※KAPLANと国際人道支援組織JPFは、連携プロジェクトとして日本の情報発信力UP！「国際人道支援における英語力強化プロジェクト」 を行っております。
最近は、8月に比べると本当に過ごしやすくなりました。秋を感じます。
一方、アフリカ、スーダン北部は猛暑。。。。でも南部スーダンは雨期の真っ只中です。
一つの国なのに、国土が広大なので南部と北部で気候が違うのです。


私は、以前にブログで「中国担当なんです」とお伝えしましたが、スーダン事業も担当しています。 ここでは、南部スーダンの現状についてお伝えし、少しでも知って頂けたらと思います。

さて、現地で起こっている一番大きな問題は、治安の悪化です
その中でも先月の出来事として２つ。
「牛の強奪事件」と、銃による「外国人襲撃事件」がありました。
このように治安が悪化すれば、支援活動の遅れはやむなく、中止・撤退も考慮する必要が出てくるので、NGOにとって治安の悪化が現場において大きな悩みとなります。

今日は、最近特に問題となっている「牛の強奪」についてお話します。
さて、「牛の強奪」といっても、経済不況とはいえ穏やかに日本に暮らしている私たちには、分からないですよね。
―――　牛の強奪・・・武装して他部族を襲い、牛を奪うこと。―――　 牛の強奪事件は、死傷者を出し、社会に及ぼす影響も高い。襲撃を受けた住民のほとんどは、故郷から逃げ出し、国内避難民と化し、地域の不安定要因となります。
これらには、部族間闘争が背後にあり、引き起こされます。部族間闘争の問題は、内戦中にも潜在的にあったものの、南北和平合意が締結され、落ち着き始めると、南スーダン内での大きな懸念となったのです。
最近の出来事はこのリンクから調べられます。▼ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/MUMA-7VE339?OpenDocument&rc=1&cc=sdn


そもそも互いの部族にとって｢牛｣は、田畑を耕すためのものではなく、「タカラ」の様に扱われており、彼らの住まいと牛の家畜小屋をみても牛用の方が格段に良い環境です。（屋根も高いし、面積も広い）それを、見るだけでもどんなに大切に扱われる存在なのかということが見えてきます。また、結婚にも重要な役割を持ちます。結婚は、男性が女性の家族に対して、牛を何頭渡すかによって決まるのです。 かつて、私は「100頭でどうだ」と求婚されたことがありました。
そのように、有って無さそうな慣習が、今でも残っています。


南部スーダンの特徴として、多くの部族集団が存在し、異なる言語や慣習を持ちます。 内戦が終結し、和平合意がされ、2011年の国民投票を実施するという大目標があるにもかかわらず、南部スーダン内の小さな闘争により、全ての発展が足踏み状態になるのは不本意です。
ようやく手に入れた平和を大切にして、大きな目標のためにスーダン国民ひとりひとりが歩んで行ってくれることを、願わくはいられません。

この写真を見て下さい。
ここに写っている少年は、牛や家族を守るために、内戦終結もAK-47を持たざるをえないのです。とても悲しい光景です。

▼▽▼▼【受講生】板倉さんのバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【地方から世界へつながる】2009.08.10 (Mon)

I was very interested in the recent election. Actually I am interested in all elections; I read about the elections in the U.S., Germany, France, Holland, Turkey, India etc with interest. In Japan however, I am especially interested because I have lived here for five years.


I feel that now is a very exciting point in Japanese history. One party has ruled country almost continuously for more than fifty years. It is amazing to think that their time at the top has ended. Obviously they ruled over Japan during a lot of changes, and saw Japan achieve great successes. Many Japanese people I have spoken to recently have expressed mixed feelings about the LDP; many feel that they have not been doing well in recent years, but are nervous about changing.


My Western point of view is that if they have not done well recently, change them! Even if the new government is not so different, which is what many people say, it is still good to change the government so they do not get too comfortable and remember that they will lose their jobs if they do not at least try to do what is best. For most of us, doing a bad job at work will have some negative consequences. We work to the best of our ability because we want to avoid those negative consequences. Every politician should know that there will be consequences for their positive or negative performances as well.


