Joel Assogba: dad on a mission

By Tokyo Families | COMMUNITY CENTER

Joel Assogba is a writer-illustrator, a freelance columnist, author of trilingual books in Japanese, English and French, and also a passionate public speaker.  Above all, he is a father --  with a big mission.  TF talks to Joel. 

TF:  What brought you to Japan in 1994? 
Joel: Among other reasons, the interest in medieval Japanese classic literature. I love KAMO no Chomei, a Japanese author, poet, essayist, and philosopher so I decided to come to Japan to learn more about his work. 

TF: Tell us about your family and journey in Japan in the last 17 years. 
Joel:  My 17 years in Japan have been quite memorable.  My daughter Karen-Anne (now 17 years old) was born in Chikugo city, my son Georges-Eric (now 15 years old)  and my daughter Erika-Joelle, 12,  were born in Kumamoto city. My wife Reiko, our three precious children and I used to live in a crowded small apartment in the town center for 5 years before we moved into a beautiful two-storey house we bought in a wealthy neighborhood.  I ran a language school called “Queen’s,” in Chikugo city (a small city located 40 minutes by express train from Hakata, Fukuoka) where I taught English and French.  There were too many social issues in Japan (bullying, racism, all forms of discrimination, violence, injustice, poverty…), but not many people were willing to stand up and challenge them. Everything seemed okay, and there were more bystanders than evildoers; “The world is dangerous not because of people who do harm, but because of people who look at it without doing anything.” (Albert Einstein)

I have always spoken in public in protest against injustice, to comfort the oppressed and will continue to do so for the rest of my life not only for my children but for future generation.    

TF: Japan is an aging society and needs more people like you and your children. What made you decide to leave Japan to settle permanently in Canada? 
Joel:  More than any other economically advanced nations in the world, Japan needs mass immigration for its survival. So it should make an effort to keep long time residents and families by truly promoting multiculturalism and cultural diversity, but it is the last thing Japanese leaders have on their agenda. My children were born and raised in Japan.  Japanese is their native language, but they were always treated as foreigners.  We were not really welcomed as true members of the society, so living permanently in Japan as foreigners was against my philosophy of cultural diversity. Everyone has the right to move freely to any part of the world, keep his ethnic and cultural identity, but not be considered as a foreigner once settled in his/her adopted nation. I have worked hard in promoting these values  all those years living there and still doing it from Canada by writing articles in Japanese newspapers, getting involved in the Japanese community here in Ottawa  via the Embassy of Japan. 

It has been only a year since we moved to Ottawa-Gatineau and it’s amazing how my children have quickly adapted to the multi-ethnic and multicultural environment.  They have just bloomed and are quite happy to live in Canada. Their English has improved a lot, and they are starting to pick up some French as well. I was moved to tears when my eldest daughter, Karen-Anne, wrote me a wonderful note on Father’s Day, I quote: “Dear だD (the way she wrote “Daddy” when she started writing at 3). Thank you for thinking of our future and bringing us to Canada. I think it was the right decision and I have no regret.” 

TF:  You have published a book about “Ijime” or bullying of multiracial children. What inspired you to write it? 
Joel: It’s a bilingual book in Japanese and English (both languages in the same book), and the title is “Gobo san no iro wa・・・?/ What Color are Burdocks?”.  My children were often teased by other Japanese kids because of the color of their skin.  “Black and dirty as burdocks”  was one of the terms that often came up.

My children got quite upset when I once brought home a picture book, “Ninjin-san ga Akai Wake” (“The Reason Why Carrot is Red”) from the local library.  Written by renowned Japanese author of children’s literature Miyoko Matsutani, the story unfolds like this: A carrot and a burdock ask a white radish (daikon) out to a bath. The burdock jumps in the water but soon hops out because the water is too hot; it remains black. The carrot stays in the hot water longer and turns red. The daikon cools the bath with some cold water and washes himself thoroughly, which turns him shining white.  At the end, the three stand beside each other to compare their color. The burdock is black and dirty because he did not wash his body properly; the daikon is white and beautiful because he did. 

