外国でも平和を話し合うために

アダム・ベック

米国イリノイ州出身。ニューヨークの大学と、サンフランシスコの大学院で演劇を勉強。大学院生のときに「ピースコール」というボランティアとして、ヨーロッパのチェコで英語の先生をした。広島市東区在住。

English Challenge

大変興味深いエッセーが送られてきました。多くの人が平和と戦争、命をテーマにした映画について触れていました。広島市佐伯区の grandma さんは、今ワールドカップ（Ｗ杯）が開かれている南アフリカに関する映画「Sarafina （サラフィナ）」「Cry Freedom （遠い夜明け）」を挙げていました。いずれもアパルトヘイト（人種隔離）を描いた作品です。

東区の hitomaro さんは「The Human Condition （人間の条件）」がお気に入りの映画だそうです。これは、梶という男性の第２次世界大戦での生きざまを描いた長編の日本映画です。私は見たことないのですが面白そうですね。いつか見たいです。同じく東区のＫ．Ｍ．さんは「Life is Beautiful （ライフ・イズ・ビューティフル）」を推薦しています。これは第２次世界大戦時のナチスによる強制収容所でのユダヤ人の父と息子の物話です。私もこのイタリア映画を見たことがあります。良い作品だと思います。

私のお薦め映画は、スティーブン・スピルバーグ監督の「Schindler's List （シンドラーのリスト）」です。第２次世界大戦でユダヤ難民を工場に雇うことで１０００人以上を助けた、オスカー・シンドラーというドイツ人実業家の話です。リトアニアの日本領事館領事代理の杉原千畝さんに似ています。杉原さんも大戦中、自身の立場や家族が危険にさらされる中、ユダヤ難民にビザを出して６０００人以上を救いました。

今回の課題へジャンプ

　　前回の日本語訳

Have you read any books or seen any movies or TV programs recently that made you think about peace?

平和について考えさせられた本や映画、テレビ番組などがありますか？

The World Cup has begun.Teams from all over the world are playing soccer (football) in South Africa. Not long ago, I saw a movie about another sport in South Africa: rugby. I have no personal experience with rugby, but the movie was very interesting. In fact, it was based on the true story of the 1995 Rugby World Cup that took place in South Africa. As you know, South Africa has had a long and difficult history of race relations between white people and black people. The movie depicts the story of how the South African rugby team was able to win the World Cup that year and help bring the nation together. It's an inspiring story and made me realize that sports can have a powerful impact on people. Sports can help people overcome differences and come together in unity. The effect may be temporary, but the experience of unity shows us that peace is indeed possible.

サッカーのワールドカップ（Ｗ杯）が始まりました。世界中から集まったサッカーチームが南アフリカでプレーしています。少し前、私は南アフリカに関する別のスポーツ映画を見ました。ラグビーです。私はラグビーの経験はありませんが、面白い映画でした。この映画は１９９５年に南アフリカで開かれたラグビーのＷ杯での実話を基にしています。ご存知の通り、南アフリカには白人と黒人との間にあった長く難しい人種関係の歴史があります。映画では南アフリカのラグビーチームがどうやってＷ杯で優勝し、国が１つになっていったかを描いています。元気が出てくる話で、スポーツが人々に大きな影響をもたらすことがよく分かりました。スポーツは人々が違いを乗り越え、結束できる力を持っているのです。効果は一時的かもしれません。しかし、結束できた事実から、平和が実現可能だということが分かります。

ベックさんのコメント

Ms. 柚 :	Thank you for telling me about that TV program. I haven't seen it, but it sounds interesting. I'm impressed that you're taking an interest in history at a young age. It's important for us to learn from the past so we can create a better future. I look forward to your next essay!
Ms. Hitomaro :	As I mentioned in my column, I would like to see "The Human Condition" one day. In fact, I researched the film on the internet and found a lot of impressive information about it. Thank you for telling me about it. And thank you, too, for sharing your family's story.
Ms. Grandma:	I was pleased to receive your submission. I think movies, like those movies about South Africa, can often teach us about things we otherwise would know very little about. It's too bad, in fact, that more movies haven't been made about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Maybe if there more films about the bombings, more people in the world would understand the true tragedy of these experiences.
Mr. Reds:	Thanks for your essay! Yes, I've been watching the World Cup! But the games are now on very late at night and I'm too tired to stay up to see them! I hope someday you'll have a chance to visit South Africa. I haven't been there myself, but I hear that it's a beautiful country in many ways.
Ms. K.M.:	I agree, "Life is Beautiful" is a great movie. I haven't watched it in a long time, but I have the videotape at home and now I'm eager to see it again. Thanks a lot for reminding me of this movie. (Another great Italian film is "Cinema Paradiso." It's one of my favorite movies!) Please write again if you have time!
Ms. MURATA:	Yes, I heard about that project to deliver shoes to developing countries. I'm sure the people who don't have shoes will be very grateful. It's hard for us to imagine such a life, isn't it? Not even having any shoes. We should really pause to be thankful for all the good things we have in our own lives.
Ms. None:	I was glad to get your essay, thanks. I remember "We Are the World." I was a college student at the time and it was a very popular song. I have a lot of respect for artists and musicians who create work that provides support to the world in some way. I think "We Are the World" was one of the best projects of Michael Jackson's career.
Ms. Tambourine:	Thank you for your interesting essay. I agree that books can be very powerful in inspiring us to think about life in new ways. This is one reason I enjoy books so much. To tell the truth, I didn't read a lot when I was young, and I now regret that. I think it's great if you start a reading habit at a young age!

さて今回の課題は、被爆者の証言を聞いたことがありますか？　直接でもテレビやビデオなどを通してででも構いません。その時の感想を教えてください。

Have you heard an A-bomb survivor speak about his or her experience of the atomic bombing, either in person or in a film or TV program? What were your impressions?

I have lived in Hiroshima for almost 14 years and I've heard many A-bomb survivors speak about their experiences, both in person and in films and TV programs. My main impression is always the same: If more people in the world could hear the horrific stories of A-bomb survivors, the momentum to abolish nuclear weapons would surely grow stronger. However, communicating the A-bomb experience to the world so that people truly understand the terrible danger of these weapons is an enormous challenge. The world is a very big place, with so many people, and so many different languages. How can the stories of A-bomb survivors be heard across the world? How can each new generation be warned about what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? How can the voices of A-bomb survivors continue to be conveyed in the future? These are difficult questions and they have no easy answers.

＜Vocabulary＞
A-bomb survivor ＝被爆者,　impression ＝感想, horrific ＝悲惨な, momentum ＝機運, abolish ＝廃絶する, nuclear weapons ＝核兵器, generation ＝世代, convey ＝伝える

　※締め切りは７月１１日（必着）です。

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