I was interested to see Taro Aso in T.V. yesterday looking very bitter. My wife told me he resents the mass media coverage of the election and blames the media for such a large loss, believing that they covered the election in a biased way. My opinion is that any man who can be so insensitive to the situation of normal people and says that poor people should not get married and have children at a time when Japan is facing a serious economic recession and unemployment is high only has himself to blame!
It was interesting to see his reaction to the election results. We could blame his actions on his personality but I think his bitterness is also a signal of something deeper...


Everyone expected the LDP to lose, but many people (including many LDP members) were surprised at how big the DPJ's victory was. My theory is that the LDP planned to lose the election, but still retain enough seats in the Parliament to form a strong opposition. While in government, the LDP experienced a lot of obstruction from the DJP, who had gained enough seats in the Parliament to prevent a lot of the LDP's proposals being passed. Many people, both within the LDP and in the wider community pointed to the deadlock in the Parliament as a key factor in the government's inability to deal with the problems currently facing Japan. The LDP did not have enough of a majority to do what they wanted to do; as a result the government was handicapped and the LDP was blamed for this situation. I think that in the recent election, the LDP wanted to cause the same situation for the DPJ - lose the election, but keep enough seats to maintain a strong opposition to the DPJ, obstruct the DPJ's efforts and criticise the DPJ for their inability to govern in the same way the LDP has been criticised recently. Then, after a period of deadlock and inaction for which the DPJ would appear responsible, the LDP could claim that changing to the DPJ was a dangerous gamble that has harmed Japan. I believe some LDP members either planned or hoped for this type of scenario. Now, however, with the huge majority the DPJ has gained, this option is not available to the LDP. It will be interesting to see what happens next...
Gambatte Nippon!

▼▽▼▼【講師】Eddie先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【Monkey DNA】2009.08.07 (Fri)

On numerous occasions I've realized that people should relax more. Really. When you walk really fast, you're not relaxed. Walk slower if you have time. Don't worry so much. You'll live longer. Tell other people to relax. But do it in a way that they know you're being sincere. Sometimes people need a reminder.


How to relax? Well, I'm sure we all have our own methods for relaxation. I'll share a few of mine with you in case want to try something different.


The first is almost universal. Breathing. Just take ten slow, deep breaths, and it will make a world of difference. Even just one deep breath has a measurable effect. To take it one step further, I'll explain Yogic breathing. This is best done lying down, although I've been practicing on the Ginza line lately. Lie down. Fill you lungs with air. Your chest and your stomach should look 'bigger'. Now, as you exhale, keep your chest lifted. This means you're keeping the air inside your upper lungs, and only releasing the air in your lower lungs. This is possible because you will be using your diaphragm to push the air out of you lower lungs. When you inhale again, your stomach should be rising. Repeat. When we are stressed, we tend to take short, shallow breaths. The lower lungs aren't really used. Using this part of your lungs not only increases your lung capacity with practice, but it has a definite calming effect.


Second: Do something that requires a lot of focus. It could be playing guitar, assembling a model car or anime figure, drawing a picture, etc. Guitar is not always the best because, like exercising, there is a lot of noise involved. Quiet activities are best. This is because silence enables you to lose track of time, as does excessive focus on one task.


This brings me to my third method: Enter a timeless dimension. Now, this may sound strange, or like some advanced meditative technique. And maybe it is, but the road to this advanced ability is a very relaxing one. Ask the Praying Mantis about it. They are experts. They can sit in one place, unmoving, for hours, like they're in a deep sleep...but really, they're just on 'pause.' Imagine if you could just pause your state of awareness for those 8 minutes that you're waiting for a train. It would be gone in an instant from your perspective.


At this point, you may not be able to imagine it. It's like time travel. 'Practice!' I say. My bed has many uses. One of those uses is as a time machine. If I want to go cycling but it's raining, I can climb into my bed, close my eyes, and fast-forward through two hours to a future when it's not raining. When I'm on the Ginza line, it's mostly just my body that is present. My mind is elsewhere. I've slowed myself down, causing everything around me to speed up. I encourage you to try this (if you have some time to work with.) Sometimes a good aid is to listen to some very slow, down-tempo music first, and then move onto silence. In this way you can stop your world and find inner peace.


▼▽▼▼【講師】Sandy先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【Embracing Change】2009.08.05 (Wed)