Chair: Sherri Shinobu Kajiwara
Coordinated exhibitions in Australia, Brazil, Japan, and North America, will feature contemporary artists of Japanese descent grappling with the historical violations of Nikkei civil rights in the 1940s. Near the close of the partnership in 2029, the cluster will draw these national shows together into a shared digital exhibition.
Past Wrongs, Future Choices will also lead discussions to revise and refresh the most visited permanent museum exhibitions in Canada, at local, provincial, and federal institutions.
Brazil Exhibition Successfully opened in Spring 2025
Roots of Perseverance: The Japanese Community in Brazil During World War II
To celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship between Brazil and Japan and the 70th anniversary of BUNKYO’s founding, the opening of the exhibition “ROOTS OF PERSEVERANCE: The Japanese Community in Brazil During World War II.” took place on April 25, 2025. The exhibit is at the Historical Museum of Japanese Immigration in Brazil (Portuguese: Museu Histórico da Imigração Japonesa no Brasil) until June 30, 2025.
The exhibition portrays the experiences of Japanese immigrants in Brazil during World War II, when they faced a series of challenges – similar to those endured by Japanese immigrants in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Peru, each subjected to their own restrictions and sanctions.
This exhibition is part of the “Past Wrongs, Future Choices” project, coordinated by the University of Victoria in Canada. It features documents, photographs, reports, and physical artifacts from the Museum, telling the story of a community that faced adversity but also found ways to overcome it.
This is a unique opportunity to learn more about the formation and integration of the largest Japanese diaspora outside Japan and the contributions of Japanese immigrants to the cultural diversity of Brazilian society.
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