Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2007
Next PageColumn 12 From Japanese Paper to Amazon Paper
— Junpei Kanazashi of Minamata Haguregumo Crafts Center, who introduced handmade papermaking in Brazil's Amazon Region —
Environmental conservation in the Amazon region, home to the world's largest tropical rainforests, is a global issue. In this region, alluvial gold has been mined for cash earnings since the 1970s, which has resulted in soil contamination from the mercury used for refining gold. Concerns have been raised over the harmful effects on the surrounding environment and health of the local people.
In order to address this issue, a local NGO called Poverty and Environment in Amazonia (POEMA) *1 is running a program to improve the living standards of the local people. The organization aims to achieve this by utilizing and commercializing the Amazon's natural resources without cutting down forests. In 2005 Minamata City provided technical cooperation to this project by dispatching experts through the JICA Partnership Program (local government proposal type) *2 implemented.
Minamata City has experience and knowledge tackling Minamata disease, which is attributed to the same mercury. In its cooperation to POEMA, Kanazashi, one of the Minamata city-designated Environmental Meisters,*3 and a craft worker of handmade papermaking, has been introducing handmade papermaking to the Amazon region. Kanazashi does not insist on using the conventional Japanese paper materials, but was highly motivated to try using various materials. Since 2001 he has been continually dispatched to POEMA as a JICA short-term expert to instruct the local people in papermaking. While providing educational activities on environment pollution, he earnestly pursued introducing papermaking, as a result of which he succeeded in making paper from Curau� (a plant similar to the pineapple), which grew naturally in the locality. Currently, POEMA has established a company called "Amazon Paper" from the papermaking program to commercialize the product by selling envelopes and binders. The following is an interview with Kanazashi, working at the Minamata Haguregumo Crafts Center.
As a result of his earnest guidance, the local residents began to hold meetings and discussions on their own initiative (Photo: Kanazashi)
What led you to begin papermaking?
I encountered papermaking 25 years ago as a form of job creation for fetal Minamata disease patients. Up until 15 years ago I was able to work with them, but the patients have passed away or become incapacitated, and currently there are no patients at the Crafts Center.
Please explain how you came to participate in this project.
Shortly after I began papermaking, the late author Tsutomu Mizukami came to the Crafts Center. He challenged us, "It is nothing special to make good paper from good materials. Are your ears deaf to the wail of the plants which are left on the road as useless trash?" His words shaped my current style of making paper from not only the three main materials of Japanese paper, but other various plants.
"Can you show us how to make handmade paper from the plants in the Amazon?" This request came in 2000 from a chance acquaintance with the local people. For 14 days straight, I worked with people who came from various regions in the Amazon bringing grasses and plant-type agricultural waste from each village. Together we kept making paper using each of the plants. Our endeavor attracted great amazement and interest from the local people, and we were able to develop the trial effort into a workplace for a group of impoverished residents called caboclo.
Tell us about the significance of establishing Japanese papermaking in the locality.
Japanese papermaking, which is a cultural item nurtured in temperate areas, is by nature environmentally-friendly. Historically there is no record of paper being made in tropical regions. With high temperatures and an active microbial life, the same papermaking method is not viable in tropical zone. At the same time, tropical areas treasure many useful and fascinating plants that can produce diverse kinds of fibers, which are only waiting to decay. Using plants with short lifecycles and with a low environmental burden will create new jobs to improve the lives of the impoverished people. Transferring Japan's traditional skills to tropical regions, I believe, will certainly lead to sustainable development and to environmental conservation.
Based on your interaction with the local people, how do you find they have changed since the program came into existence?
I was very happy to see the people gaining self-esteem and confidence in themselves, in a sense of having their own responsibility, as they continue with the task. I also felt reassured when the content of their questions became extremely advanced.
Kanazashi demonstrating papermaking on site (Photo: Kanazashi)