When I was talking about this story during one of my lectures on human rights issues at a PTA meeting in Fukuoka, one of the participants, a Japanese mother of an African-Japanese preschool boy, started crying and saying that her son was taunted, ridiculed and called “burdock” after his pre-school teacher read the aforementioned book to the class. When the little boy returned home that day, he jumped into the bathtub, started washing his body crying, “I hate my light brown skin, I hate the burdock, I’m dirty and I want to be like the white radish!” How can this child have a positive image of himself? 

We all felt sad after hearing the story, because the book associates black with dirt. The story’s underlying message is clear: “You’ll be black and dirty like burdocks if you don’t wash yourself well in the bath.” So children with darker skin will be victimized by the message it conveys. 

How can such a book still be in libraries and preschool classrooms in an increasingly multiracial contemporary Japan? I called the publisher, Doshinsha Publishing Co., and demanded that the book be recalled, saying it was racist. The publisher disagreed. My demand to meet with Matsutani to discuss revising the portions of the book I considered objectionable was also rejected. Yoichi Ikeda, the editor of the book published in 1989, told me over the phone that the story was the author’s version of a Japanese folktale. “Matsutani is not promoting racism, she was just handing down to Japanese children our rich culture,” he said. “And anyway, there are not many black children in Japanese preschools.” Surprisingly, the book is quite popular and was even selected as one of the Japan School Library Association’s “good picture books.”
 
The author, editor and publisher, as well as Japanese educators who use the book, should face the fact that it insults many people in today’s multi-ethnic society. It’s important to have story characters with a positive image, so children who identify with them can develop high self-esteem. 

“Gobo-san no Iro wa?” (“What Color Are Burdocks?”) is my counter-argument to Matsutani’s picture book. The story goes: One sunny day, a group of children visits a farm and harvests daikon radishes, carrots and burdock. They put the muddy vegetables in a bath but fi nd the burdocks are still black after washing. The children take the “dirty burdocks” to the bath again. The burdocks get upset and jump out of the water, saying, “We are already clean. Black is our natural color.” Carrots and radishes join them, saying, “Yes, we are all clean,” and they all sing and dance together. “Black is beautiful, white is beautiful, red is beautiful — all the colors in the world are equally beautiful!” 

TF:  Lastly, what is family to you? 
Joel: Family is a basic unit of every society in the world, and no nation can rise higher than its homes.  When families break up, homes collapse and as a result,  the whole community, society and nations fall apart. As a father, I would like to stress the importance of a father fi gure in a family. 

If the mother is the ruler of the family, the father is the foundation and chief corner stone. He plays many roles, some major and some minor. Strong nations, communities, and neighborhoods are made up of strong families with a father in the home. 

A father provides guidance, empowerment, and mentorship to his family. They are protected from hurt, harm, and danger, with his life if necessary.  Engaged fathers challenge their children to be strong and successful in their life and affairs. As a father, I believe in my role as a stabilizer, protector, enabler, provider, and disciplinarian in the family. 

Joel Assogba gives talks on anti-bullying, SOS racism, cultural and ethnic diversity.  He may be contacted atjoel5711@gmail.com

To support and sign Joel’s anti-racism petition, go here 

Here are some of Joel Assogbo’s books and posters that are available on the market: 

Children’s Book: The Rainbow’s Kids (Trilingual: Japanese/English/French), a  message book to promote Peace, Daddy Publishing, ISBN 4-9900918-0-9, August 2001, Japan. Price 1800 yen + 350 yen (handling fee) 

Children’s Book: Wind of Freedom (Trilingual: Japanese/English/French), a message book to promote Equality, Daddy Publishing, ISBN 4-9900918-1-7, February 2002, Japan. Price 2048 yen + 350 yen (handling fee) 

Children’s Book: What Color are Burdocks? (Bilingual: Japanese/English), a message book to promote Diversity, Daddy Publishing, ISBN 4-9900918-2-5, November 2004, Japan. Price 1850 yen + 350 yen (handling fee) 

