Today we spent the whole day at the University of Hiroshima. In the morning there was a keynote lecture about the Japanese Perspective in the Turbulent and Globalized world. At lunchtime some japanese students tried to teach us how to play Kendama – a japaneese traditional game. It was a lot of fun and a good way for the studentgroup to get closer to eachother.
In the afternoon I attended one of four workshops. This was about Causes of Displacement in the 21st Century. And it was a great lecture held of Dr Savo Heleta who himself sufferd from displacement in Bosnia as a child. He pointed out the question that the student will have to discuss the coming days: Who is a refugee? The UN convention relating to the status of Refugees from 1951 (1967) is outdated. More than 42 million people are currently displaced worldwide but not everyone of them recieve refugee status according to the convention.
The student are vey motivated and despite langugebarriers they seems to get along very well. I have a good feeling about the outcome on Sunday when we will have the Roleplay.
www.mylifeasarefugee.com