Reprinted with permission of author, artist/activist M. Evelina Galang
Dear Friends,
A few weeks ago, I updated you on the hearings of the lolas of LILA
Pilipina (surviving comfort women of world war II) against the Japanese
government. At the time, Rechilda Etremadura requested that we write
letters of support to the attorney below.
He is seeking to appeal for additional witnesses to testify to the lolas mental health and to the
lasting affects this war crime has had on them.
Please write letters of support and send fax them to 813.3353.3420 as soon as possible so they
might be translated into Japanese and sent to the judge by May 29.
Below is a copy of my letter of support:
| Attorney Tomoko Suganuma Tokyo Chuo Law Offices Shoeheikan Bldg. Shinjuku-ku Tokyo, Japan May 15, 2000 Attorney Suganuma: My name is M. Evelina Galang, and I am a professor of English at Iowa State University. I am writing to you on behalf of the women of LILA Pilipina who are seeking justice for the crimes committed against them during World War Two. I met the lolas of LILA Pilipina last summer, while researching my film project, DALAGA, bringing with me five young Filipina American women. Our mission was to meet the lolas, to find out their histories and to learn from their experiences and learn from the wisdom they have cultivated over the years. We knew the subject matter would be difficult, and to be honest, we were a bit daunted by the task at hand. To simply interview the lolas would not be enough, to have them report their lives would not get at all the different levels of injury, of strength and of survival that these women had gone through. We had to get to know them first, we had to learn to trust one another and we had to find ways beyond the simple interview to understand what it means to be taken into military sexual slavery at the young ages of eight, nine, thirteen, and then shamed into silence for fifty years. So we lived with the lolas for eight weeks, visiting their homes, conducting workshops on drama, art and dance, and writing letters to their Japanese sponsors. We became a part of their lives and saw first hand the damage that has been done to their bodies, their hearts and their minds. It is my understanding, that the hearings are coming to a close and you are seeking to bring additional witnesses to speak to the psychological affect the war and the these crimes have had on the women of LILA Pilipina. I would urge the judge to grant your request. While the lolas testimonies are the strongest evidence you have, it is imperative to understand not only what they say and how their lives are now, but to assess the affects through the expertise of doctors, social workers and those who guide and counsel them on a daily basis. The lolas are true Filipinas ? women who work hard, pray and love God, care for their families first. That this crime has kept them silent this long is evidence to their commitment to their families and evidence of their determination to survive. What must that mean though for their heavy hearts, for the struggle to forget and to overcome what scars them? It was our experience to see them feeding us in a moment and then weeping uncontrollably the next, holding us in their arms, rocking. Then in a moment, someone would turn on the tape player and they would be teaching us, the girls from America how to Tango -- all this in one half hour. Some of the lolas are getting too old to speak their own stories, their damages reveal themselves in their sometimes failed logic or the trickery that comes suddenly when anyone least expects it. These things are too deep to judge as lay persons, and I believe it is in the best interest of this hearing, a hearing that is seeking justice, to look at all sides, to look at the lasting effects, and to hear what it means from professionals like those you wish the judge to hear. As for me, I would say to the judge of the courts, that the lolas have touched me in the most profound ways. They are loving and caring individuals who are like family to me now. When fourteen of the lolas told me and one of my students, Ana Fe Munoz, their stories for the record, we’d fall into weeping and mourning. So much so, we’d tell each lola, "No more, you don’t have to say anymore," but she would insist, stroking our hair, our backs and whispering that each of them tells their story so this crime can never happen again.. Not to anyone, and especially not to us, their young women, their dalagas. Good luck in the appeal. Sincerely, M. Evelina Galang author of HER WILD AMERICAN SELF |
All best,
M. Evelina Galang
megalang@uswest.net
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