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Interviews

(b.1974) Japanese Colombian who currently resides in the United States
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Grandfather migrating to Colombia

They came to Corinto, Cauca, or I guess El Jagual, which was the community that they built when they got assigned some terrains that they had bought, or negotiated previously. And they were given, like raw land that was jungle-ish, overgrown, so they had to clear it out and everything before they could farm.

They originally tried rice, but that didn't work out for them. So they were doing I think beans, and some azuki, and some other variety of beans, and other things.

agriculture Colombia farming migration

Date: September 22, 2019

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Yoko Nishimura

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Monica Teisher was born in Cali, Colombia in 1974 to an Issei father and Nisei mother. She and her large extended family were active in the Cali Japanese community, the largest in Colombia. She moved to the United States after marrying a U.S. citizen of Eastern European Jewish descent. They and their daughters spend vacation time in Colombia, participating in community events. (May 2020)

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