Peace (Bilingual: Japanese/English), a book to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the A-bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Daddy Publishing, ISBN 4-9900918-3-3, August 2005, Japan. Price 1500 yen + 350 yen (handling fee) 

Children’s Book: I am not a Foreigner (Bilingual: Japanese/English), a message book to promote to fi ght against racism and promote Multiculturalism, Daddy Publishing, ISBN 4-9900918-4-1, March 2006, Japan. Price 1000 yen + 350 yen (handling fee) 

Children’s Book: Respect for Life (Bilingual: Japanese/English), a message book to fight against bullying and promote Life, Daddy Publishing, ISBN 4-9900918-5-X, September 2008, Japan. Price 1900 yen + 350 yen (handling fee) 

Poster: Multiethnic and Multicultural Japan, a message poster to promote ethnic and cultural diversity in Japan, Daddy Publishing, March 2003. Price 1000 yen + 350 yen (handling fee) 

Poster: Bullying: Zero Tolerance (Bilingual: Japanese/English), a message poster to fight against bullying, Daddy Publishing, August 2007. Price 1900 yen + 350 yen (handling fee) 

http://joelass.web.fc2.com/Poster_Joel.pdf 
You can place an order by e-mailing joel5711@gmail.com

For people who want to check the books out before buying them, they are at the “National Diet Library in Tokyo” 「国立国会図書 館」, The National Diet Library (国立国会図書館 Kokuritsu Kokkai Toshokan) is the only national library in Japan. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the Diet of Japan/National Diet of Japan (国会 Kokkai) in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope to the U.S. Library of Congress, at http://www.ndl.go.jp (On the web site, search Joel Assogba or ジョエル・アソグバ) 

Tignish writer educates through stories

Wed, 11/28/2012 - 05:15

By Cindy Chant

cindy@peicanada.com

After experiencing racism himself, new Tignish resident Joel Assogba wanted to put a stop to it. He plans on fighting back by using education instead of anger.

“We can’t be by-standards when someone else is suffering,” said Mr Assogba, who felt as though he had to give something back to humanity by teaching universal values such as love, compassion and respect.

Mr Assogba is an African-Canadian Japanese, who is a writer-illustrator and a passionate speaker. He has published many trilingual books and articles in Japan’s main newspapers including: Yomiuri, Asahi and Mainichi. After becoming an author for five popular illustrated books; “The Rainbow’s Kids”, “Wind of Freedom”, “What Color Are Burdocks”, “I’m not a Foreigner”, and “Respect for Life”, he quickly decided to get the word out by talking to elementary students.

“Values are missing in society today so that is why there is a lot of bullying and racism...people don’t want to stand up and fight that because it is a difficult challenge.”

From an early age Mr Assogba knew he liked to paint pictures and write stories. It was a childhood dream to publish books for children. So he decided to mix his talents and tell stories. Each book was designed to include English, French and Japanese. 

“I don’t want to do it for the money...it is all about educating the future generations.”
Early into his teachings he visited an elementary school off-Island where a five-year old student told him that the only thing clean was the palm of his hands. She proceeded in telling him to go and take a bath because he was dirty. 

“This was the best time to educate her...I showed her by washing my hands for four minutes. She was so surprised to see nothing changed,” said Mr Assogba, who explained six months later he was called back to the school where the student was waiting to give him a hug for the lesson she had learned.
“That made me very happy...she became my friend.”

Mr Assogba has travelled all over Japan to give lectures on parenting, education of the heart, univeral values, crime prevention, human rights, antiracism, non-violence and peace. He also held a special literary event in English, French and Japanese for students and other invited guests at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. He now works for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Tignish.

“You have to have fearless courage in life...sometimes it is just pure ignorance and we can fight that through educating people.”

For information feel free to contact him at joel5711@gmail.com or visithttp://www.speakerfile.com/speakers/joel.assogba

Book is behind bullying of mixed-race children

The Japan Times Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Dear Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Hirofumi Hirano,

Positive image: Joel Assogba displays some of his multilingual children's books at a fair for Francophone authors in Ottawa last month. COURTESY OF JOEL ASSOGBA

My three beautiful children were all born in Japan and went to Japanese public schools. Their mother is a native Japanese of Japanese ethnic background, and I am a Canadian citizen of African background.

