Yu-Ai November issue 2018 — USA PAX report by Tatsushi Amano

Yu-ai Friendship
Newsletter of the World Friendship Center, NPO

American PAX 2018

Tatsushi Amano

I had a chance to participate in the PAX-USA 2018.

It all started last April when Yamane-san, the WFC chairperson, asked me if I would like to perform the one-man play, “Living with Father”, in the U.S.A. I had already performed the play with English subtitles before the WFC members, including the co-directors. I agreed to the proposal with pleasure. It would be a precious chance for me to perform the play about the A-bomb on Hiroshima written by Hisashi Inoue, a prominent Japanese playwright.  I was nervous because I had no confidence in my English, but thanks to the strong support of the other PAX members (Mimura-san, Nishi-san and Tashiro-san), each of my performances at four places ended in great success. I am really grateful to each person who gave me a helping hand.

During the tour, everywhere we went, the local people gave us a warm welcome. A lot of people helped us out. Before the performance at the Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Illinois on September 19, Dan was busy setting up the equipment to the last minute. On September 20, at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Josie was a key person and a college professor there worked as my translator. The theater was filled with laughter and tears, and they gave me a standing ovation. While there, Raymond G. Wilson and his wife Akiko gave us three panoramic photos of Hiroshima after the A-bomb, which we, in turn, later passed on to Dayton International Peace Museum, Alice Ramseyer, and the WFC. Tanya of Peace Resource Center kindly climbed up a ladder for us to set up the lighting equipment at Wilmington College in Ohio on September 25. Our host family, Christine and Gene Snyder and a large number of local people and college students came over to see the play. On September 29, there were many local people at the First Mennonite Church in Bluffton, too. Barb’s brother Ken was there. Alice, who celebrated her 89th birthday, was there and vigorously took care of us.

Looking back on this PAX tour, I must give my thanks to all the people I met who guided us, who let me stay at their home, who came to see my play, and to each fellow PAX member. I must thank the people of the WFC who gave me this precious opportunity. Thank you.

I will make use of my experience of this tour to tell the message for peace through my future performances. I aim to learn more about what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the A-bombing, and how people, such as WFC founder Barbara, have endeavored to abolish nuclear weapons for world peace. I will try to pass on this history to the new generation.   In this, I look forward to your assistance. Again, thank you very much.

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