World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
‘Okinawa Saudade’ Director Matsubayashi Yoju on a 10-Year Journey Tracing Brazilian Dancers’ Island Roots
“Okinawa Saudade”, a documentary by Matsubayashi Yoju, follows two young Brazilian Okinawans as they travel to Okinawa to explore their heritage through dance. The film connects their search for roots with the history of Okinawan migration and wartime displacement, and grew out of the director’s decade-long relationship with Brazil’s Okinawan community.
Matsubayashi first encountered the community while researching the forced relocation of Japanese Brazilians in Santos; about 60% of those displaced were from Okinawa. His 2020 film, “Okinawa/Santos”, helped build ties that later made this project possible. The new film follows Yumi, who studies Ryukyu Buyo, and Everton, an Eisa teacher, amid a 2024 exchange programme that coincided with Brazil’s formal apology for the post-war persecution of Japanese immigrants. It also considers how Creative Eisa, which began in Brazil about 45 years ago, has developed as a tradition in its own right.
In short
- Two Brazilian Okinawans travel to Okinawa to explore their roots through dance.
- Director Matsubayashi’s project grew from a decade of ties with the community.
- Brazil formally apologised in 2024 for post-war persecution of Japanese immigrants.
Explained simply
Okinawa is a group of islands in southern Japan with its own history and cultural traditions. From the early 20th century, many Okinawans migrated to Brazil, where their descendants formed a large community; during the Second World War, Japanese Brazilians in Santos were forcibly relocated, and many of those affected had Okinawan roots.
The film follows Yumi, who studies Ryukyu Buyo, a traditional Okinawan dance, and Everton, who teaches Eisa, a form of dance and drumming. Their visit to Okinawa links family heritage with cultural practices that have continued and changed in Brazil, including Creative Eisa, which developed there over several decades.
Americas Art Culture Elections Entertainment Film Politics World