word Islam, specifically, can be translated to mean peace. Therefore, the ability to see the true beauty of Islam and the kindness of the religion's believers in Tokyo, was a great reminder of why our mission to support peace in Afghanistan is so meaningful.
Following the tour, we dined on Afghan food at PAO Caravan Sarai, a very authentic feeling restaurant. We enjoyed dishes such as kebabs, naan, and mantu (Afghan dumplings). We were joined by Jason's former colleagues, a group of former interns and staff who worked with him at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Tokyo in the past.
Through this experience, we hope to be able to strengthen our dedication to helping promote peace in Afghanistan and to further share of this great country and its culture with the people of Yamanashi.
December 4, 2022 marked three years since the great Dr. Tetsu Nakamura was taken from the earth. Jason Pratt, Nozomi Sato, and Yuto Hagiwara of Bahar Yamanashi had the honor of joining a reception to pay respects to the memory of this great man who has been referred to by Afghans as the "uncle of the nation".
Dr. Nakamura was a medical doctor, but he believed that without proper conditions, medicine alone could not ensure health. Thus, he led efforts to create a fertile area in a desert. His efforts succeeded so well that hundreds of thousands of people have seen benefits. His legacy remains alive and his memory will not fade.
Jason had the great pleasure of talking with Dr. Nakamura on his visits back to Japan when he would stop by the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. In fact, the ambassador, Dr. Fatimie, that Jason worked under for part of his time at the embassy had first met Dr. Nakamura in Pakistan, when the ambassador had taken refuge from war there. Dr. Nakamura was a humble man despite all he had done for so many.
While the focus of Bahar Yamanashi is different to Dr. Nakamura's work, his inspiration is clear: solve problems at the root. This is why Bahar Yamanashi also seeks to support peace by addressing the factors that present people from being able to choose it. We pay our respects to this great man now and forever.
Bahar Yamanashi participated in Yamanashi Global Festa 2022 on October 2nd.
Yamanashi Global Festa was an annual event before the Coronavirus pandemic began and returned in 2022 for the first time in three years. At the Assist Engineering Yocchabare Hiroba at the north exit of Kofu station, tents for international and internationally-focused organizations were arranged and food carts were placed behind. A number of cultural performances were also done.
We at Bahar Yamanashi made available Afghan dried fruits and nuts, lapis lazuli accessories, and Henna tattoos. A large number of people visited the booth to get Afghan products and to talk about Afghanistan. It was a great day to get to know the local community better!
Special thanks go to Imuro sensei and his students from Seishu High School as without their help we would not have had as much success and fun!
A cooking event was hosted by Bahar Yamanashi in Kofu, Yamanashi on August 20, 2022. Participants were taught by Ashraf Baburi, the CEO of Afghan Saffron who also serves at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Tokyo, how to cook Qabili Palow (spelling variations exist). Qabili Palow is a traditional Afghan rice dish served with meat and topped with raisins, almonds and carrots. Participants were cooked along and were able to take home the meals they made and received Afghan dried fruits and nuts as a souvenir.
The recipe for Qabili Palow can be found here: drive.google.com/file/d/1BQd9yVLyqeH147jnlAe2RH5TOy8lPLYb/view?usp=sharing
To buy imported Afghan raisins and almonds to make the dish yourself, please visit Afghan Saffron's web site: www.afghansaffronjp.com/
The first Afghanistan study event, entitled "Afghanistan now: thoughts on peace" or アフガニスタン の今：平和について考えよう in Japanese, was held on March 19, 2022 at Yamanashi Prefectural University's Iida campus. The event was opened by Dr. Yutaka Hayashi of Fukuoka University who spoke about his experience in working for the Japanese government in Afghanistan along with development related issues in general. Next, Dr. Bashir Mohabbat, former Afghan ambassador to Japan, spoke on Afghan culture and the connections between Afghan and Japanese people. Musical duo Chalpasah performed Afghan music. Finally, Jason Pratt, the chairperson of Bahar Yamanashi, spoke about Bahar Yamanashi's goals and work.
The January 2022 edition of the Global Issues in Language Education Newsletter, published by the GILE special interest group of the Japan Association for Language Teaching, features an article by Jason Pratt, chairperson of Bahar Yamanashi. The article details tips for teaching about Afghanistan in language classes. Specifically, the article focuses on three international conflicts that impacted Afghanistan and why the suffering of Afghans should matter to people in Japan.
