ＭＩＳＩＡ（歌手）

■貧困生む仕組みに目を

　アフリカと聞いて思い浮かぶのは貧困や飢餓。かつての私はそうだった。昨春、ケニアを訪れ、その考え方はすっかり変わった。

　ナイロビのスラムで出会った、１人の少女が忘れられない。親類に連れ去られて弟と一緒に別のスラムへ売られ、約１年間働かされていたという。お父さんが見つけて家に戻ることができたけど、弟は虐待されて口がきけなくなってしまった。そんなつらい過去があっても彼女は歌うことが大好きで、笑顔で生きていた。

　マサイ族の村には電気がなかった。でも、医療や子育てなど様々な生活の知恵があり、昔からの文化を大切に幸せに暮らしていた。

　彼らの文化が遅れているから貧しいわけではない。みんな生きる力にあふれているのに、貧困はなくならない。スラムが生まれてしまう社会の仕組みに目を向けなければいけないと思った。

　「私たちをかわいそうだと思わないで下さい」。あるアフリカの国の駐日大使に言われたことがある。アフリカとつながるのは何かを背負うことではなく、豊かさや素晴らしさを知ること。援助をする際にも、彼らの文化や知恵、生きるスピードを尊重することが重要だと思う。

　アフリカには豊富な資源があり、貿易を中心に日本との関係も深まっていくと思う。その際、商品を作った人の人権は守られ、適切な賃金が支払われているのか。子供が働かされたり、女性が虐げられたりしていないか。そこに目を向けて欲しい。

　アフリカの貧困や紛争や環境問題と、日本で増えている自殺やいじめ――みんな根底でつながっていると思う。それは命がないがしろにされているということ。命の問題について、一人ひとりが行動し、世界中でつながっていくことが大切。それは、私たちの生活にもかかわる問題なのだから。

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　ＭＩＳＩＡさんは２６、２７両日、横浜でアフリカ支援を訴えるライブを行いました。特集番組が７月５日午後８時からＮＨＫのＢＳｈｉで、同月１２日午後１１時からＢＳ２で放送される予定です。詳細は、ｈｔｔｐ：／／ｗｗｗ．ｍｉｓｉａｒｔｈ．ｃｏｍ／まで

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（英訳は以下の通り）

Misia

Singer

When people hear the word Africa, images of poverty and starvation immediately come to mind.

I used to think like that once. However, my thinking changed completely after my visit to Kenya last spring.

I cannot forget the young girl I met in the slums of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Hoodwinked by relatives, she and her younger brother had been sold into bondage in another ghetto, where they were forced to work for about a year.

The girl was lucky--her father found her and brought her home again in one piece. But her brother was not so fortunate. He was beaten so badly that he lost the ability to speak.

Worse, the brother had agreed to be sold in place of his younger brother. Yet, even though she had seen such tragedy, the young girl loves to sing and lives with a smile on her face.

I went to a Masai village where there was no electricity. It didn’t matter. The people there were wise in the ways of daily life, had medicine and child care, and they enjoyed art in the form of music and traditional clothing. While they had few material goods, they seemed to be happy and cared for their culture.

During my one-week visit, I learned about the sad reality of life there, but also glimpsed splendid aspects.

These people are not poor because their culture is outdated. Even though everyone there has much energy to live, they cannot escape poverty. I realized that we must examine the social structure that creates such slums.

An ambassador from an African nation once told me, “Please do not look at us with pity.” Becoming involved with Africa does not mean having to bear some kind of burden, instead it means coming to know its prosperity and splendor.

When offering assistance, I believe it is important to respect the culture, wisdom and pace of life in African nations.

Because Africa has abundant resources, I believe its ties with Japan will deepen, mainly through trade. 　When that happens, it will be of great importance to protect the rights of the people who make the products for trade by ensuring they are paid appropriate wages. We must also ensure that children are not being forced to work and prevent the oppression of women.

　I believe Africa’s poverty, war and environmental problems and Japan’s rising cases of suicide and bullying are actually connected at the core because, in both cases, life is taken for granted.

　When it comes to basic issues of life, it is important to think not only in terms of nations, but in terms of each individual act that connects people with the entire world.

　That is because such issues concern not only people in Africa, but also our own lives.

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