Presented at the Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, Geneva, Switzerland, 8-13 May 2011
Presented by the Secretariat of TeLL-Net (International Network for Telling Live Lessons from Disasters)

International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters(Kobe, Japan, 20-22 March 2010)
Summary
The International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disaster was held in Kobe, Japan, 20-22 March 2010 by theImplementation Committee of the Forum (Chairman: Dr. Isao HAYASHI, Associate Professor of the National Museum of Ethnology),
co-organized by The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP), National Museum of Ethnology, JICA Hyogo Center,The Yomiuri Shim-bun and The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI). The
Forum was financed by CGP, Hyogo Prefecture Government, National Museum of Ethnology and the Nippon Foundation. It received
some 150 participants from Algeria, Armenia, Bangladesh, China, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Myanmar,Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, The Netherlands, The United States of America and Turkey, including those from 22 places of the world
which were struck by disasters in the past. Over 40 reports were presented on various cases and initiatives of preserving anddisseminating real live stories and lessons from the experiences of disasters.
Why the Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters?
Natural disasters have the power in mere moments, to destroy the livelihood and human societies built over generations. And yet,the sad memories engraved on our minds also help us move forward: further understanding the threats of the nature, while realizing
the preciousness of life and importance of communal living.
In many disaster-struck areas, various initiatives are in place to remember and convey the stories of survival and recovery.
Those have been undertaken through various mediums: oral story-telling, films, images, artifacts exhibition, monuments, artisticworks, etc. Such activities substantiate and communicate local histories; deepening our understanding of the bonds between ourselves
and the meaning of the co-existence with nature. Sharing such stories strengthens reconstruction efforts and generates a sense ofsolidarity. This kind of preserving and disseminating of real live stories and lessons from the experiences of disasters, “Telling Live
Lessons”, is an invaluable activity even for the larger society as a whole.
Unfortunately, the significance of such activities is not recognized enough. On the one hand, there are many individuals who arecommitted to communicating the stories and lessons of disasters; but, on the other hand, networks or systems are still weak to unite
these people and to facilitate mutual learning. Further research is also needed to examine the ways in which the stories and lessons arecompiled and transmitted.
In this context, the International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters was held with a view to strengthening exchange
between those committed to Telling Live Lessons around the world, appealing for the importance of such initiatives, examining its
significance and process, and promoting its continual implementation globally for strengthening the disaster prevention and mitigationin the future.
Theme of the Forum Motives: What motivates us to conduct Telling Live
Lessons? Why, for whom, and for what purposes do we
preserve and disseminate real live stories and lessons
from the experiences of disasters?
 Significance: How should we envision the significance ofTelling Live Lessons? From whose perspective should weunderstand the significance: those who try to convey
messages, the audience of the message, the citizen of thedisaster-struck areas, the larger society.…?
 Process: To make sure that the activities of Telling Live
Lessons are effective, what should we consider in termsof delivery and method? What kind of role would
museums take in accomplishing the objectives of Telling
Live Lessons?

(Photo: Omote)Open Symposium: Deliberating on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters
The Forum began with the open tripartite talk by Dr. KAWATA Yoshiaki (Executive Director of Disaster Reduction and Human
Renovation Institution (DRI) and Professor of Kasai University), Dr. Thin Aye Aye Ko (Director of Thin Myanmar Language Centerin Myanmar), and Mr. USUI Makoto (Teacher of Meishin Elementary School in Kobe, Japan). Dr. KAWATA stated that after the 1995
Earthquake in Kobe he came to believe that the researchers of disaster reduction must envision victims in their research scope andultimately aim at the bettering of the society; and stressed the importance of such research as “implementation science”. Dr. Thin AyeAye Ko presented her activities in her home country, which she is conducting by making use of her past experience in Kobe as adisaster victim then; and she highlighted the worldwide chain of assistance whereby a former disaster-struck place later extends
assistance to a newly struck place. Mr. USUI stated that, through the song “Bring Happiness to the World” that he composed twoweeks after the 1995 Earthquake, he wished to convey his hope that Kobe would recover; and manifested the important role that themusic can play in Telling Live Lessons by being able to effectively convey the hope of disaster victims to other places and times.
The panel discussion then followed with three panelists: Mr. YAMAMOTO Kenichi (Deputy Executive Director of DRI), Ms.
Donna SAIKI (Director of Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hawaii) and Dr. Muhammad Saidur RAHMAN (Director of Bangladesh
Disaster Preparedness Center), and two commentators: Mr. SAKATO Masaru (Special Assistant to the President of The JapanFor further information, please contact the Secretariat of TeLL-Net: contact@tell-net.org

