This is the website of a project called “People’s Documentation for Peace in Nepal”. It presents translated versions of four Nepali booklets in English and Japanese.
The texts presented in English and in Japanese in the website are not direct translations from the original Nepali version. Translators and editors modified the text and added footnotes where necessary. Editors tried to verify data presented in the Nepali version, but not all were traced. They shall not be responsible for the data, descriptions and opinions contained in the texts. While names of children have been changed, authors got consent from adults to use their original names.
The original Nepali booklets were published in 2006 and 2007, and their translations were done in 2008 and 2009. There is no link between the actual years of works and the months or years displayed in the website.
Background: Why we needed documentation project by people?
People’s Documentation for Peace in Nepal was launched as a project in August 2005 by a group of people living in Nepal to document people’s life of present days from different perspectives, by gender, by age, by class, by ethnicity/caste, by religion and by region in order to present diversity and to avoid domination by particular groups’ perception. In Nepal, there are very few stories and messages documented by ordinary people, which makes it difficult to learn lessons from the history through people’s perspectives. During the conflict period, members of the group were concerned about how the ongoing struggle for peace would be presented and explained in future.
Objectives: What the project wanted to achieve?
The project aimed to empower the people involved in the documentation process through dialogue and to utilize the collected material for reconciliation at local level and for extracting lessons for the next generation.
Methodology: How the project was done?
Step 1: Orientation and preparation
The project coordinator approached local organisations, individuals and journalists working in six districts in Nepal, namely, Taplejung, Kathmandu, Dang, Rolpa, Surkhet and Banke. The coordinator or journalists organised orientation workshops or meetings in these places to explain the objectives of the project. In total, 82 children and youths from 10 organisations participated in the workshops and meetings facilitated by journalists and photographers. During the workshop, facilitators explained how to write life stories and how to use diaries for documentation, in addition to providing technical support in photography. Supporters in Japan donated second-hand still cameras to the project. The cameras were lent to the participants, with costs for buying films and DPE fully borne by the project.
Step 2: Collecting materials
We applied ‘actor-oriented approach’ which encouraged participants to document their daily struggles and interactions with others, not necessarily battlefields or demonstration on streets. They could choose their own topic, using any media of their preference, such as essay, diary, poem, drawing, comic, cartoon, photography, video-grapy, audio recording or drama. We promoted their creativity rather than forcing them to apply a fixed format set by the project and expected to empower the people who face their own realities and who observe others' life and surrounding environment critically. We believed that such a process might contribute to healing their pains and curing their grief as well.
Step 3: Providing feedback and compiling material
The coordinator provided suggestions when she received photos or essays from the participants. The participants were encouraged to document the interaction process with the group of facilitators or their peers. This entire process could be so-called ‘process documentation’. Out of ten organisations and individuals, four continued regular communication with the coordinator until mid 2006. They had collected diaries, essays, poems, drawings, wall-newspaper and photos. Since the collected photos were not very good in quality, they decided to compile their materials as books. With the assistance of professional editors, they revisited the collected materials, conducted follow-up interviews and cross-checked details in reference books. Half a year later, they were able to publish their books in Nepali.
Step 4: Dissemination of the books
From the beginning, we wanted to give priority to the Nepalese people in rural areas to enjoy reading/watching the materials prepared by their own fellows. Sirjanshil Prakashan, a publisher, distributed the books to 75 districts through its own channels, while each organisation and individuals used them in book launch programmes later. For instance, SEED, a participant from Dang, used it for lobby and advocacy in 2008. Two women who shared their personal history in the book came to Kathmandu for testimony. Their interviews were broadcast by Nepal Television and Radio Sagarmatha. With the assistance of volunteers and professional translators, all four books were finally translated and uploaded in this website, in both English and Japanese.
Acknowledgement
Aruna Chaudhary, Bhagwati Nepal, Bhagi Ram Chaudhary, Bijaya Raj Acharya, Deependra Bajracharya, Dharana Nepal, Dipa Koirala, Eiichi Sadamatsu, Hari Krishna Dongol, Hikmat Khadka, Kayoko Azuma, Kishor Maharjan, Kiyoko Ogura, Krishna Sarbahari, Marty Logan, Nikunja Nepal, Prakash Amatya, Purna Basnet, Rewat Raj Timilsina, Shree Ram Chaudhary, Simon Robins, Toshie Kido, Yubaraj Ghimire
Masako Tanaka
Coordinator
January 2009
nepalpeacenetjp AT yahoo.co.jp
Contacts
For original Nepali version of the books
Bijaya Raj Acharya
Srijanshil Prakashan, Kathmandu
TEL: +977-1-4218063, +977-98510-97716
SEED
Shree Ram Chaudhary
Programme Coordinator
Society for Environment Education Development (SEED)
Tulsipur, Dang
E-mail: seed.peace AT ntc.net.np
TEL: +977-82-522039
Shanti Sewa Griha
Krishna Gurung
Chairperson
P.O. BOX 7861
E-mail:shantiseva AT hotmail.comTEL: +977-98510-43710, +977-1-4492412
JAFON
Rewat Raj Timilsina (until January 2009)
Chairman
Jagaran Manch Nepal (JAFON)
Kathmandu
P.O.Box No. 15142; K.P.C: 615
Email: youthforstreet AT yahoo.com
TEL: +977-98510-74587
Mahila ko Haat
Bhagwati Nepal
Chairperson
Mahila ko Haat
P.O.BOX 4903
E-mail: amolika AT wlink.com.np
+977-1-4430049
© People’s Documentation for Peace in Nepal 2009
The texts presented in English and in Japanese in the website are not direct translations from the original Nepali version. Translators and editors modified the text and added footnotes where necessary. Editors tried to verify data presented in the Nepali version, but not all were traced. They shall not be responsible for the data, descriptions and opinions contained in the texts. While names of children have been changed, authors got consent from adults to use their original names.
