What do you think about question? Do you think you are safe in KUIS? Do you feel frighten to walk in school? I feel frighten to walk around in school. In Eigo Sogo class, Mr. Kirk Johnson is teaching “global issue” which I am taking now and we did landmine issue in class, and also there was one room future about landmine issue in Hamakaze-festival.
In Hamakaze-festival, the volunteer member gathered and made presentation room at building 4. There were lots of pictures of landmine victims, showed the model of landmines, and message cards to countries where has not signed landmine ban treaty. There is the question, where is the area landmine buried? Or what is the landmine? Landmines are buried in the ground, and explode whoever steps on it. There is lot of types of landmines, some has wire to hook to leg, some are flying up to explode that people hurt hand or face. Another type is targeting of children that landmine’s shape is like a toy. There is also landmine targeting to explode tanks. The area is spread all over the world, Asia, Africa, Latin-America, even in Europe has the area polluted by landmines. In Hamakaze-festival’s landmine issue room, there is a poster to write massages, and there were lots of massages many people wrote about. The most impressed massage was “war was over, how many times we said this word?” This word made me thinking about why there is still many fear and anger in this world.
I asked to Mr. Johnson couple questions. I will write his words in below (I will write summary of what he answered).
* Why you were interested in this issue?
“After I started teaching this issue, I was sure that most students give the opportunity would feel same way and would want to learn more about landmine issues”
* Do you think that we have to go to a landmine field to think more about landmine? Or do you think that we can study in Japan though media?
“It is not possible or practical to go to landmine field. Study in Japan is the reality for most of us just like any issue in the world: poverty, HIV in Africa, sweatshop labor, and so on. If you are interested in landmine issue, get information from various anti-landmine groups that have websites”
* What we can do to improve landmine issue problem?
“First, learn about the problem. Then spread the word though the media, to your friend, get your mate together for an information campaign and talk to another friend to resonance your thought of landmine. The last one is a highly successful idea used by the group, Adopt-A-Minefield. This action is exciting and gives you a chance to make new friend on all over the world. Whatever you do is truly up to you”
As my opinion, landmine is the worst weapon in the world. It explode whoever steps on, even he/she was not soldier. Many people who lives nearby landmine polluted area want to live in peace, without fear of landmines. It is important issue to think about, that is not alienation problem to all of the human beings. Many famous people are also working on resolving landmine issue, for example, Diana, Princess of Wales worked to it. There is a foundation of Diana; the donations goes to activities Diana has done, include remove landmine, provision of HIV/AIDS and so on. We can do something to improve landmine situation as Mr. Johnson told us, or you can find your original support to it. As one of the student of university of international studies, I want to involve in those action. If you feel something about landmine issue by reading this article, I will be pleased.
TWO WINNERS!!