Since my children are light brown, they were often teased by other kids because of the color of their skin. The culprits were cruel, directing various racial slurs. Among others, "black and dirty as burdocks" was one of the terms that often came up.

But, when I once ran across and brought home a picture book, "Ninjin-san ga Akai Wake" ("The Reason the Carrot is Red") from the local library, my children got quite upset.

Written by renowned Japanese author of children's literature Miyoko Matsutani, the story unfolds like this: A carrot and a burdock ask a white radish (daikon) out to a bath. The burdock jumps in the water but soon hops out because the water is too hot; it remains black. The carrot stays in the hot water longer and turns red. The daikon cools the bath with some cold water and washes himself thoroughly, which turns him shining white.

At the end, the three stand beside each other to compare their color. The burdock is black and dirty because he did not wash his body properly; the daikon is white and beautiful because he did.

When I was talking about this story during one of my lectures on human rights issues at a PTA meeting in Fukuoka, one of the participants, a Japanese mother of an African-Japanese preschool boy, started crying and saying that her son was taunted, ridiculed and called "burdock" after his pre-school teacher read the aforementioned book to the class.

When the little boy returned home that day, he jumped into the bathtub, started washing his body and crying, "I hate my light brown skin, I hate the burdock, I'm dirty and I want to be like the white radish!" How can this child have a positive image of himself?

We all felt sad after hearing this story, because the book associates the color black with dirt. The story's underlying message is clear: "You'll be black and dirty like burdocks if you don't wash yourself well in the bath." So children with darker skin will be victimized by the message it conveys.

How can such a book still be in libraries and preschool classrooms in increasingly multiracial contemporary Japan?

I called the publisher, Doshinsha Publishing Co., and demanded the book be recalled, saying it was racist. The publisher disagreed. My demand to meet with Matsutani to discuss revising the portions of the book I considered objectionable was also rejected.

Yoichi Ikeda, the editor of the book published in 1989, told me over the phone that the story was the author's version of a Japanese folktale.

"Matsutani is not promoting racism, she was just handing down to Japanese children our rich culture," he said. "And anyway, there are not many black children in Japanese preschools."

Surprisingly, the book is quite popular and was even selected as one of the Japan School Library Association's "good picture books."

The author, editor and publisher, as well as Japanese educators who use the book, should face the fact that it insults many people in today's multiethnic society. It's important to have story characters with a positive image, so children who identify with them can develop high self-esteem.

"Gobo-san no Iro wa?" ("What Color Are Burdocks?") is my counterargument to Matsutani's picture book. The story goes: One sunny day, a group of children visits a farm and harvests daikon radishes, carrots and burdock. They put the muddy vegetables in a bath but find the burdocks are still black after washing.

The children take the "dirty burdocks" to the bath again. The burdocks get upset and jump out of the water, saying, "We are already clean. Black is our natural color."

Carrots and radishes join them, saying, "Yes, we are all clean," and they all sing and dance together. "Black is beautiful, white is Beautiful, red is beautiful — all the colors in the world are equally beautiful!"

JOEL ASSOGBA
Ottawa

Writer and illustrator Joel Assogba is a passionate public speaker and the author of "Gobo-san no Iro wa?" ("What Color Are Burdocks?") (Daddy Publishing, 2004). He lived in Japan from 1994 to 2011 and is now back in Ottawa with his Japanese spouse and their three children. He can be contacted at joel5711@gmail.com. 

Joel Assogba: World Citizen

Interviewed by Axiom-Magazine, Nagoya, Japan
May 16, 2012 

Could you start with a short bio? Name, where you have lived, what you do for a living?

