Takako Yamada: Starting from Being Together

2024/10/16

Eighteen years since I first encountered the Philippines. Here, I am working on a project that aims for co-creation where those facing adversity take the lead, moving beyond traditional passive support.

I recently visited the village where we work. Looking around, I saw young people absorbed in basketball, fathers drinking rum, and children playing on trash heaps. Nearby, a man set fire to a small pile of garbage, and the smell of burning plastic wafted through the air. In front of me, a teenager was holding a small child. When I asked, "Is he your brother?" he laughed and said, "He's not my brother." In Philippine villages, neighborhood children live together like one big family.

This scene feels somewhat nostalgic and enviable. As I walked, I was suddenly surrounded by children, and I noticed them tossing snack wrappers aside. When I asked, "Why do you throw trash here?" they laughed and replied, "There's been trash here since before I was born, so it's only natural."

I thought, "I see," but a feeling welled up inside me: "Is it really okay like this?" I suppressed that feeling and kept it to myself. I must not judge this place by my own sense of what is right. This is a place where they live their precious daily lives. So, I simply start by being with them. Then, someday, life in this village will surely become a part of my own life.

The next day, I played with fire with the children on the trash heap. The children would find plastic, burn it, and enjoy watching it melt. It was fun, but my throat soon began to hurt. When we returned, the boy who had been playing with fire was scolded by his mother: "Stop burning plastic; it's bad for your health." He shouted, "I didn't do it!" as he ran back. My six-year-old son, who had come with me, also ran across the trash heap. Glass shards were scattered on the ground, and I worried he might fall and get hurt. I looked at the boy's mother, who was also looking on with concern, and realized that our feelings for our children are the same.

Simply being together. In that process, you find people you want to be with and people you are glad to have met. Then, the time will surely come when you feel, "I want to try something with this person; I think we can do it." I believe that is the beginning of co-creation. With time on our side, slowly and deliberately, it starts from being together.