(Spanish) I am a militant person. I like activism. That is the reason why I am cultural manager; that’s why I organize book fairs, poetry readings; that is why I organize young people. I think this is a very okinawenes mentality, the solidarity. The characteristics of Okinawan people are: hospitality, solidarity, and joy. I have all those characteristics (laughs). That doesn’t mean that I’m not a sad person. My books are very sad. I cannot read the book Chambala era un camino [Chambala was a path]. I can’t read that book. I threw it away. I said, “good grief! How can someone write that?” I even surprise myself, with my poems, because they’re very sad. They’re of my father, mother. I consider myself, at this moment, a Buddhist. I have a Buddhist conception that is hereditary. I’m an ecologist. I have always been ecologist. I am a feminist. With the book El diario de la mujer es ponja [The diary of the jap woman] my feminist aspect was shown, to say in a way. And I’m a very organized person. I don’t choose the poetry books by chronology, but by atmosphere, by theme. And I select the chapters by atmosphere, rhythm, by amounts, because poetry above all, is accuracy. And actually I published this book because I wanted to emphasize this fact in my ecologist battle. I think Peru is a country that needs to be thoroughly ecological. We don’t have an ecological movement. It’s disgusting really. It’s terrible… being such a rich country: richness in the nature, so rich in dances…
Date: February 26, 2008
Location: Lima, Peru
Interviewer: Harumi Nako
Contributed by: Asociación Peruano Japonesa (APJ)
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