My name is Joel Assogba. I am an African-Canadian “Japanese”, with the spirit and soul of a world citizen. I ran a language school in Chikugo City (Fukuoka, Japan) where I taught English and French for 17 years. I am also a writer-illustrator and a passionate public speaker. I have published many trilingual books (Japanese / English / French) and articles in Japanese newspapers.

In April 2011 I moved back to Ottawa-Gatineau (Canada), where I am living with my Japanese spouse, Reiko, and our 3 beautiful children; Karen-Anne (16 years old), Georges-Eric (15 years old) and Erika-Joelle (12 years old ).

You truly are the personification of multiculturalism, having written trilingual works in the past (French, English and Japanese). Is there anywhere that you think of as “home,” or is the old cliche, “home is where the heart is” more suitable?

For me “Home” is the whole planet. It is easier that way, because when I start saying; this city or this country is my home, I go against my belief of being a “World Citizen.”

You lived in Japan for over a decade and even set up your own school there, did you ever feel truly assimilated into Japanese society?

Assimilation is not a concept that I like, because when people assimilate into a culture, then we cannot talk about multiculturalism anymore. I spent almost all my adulthood in Japan (17 years). I spoke no Japanese at all before moving to Japan, but after a year or so, mingling with my ESL students and their parents, I was able to speak the language fluently. After 4 years, I started giving 90-minute talks in Japanese to an audience of 200, 500 or even 1500 people (native Japanese) without referring to any notes.

I think I integrated (not assimilated) very well into Japanese society, and I proudly say to people that I am “Japanese,” too, even though I haven’t taken the citizenship. Even here in Ottawa, I am involved in the Japanese community; I have met the Ambassador, the Minister and several diplomats.

You have given many talks about racial awareness and bullying in Japan, perhaps most notably at the 2005 Expo; is bullying a universal problem, or do you think Japan has some unique hurdles to jump over? If so, what would they be?

Of course the number of bullied Japanese students who commit suicide is worryingly high, but bullying is a universal issue that needs to be addressed more seriously and challenged. It is very unfortunate that many teachers and parents still don’t act quickly before things get out of hands, and someone takes his or her own life. I believe schools need to work closely with homes and communities to prevent bullying from happening, but when it does happen, adults must let children know that it is not to be tolerated. Clear rules and consequences must be set up and applied.

You have written several children’s books which promote diversity and equality; how important are such books in making a healthier environment in school and at home?

I am the author-illustrator of two trilingual (Japanese, English and French in the same book) children’s books;
1)”The Rainbow’s Kids,”
2) “Wind of Freedom.”
And 3 bilingual ones (Japanese and English in the same book);
1)”What Color are Burdocks,”
2) “I’m not a Foreigner,”
3) “Respect for Life”
I have also published a bilingual project(Japanese and English); “平和・ピース・Peace”(96 pages) to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the A-bomb being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I have designed and published two colorful posters to promote multiculturalism and prevent Ijime (bullying) in Japan. For about 12 years I traveled to more than 60 cities around Japan and gave more than 500 talks in Japanese on parenting, education, universal values, crime prevention, human rights, anti-racism, nonviolence and peace…

Children in many countries around the world (including Japan and Canada) grow up in classrooms that are increasingly diverse. There are different races, different genders and ever increasing acknowledgment of different sexual orientations. Children who are developing their sense of self may feel threatened when it does not match what is considered the “norm”. For this reason, it is crucial that teachers take a broad view on accepting diversity in their classroom. Parents also need to expose their children to a multicultural education.

There are countless authors of children’s books, do you think all of them know the full extent of their responsibilities? Or are there some books which are needlessly bias, or perhaps even discriminatory?

Many authors, editors and publishers of children books just care about money. Publishing is pure business today; as long as the book sells, the content doesn’t need to respect any human rules. Publishers don’t care much about the message the book conveys, and it doesn’t matter if it encourages bullying or racism. A perfect example for that is the picture book, “Ninjin-san ga Akai Wake” (“The Reason the Carrot is Red”). Written by renowned Japanese author of children’s literature Miyoko Matsutani, the story unfolds like this: A carrot and a burdock ask a white radish (daikon) out to a bath. The burdock jumps in the water but soon hops out because the water is too hot; it remains black. The carrot stays in the hot water longer and turns red. The daikon cools the bath with some cold water and washes himself thoroughly, which turns him shining white. At the end, the three stand beside each other to compare their color. The burdock is black and dirty because he did not wash his body properly; the daikon is white and beautiful because he did.