To read the full issue (in English), click here:
drive.google.com/file/d/1oRRjXLPEMyzGap54kporSMc61SaXqacH/view?usp=sharing
言語教育に関わる日本の協会の1つであるGILEが発行する、言語教育新聞の国際問題（2022年1月発行版）にて、バハール山梨代表のジェイソン・プラットが特集されました。記事では言語教育においてアフガニスタンの事を教える内容について述べられており、特にアフガニスタンに住む人々に莫大な影響を与えている世界中の戦争や、アフガニスタン難民が何故日本に住む人々にまで影響が及ぶのかまで着目されました。
英語版ですが、上記リンクよりお読みいただけます。
On January 13, 2022, Bahar Yamanashi's chairperson, Jason Pratt, had the opportunity to be the guest speaker of the Tokai University Language Education Center Interpretation Project. The project has a history of 25 years and has featured some amazing speakers, making Jason's participation a great honor.
The talk featured on Jason's history of work with Afghanistan, including his time at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Tokyo and now his work in Bahar Yamanashi. Jason detailed how Afghanistan is not a country where war is natural and has only come about due to outside interference and the difficult living conditions that have resulted. Moreover, he shared stories of Afghanistan's wonderful culture and people.
2022年1月13日、バハール山梨代表ジェイソン・プラットが、東海大学語学教育センター通訳プロジェクトが主催するイベントに、ゲストスピーカーとして参加しました。このプロジェクトには25年の歴史があり、これまで数々の素晴らしいゲストスピーカーを招聘していたことから、この度ジェイソンが選ばれたことを非常に光栄に思います。
ジェイソンが以前アフガニスタン大使館（東京）で勤務していたことや、現在バハール山梨にて活動していることを交え、ジェイソンとアフガニスタンとの深い関わりについて講話を致しました。ジェイソンは、アフガニスタンは常に戦争が起きている国ではなく、外部からの干渉によって結果的に厳しい環境になってしまっていると述べ、アフガニスタンの素晴らしい文化や人々についても共有しました。
In December of 2021, Jason Pratt, chairperson of Bahar Yamanashi, had the opportunity to speak on two occassions about the situation in Afghanistan and Bahar Yamanashi's vision to support vulnerable people.
On December 8th, Jason visited Tokai University's Shonan Campus where he had the opportunity to talk to a seminar and a class run by Dr. Hiroyuki Fujimaki. Specifically, Jason spoke about how the Taliban were able to take territory again so quickly and why this should matter to people in Japan. He then shared how Bahar Yamanashi plans to contribute towards the proliferation of peace in Afghanistan.
On December 10th, Jason joined Mr. Keihan Safi, a former colleague at the Embassy of the Republic of Afghanistan in Tokyo, in talking at an online event organized by the Japan Association for Language Teaching's Global Issues in Language Teaching special interest group. In this event, Jason spoke about historical reasons for why Afghanistan has faced decades of difficulties. The educators that attended expressed support for Bahar Yamanashi's goals and the group made a donation of 10,000 yen to our group.
2021年12月、バハール山梨代表ジェイソン・プラットは、2つの場でアフガニスタンの現状に関する議題、それからバハール山梨の今後の展望について述べました。
2021年12月8日、ジェイソンは東海大学湘南キャンパスへ訪問し、藤巻裕之准教授が講師を務めるゼミ及び講義に参加し、「タリバンはどのように急速に領地を再び獲得し、何故日本にいる人々にも影響を与えるのか」という内容で講話を行いました。藤巻准教授はその後、バハール山梨のこれからの活動が、アフガニスタン内での平和拡大へどのように寄与していくか共有してくださいました。
2021年12月10日、ジェイソンはアフガニスタン大使館（東京）の元同僚であるケイハン・サフィ氏が参加するオンラインイベントへ参加し、「アフガニスタンは何故この数十年で困難に直面しているのか」という内容で講話を行いました。イベントに参加した教育者達が、バハール山梨が掲げる目標への援助を表明し、教育者グループからバハール山梨へ1万円のご寄付を頂きました。
この場を借りて、ご賛同に心より感謝申し上げます。