The original Nepali booklets were published in 2006 and 2007, and their translations were done in 2008 and 2009. There is no link between the actual years of works and the months or years displayed in the website.
Background: Why we needed documentation project by people?
People’s Documentation for Peace in Nepal was launched as a project in August 2005 by a group of people living in Nepal to document people’s life of present days from different perspectives, by gender, by age, by class, by ethnicity/caste, by religion and by region in order to present diversity and to avoid domination by particular groups’ perception. In Nepal, there are very few stories and messages documented by ordinary people, which makes it difficult to learn lessons from the history through people’s perspectives. During the conflict period, members of the group were concerned about how the ongoing struggle for peace would be presented and explained in future.
Objectives: What the project wanted to achieve?
The project aimed to empower the people involved in the documentation process through dialogue and to utilize the collected material for reconciliation at local level and for extracting lessons for the next generation.
Methodology: How the project was done?
Step 1: Orientation and preparation
The project coordinator approached local organisations, individuals and journalists working in six districts in Nepal, namely, Taplejung, Kathmandu, Dang, Rolpa, Surkhet and Banke. The coordinator or journalists organised orientation workshops or meetings in these places to explain the objectives of the project. In total, 82 children and youths from 10 organisations participated in the workshops and meetings facilitated by journalists and photographers. During the workshop, facilitators explained how to write life stories and how to use diaries for documentation, in addition to providing technical support in photography. Supporters in Japan donated second-hand still cameras to the project. The cameras were lent to the participants, with costs for buying films and DPE fully borne by the project.
Step 2: Collecting materials
We applied ‘actor-oriented approach’ which encouraged participants to document their daily struggles and interactions with others, not necessarily battlefields or demonstration on streets. They could choose their own topic, using any media of their preference, such as essay, diary, poem, drawing, comic, cartoon, photography, video-grapy, audio recording or drama. We promoted their creativity rather than forcing them to apply a fixed format set by the project and expected to empower the people who face their own realities and who observe others' life and surrounding environment critically. We believed that such a process might contribute to healing their pains and curing their grief as well.
Step 3: Providing feedback and compiling material
The coordinator provided suggestions when she received photos or essays from the participants. The participants were encouraged to document the interaction process with the group of facilitators or their peers. This entire process could be so-called ‘process documentation’. Out of ten organisations and individuals, four continued regular communication with the coordinator until mid 2006. They had collected diaries, essays, poems, drawings, wall-newspaper and photos. Since the collected photos were not very good in quality, they decided to compile their materials as books. With the assistance of professional editors, they revisited the collected materials, conducted follow-up interviews and cross-checked details in reference books. Half a year later, they were able to publish their books in Nepali.
Step 4: Dissemination of the books
From the beginning, we wanted to give priority to the Nepalese people in rural areas to enjoy reading/watching the materials prepared by their own fellows. Sirjanshil Prakashan, a publisher, distributed the books to 75 districts through its own channels, while each organisation and individuals used them in book launch programmes later. For instance, SEED, a participant from Dang, used it for lobby and advocacy in 2008. Two women who shared their personal history in the book came to Kathmandu for testimony. Their interviews were broadcast by Nepal Television and Radio Sagarmatha. With the assistance of volunteers and professional translators, all four books were finally translated and uploaded in this website, in both English and Japanese.
Acknowledgement
Aruna Chaudhary, Bhagwati Nepal, Bhagi Ram Chaudhary, Bijaya Raj Acharya, Deependra Bajracharya, Dharana Nepal, Dipa Koirala, Eiichi Sadamatsu, Hari Krishna Dongol, Hikmat Khadka, Kayoko Azuma, Kishor Maharjan, Kiyoko Ogura, Krishna Sarbahari, Marty Logan, Nikunja Nepal, Prakash Amatya, Purna Basnet, Rewat Raj Timilsina, Shree Ram Chaudhary, Simon Robins, Toshie Kido, Yubaraj Ghimire
Masako Tanaka
Coordinator
January 2009
nepalpeacenetjp AT yahoo.co.jp
Contacts
For original Nepali version of the books
Bijaya Raj Acharya
Srijanshil Prakashan, Kathmandu
TEL: +977-1-4218063, +977-98510-97716
SEED
Shree Ram Chaudhary
Programme Coordinator
Society for Environment Education Development (SEED)
Tulsipur, Dang
E-mail: seed.peace AT ntc.net.np
TEL: +977-82-522039
Shanti Sewa Griha
Krishna Gurung
Chairperson
P.O. BOX 7861
E-mail:shantiseva AT hotmail.comTEL: +977-98510-43710, +977-1-4492412
JAFON
Rewat Raj Timilsina (until January 2009)
Chairman
Jagaran Manch Nepal (JAFON)
Kathmandu
P.O.Box No. 15142; K.P.C: 615
Email: youthforstreet AT yahoo.com
TEL: +977-98510-74587
Mahila ko Haat
Bhagwati Nepal
Chairperson
Mahila ko Haat
P.O.BOX 4903
E-mail: amolika AT wlink.com.np
+977-1-4430049
© People’s Documentation for Peace in Nepal 2009
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electric, mechanical via photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the prior permission of People’s Documentation for Peace in Nepal.