Keibo Oiwa is a professor, cultural anthropologist, and a widely respected philosopher and organizer in Japan. He co-authored, with David Suzuki, a book about bottom-up movements for peace, human rights and environmentalism, called 'The Japan We Never Knew'. He is the founder of The Sloth Club – an NGO that promotes slow and sustainable living. The Sloth Club, coupled with Keibo's book Slow is Beautiful: Culture as Slowness, have fostered a new appreciation of rural life and a simpler way of living.
In this episode, Keibo offers us a portrait of a Japan moving in two different directions. He sounds the alarm about the cultural and spiritual devastation that has been a deeply tragic cost of Japan's pursuit of globalized development. But he also speaks of a widespread cultural resurgence – a movement towards regeneration, community and nature. He highlights cultural "keywords" that can be rediscovered in the Japanese cultural fabric, and which can be used as a guide for these emerging movements.
To watch the video of this series, visit: Planet Local Voices interview series.
The music for this series is ‘Pines and Violet’, by Sky Toes.
Suicidal growth & the future of sustainable economies – Andrew Simms
Mental health crisis: blame the system, not the individual – Eva Henje
Grassroots movements & initiatives are changing the world - Juan del Rio
Localization: learning from indigenous communities – Thais Mantovani
Agrarian localism: becoming 'ecological protagonists' – Chris Smaje
Car-free cities, corporate control and the power of people - Debra Efroymson
A World Yet To Come – Adebayo Akomolafe
Connecting to the land: paving the way for young farmers – Ele Saltmarsh
Reimagining education: from deadlihoods to alivelihoods - Manish Jain
Insights of an economic hitman “from a death to a life economy” - John Perkins
Alnoor Ladha – Courageous optimism
Iain McGilchrist – Rediscovering wisdom in a world gone mad
Episode 22 - Charles Eisenstein - Towards a new and ancient culture
Episode 21 - Vandana Shiva - The Power of People
Episode 20 - Mental Health in the Global Economy with Gabor Maté
Episode 19 - Jeremy Lent: Shifting Paradigms
Episode 18 - COP, carbon and high-tech: who is setting the agenda?
Episode 17 - Beyond Conspiracy: Framing Meaningful Activism
Episode 16 - Unpacking Global Empire from an Indigenous Perspective
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