When I was talking about this story during one of my lectures on human rights issues at a PTA meeting in Fukuoka, one of the participants, a Japanese mother of an African-Japanese preschool boy, started crying and saying that her son was taunted, ridiculed and called “burdock” after his pre-school teacher read the aforementioned book to the class. When the little boy returned home that day, he jumped into the bathtub, started washing his body and crying, “I hate my light brown skin, I hate the burdock, I’m dirty and I want to be like the white radish!” How can this child have a positive image of himself?

We all felt sad after hearing this story, because the book associates the color black with dirt. The story’s underlying message is clear: “You’ll be black and dirty like burdocks if you don’t wash yourself well in the bath.” So children with darker skin will be victimized by the message it conveys. How can such a book still be in libraries and preschool classrooms in increasingly multiracial contemporary Japan?

I called the publisher, Doshinsha Publishing Co., and demanded the book be recalled, saying it was racist. The publisher disagreed. My demand to meet with Matsutani to discuss revising the portions of the book I considered objectionable was also rejected. Yoichi Ikeda, the editor of the book published in 1989, told me over the phone that the story was the author’s version of a Japanese folktale. “Matsutani is not promoting racism, she was just handing down to Japanese children our rich culture,” he said. “And anyway, there are not many black children in Japanese preschools.” Surprisingly, the book is quite popular and was even selected as one of the Japan School Library Association’s “good picture books.”

The author, editor and publisher, as well as Japanese educators who use the book, should face the fact that it insults many people in today’s multi-ethnic society. It’s important to have characters with a positive image, so children who identify with them can develop high self-esteem.

“Gobo-san no Iro wa?” (“What Color Are Burdocks?”) is my counterargument to Matsutani’s picture book. The story goes: One sunny day, a group of children visits a farm and harvests daikon radishes, carrots and burdock. They put the muddy vegetables in a bath but find the burdocks are still black after washing.
The children take the “dirty burdocks” to the bath again. The burdocks get upset and jump out of the water, saying, “We are already clean. Black is our natural color.”
Carrots and radishes join them, saying, “Yes, we are all clean,” and they all sing and dance together. “Black is beautiful, white is Beautiful, red is beautiful — all the colors in the world are equally beautiful!”

How well do you think the education system in Japan deals with international students? What kind of changes would you encourage?

It is very confusing in Japanese Schools. MEXT (the Ministry of Education,Culture,Sports,Science & Technology of Japan) tries to teach Japanese students kokusaika　(internationalization), but no programs exist in which Japanese students can exchange their culture and customs with children new to the classroom and possibly Japan. The Central Educational Council of MEXT submitted a proposal for revision of the Fundamentals of Education Act on March 20, 2003 , but the purpose of the revision is to encourage Japanese to acquire an “international way of thinking” by cultivating “love for Japanese culture, tradition and patriotism” .

Also, the MEXT pamphlet Kyôiku no kôzô kaikaku (structural reform of education) emphasizes educational reforms to cultivate shakai-sei(sociability) and kokusai-sei (an international way of thinking), and to accomplish these reforms MEXT propose English classes in compulsory education, and other language classes and cultural exchange by studying abroad in higher education (2003). In these two policies, it seems that education in Japan is open only for Japanese, and that cultural exchange with other countries and studying English are the only ways for Japanese to develop kokui-sei. The Japanese educational policy of kokusai-sei is a peculiar system, a proposal for an international way of thinking made without consideration for the international children who live within Japanese society.

How did the audience generally react to your point-of-view?

