The daily life and culture of refugees.

Organized by:	“Refugee Film Festival Nagoya 2009” Organizing committee.
Date:	October 10th 2009.
Time:	13:00～16:30 (with a 15-minutes break)
Location:	Will Aichi (Will Hall).
Panelists:	Masaya Onimaru (NGO Terra Rennaissance) Hirohisa Seike (Japan International Food for the Hungry) Dimo Tinuin (Student and former refugee) Vodopivettsu Maya (Graduate student) Tsutomu Shibuya (Chukyo University) Susan Harris (RFFN staff)
Moderator:	Kim Kyungmook (Chukyo University)

When we hear the word “refugee”, most probably we think of war, poverty, hunger and diseases. We imagine a life so different from the lives we lead in the highly developed and affluent Japanese society. We should know, however, that refugees all over the world also lead a normal life in their own way. They have relatives and friends, and even engage in social activities like music and dance. We could easily think that the lives we lead are too luxurious for refugees, but we shouldn’t forget that it is their inalienable right to have a life and culture.
The Refugee Film Festival Nagoya 2009 organizing committee hopes that through films, a symposium and forums, we can be reminded of the existence, lives and cultures of the over 40 million refugees and displaced people around the world. We wish to cultivate a sense of urgency and awareness about this and other related issues.
We have therefore invited as speakers, people either directly involved in looking after the victims of wars and conflicts, or involved in international activities to empower people and create positive change, or are currently doing research on refugees and other global issues.
This year’s festival is a chance for you not only to watch and learn from movies, but also to listen to, ask questions and learn from our panelists in order to deepen your understanding of the issue of refugees. We hope this will bring them closer to your heart as you know more about their lives and cultures.