Ukraine-Japan Friendship through Folk Music and Dance

MOMRI attends Songs for Peace Event by Arts Forest in Hyogo Prefecture

On June 2, 2024, MOMRI Director Olivier Urbain and vice-administrative director Akishiro Yokomatsu participated in an event organized by the organization Geijutsu no Mori (Arts Forest) called Songs for Peace. During these monthly meetings, organized by the singer Jesse and her staff, local Japanese supporters join Ukrainian refugees in joyful singing, dancing and handicraft making. On this day, the meeting room at the popular shopping center LaLaport Koshien store, in Nishinomiya, between Kobe and Osaka, was packed with around twenty local Japanese supporters, together with three staff members of Arts Forest and seven Ukrainian refugees, singers, musicians and dancers.

First Jesse set the mood by having everyone join her in a collective performance of “Sing” by The Carpenters. This was followed by the singing of Ukrainian and Japanese pop and folk songs, and a few speeches about life as a refugee in Japan. The most challenging part, which (in my opinion) also turned out to be the most effective to connect people together, was the collective traditional Ukrainian folk dance in which everyone could participate in dancing and partying.

We had a brief discussion with the Ukrainian musicians and dancers, and also with Jesse. Their activities focus on the celebration of life, music, dance, culture and the joy of partying together, which allows for “encounter” and “socialization,” while avoiding “conflict engagement” or discussing delicate and painful issues. (Please see Gillian Howell’s article entitled "Peaces of Music" for a description of these categories).

The event was sponsored by the Hyogo Prefecture Private International Exchange Project and the Kobe Cultural Support Fund, one of various initiatives by Japanese organizations to welcome Ukrainian refugees to a new life in Japan since February 2022.

Jesse’s collection of photographs and videos from the event can be found here, and the website of Arts Forest has reports of past activities.