From 1999 to 2011, I traveled to more than 60 cities and gave more than 500 talks; at kindergartens (for kids and their parents), elementary schools, junior high schools, junior colleges, universities, public halls, community centers, public libraries, etc.. I can’t even keep track on all the cities that I have been to.
I was very popular among grade-school children, the majority of parents and teachers. I have visited more than 250 elementary schools, talked to and mingled with more or less 100, 000 children. I love kids, and if we educators really take time to touch their hearts with universal messages of tolerance, diversity, compassion and respect for life; they won’t bully each other.

Most of my talks to adults were full, often with a range of 500 to 1500 people. Roughly, I have talked to more than 500,000 people in 10 years. Of course, not all the people agreed with what I was talking about. On many occasions, I have been yelled at and told to go back to my country if I “badmouthed” Miyoko Matsutani (the author of “Ninjin san ga akai wake,”). Miyoko Matsutani, (born in 1926), and considered as the “Mother” of Japanese juvenile literature. It seems like nobody has the right to counter what Miyoko Matsutani has written, even if it is not right. I vividly recall an incident that really flipped me off::
While talking to the kids, their parents and teachers about “Ninjin-san ga Akai Wake” and why I created “Gobo-san no Iro wa?” at an elementary school in Fukuoka, a mother stood up and interrupted my presentation; “Don’t badmouth our beloved Matsutani-sensei in front of our kids,” She furiously said, “You are a Gaijin and you don’t know anything about our beautiful culture…” She didn’t even get it all off her chest when the principal jumped in ;“Don’t brainwash our kids, stop your lecture, thank you.” Then the parents started leaving the hall, and teachers told the students to go to their classroom.

I never badmouth anyone, but every time that I find something wrong in our societies, I stand up with fearless courage to challenge it. Let’s not confound “criticism” with “badmouthing.” BADMOUTHING is charging falsely or with malicious intent; attacking the good name and reputation of someone, but CRITICISM is the practice of judging the merits and faults of something or someone in an intelligible (or articulate) way. After all, when the criticism is valid, it must be made by all means necessary, because it is the only way we can make the world a better place to live.

I was quite satisfied about the coverage I have received in the Japanese media, though. The three main national newspapers (Yomiuri, Asahi, Mainichi) and several other regional newspapers have written excellent reviews about the book and my social actions. Several radio and television shows also have allowed me to express my views on the issue of racism. Many public libraries purchased not only “What Color are Burdocks?” but my other books as well. I was honored to find out that seven of my publications are at Japan National Diet Library in Tokyo: http://www.ndl.go.jp/en/index.html (Search Joel Assogba)

The National Diet Library (国立国会図書館 Kokuritsu Kokkai Toshokan) is the only national library in Japan. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the Diet of Japan/National Diet of Japan (国会 Kokkai) in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope to the U.S. Library of Congress

If someone has a child and they suspect that they are being bullied, what action would you suggest the parents take?

Just make sure that your kids tell you everything that happens at preschool or school (good news and bad news) every day after they come back home. Do not tolerate any racist comments. Kids need to take pride in their ethnic background while growing up, and do not forget to tell them very often; “You are very Beautiful!”

I believe in a good human nature, so I help my kids and other kids practice compassion, and nurture their good inner-selves with universal human values such as Peace, Love, Tolerance and Respect for Life.”If you want to be happy, practice compassion. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.” (Dalai Lama)

Lastly, what do you have planned for the remainder of 2012?

I will work tirelessly to fight against discrimination of all forms, e-publish a few books, promote my work, give talks at schools, community centers and public hall around the nation to preach universal values such as love, compassion, tolerance, diversity, respect for life, etc..

There is a kind of subtle racism going on now in Canada, especially in the media. When I moved to Canada in March 2011, I wasn’t active for about half a year. But after, I started going to schools to talk to children, parents and teachers about Anti-Bullying, Tolerance, Diversity, just like I was doing in Japan. I also started giving talks, and displaying my illustrated books & posters at book fairs and events to promote the values that I named above, in both English and French. These are values that Canada is proud of.

To find out more about Joel and his body of work, be sure to visit his website here, or you can contact him directly and get your hands on some of his books by emailing: joel5711@gmail.com