Foundation) and Mr. Sanjaya BHATIA (Knowledge Management Officer of Secretariat of IRP (International Recovery Platform)).
They discussed the significance of Telling Live Lessons, and exchanged opinions such as: “The young generation can generate chainof Telling Live Lessons by telling their experiences to younger children who may further relay to next generations.”; “The traditional
means of Telling Live Lessons are greatly effective, such as folk songs, folklores and poetries which often have strong impacts to theheart of the local people of developing countries.”; “Our Museum operates with very little capital but lots of passion, and we havededicated volunteer.”; “It warms my heart that I come here and I can validate what we have been doing all those years of gatheringstories because we started with nothing.”; “The disaster is something very rare to one place, but if we share memories of disasters
across country borders, our memory of disasters can remain for longer time.”; “The efforts for Telling Live Lessons fits very well into
the Priority Number 3 of the Hyogo Framework of Action, i.e. educating awareness of disasters.”; and “The know-how of museums
and the mechanism of Telling Live Lessons are very effective to those countries that are struggling for reconstruction from disasters.”

Tripartite Talk(Photo Omote)

DRI, Kobe, Japan, for Eq.1995(Photo: Secretariat)

Pacific Tsunami Museum, Hawaii, USA,for Tsunami 1946 & 60 (Photo: Fukasawa)

Panel Discussion(Photo: Omote)

Sessions
The Forum then had several sessions separately, discussing the role of museums, the direction of research, the role of media andthe role of NGOs in implementing Telling Live Lessons. In the Museum Session, presentations were made by the representatives ofover 20 museums of different places of the world on their activities for specific disasters, such as: Eruption of Mt. Asama andconsequent Mudflow, Japan, 1783; Ansei Nankai Earthquake and Tsunami, Japan, 1854; San Francisco Earthquake, USA, 1906;
Eruption of Mt. Usu, Japan, 1920, 44, 77 and 2000; Storm-surge and Floods, Zealand, The Netherlands, 1953; Tsunamis, Hawaii, USA,1946 and 1960; Tailing Dam Failure, Stava Valley, Italy, 1985; Spitak Earthquake, Armenia, 1988; Eruption of Mt. Unzen-Fugen,Japan, 1991; Hokkaido South-West Offshore Earthquake and Tsunami, Japan, 1993; Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, Kobe, Japan,
1995; Marmara Earthquake, Turkey, 1999; Chi-Chi Earthquake, Taiwan, 1999; Indian Ocean Tsunami, Indonesia, Thailand and SriLanka, 2004; Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, USA, 2005; and Great Sichuan Earthquake, China, 2008. The museum exhibition on
Bumerdes Earthquake, Algeria, 2003, was also presented in another session. The Session observed a wide variety of initiatives: type offunding and management (publicly-organized vs. volunteer-led), coverage of display (disaster response phase vs. reconstruction), styleof display (facts in the past vs. counter-disaster measures in future), function of museum (exhibition of artifacts vs. forum wherepeople meet), and concept of exhibition (in-house exhibition only vs. “field museum” or “geo-park” inclusive of ruins and monuments
outside of museum).
In the Research Session, the researchers of disaster reduction from Algeria, Bangladesh, China, Japan and Nepal exchanged
opinions and outlooks to consider the role of Telling Live Lessons in further developing the human society. In the Media Session,some 10 journalists from Japan, Sri Lanka and USA discussed the responsibility of mass media in implementing and promoting
Telling Live Lessons activities. In the NGO Session, 7 NGO activists from Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar and USA reported theirachievements and considered the significance of human exchange across borders in sharing stories and experiences.

Flood Museum, Zealand, Netherlands,
for Storm-surge & Floods 1953
(Photo: from website)

921 Earthquake Museum, Chi-Chi, Earthquake Culture Museum, Adapazar Mimatsu Masao Museum, Use, Japan,Taiwan, for Earhquake1999
Turkey, for Earthquake 1999
for Mt. Usu Volcano Eruption 1999
(Photo: Sakamoto)(Photo: Sakamoto)(Photo: Mimatsu)

Conclusion
In January 2005 which coincided to the tenth anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the United Nations World
Conference on Disaster Reduction was held in Kobe; and one year later, the International Network of Telling Live Lessons fromDisasters, TeLL-Net, was founded. In March 2010, thanks to the continued cooperation of many partners, the Secretariat of TeLL-Net
is pleased to report that the International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disaster was held successfully.
While we are struggling for early recovery in the aftermath of the devastation caused by the Great East-North Japan Earthquakeand Tsunami of 11 March 2011, this harsh reality only strengthens the importance and necessity of promoting Telling Live Lessons
activities. Currently, the Secretariat is processing preparation of uploading detailed information of the Forum, in particular thereference to a wide variety of Telling Live Lessons activities in many parts of the world. We will soon open a portal site whereby weencourage and promote sharing of information and human exchange among those who are committed to preserving and disseminating
real live stories and lessons from the experiences of specific disasters, and thus we hope to contribute to promoting further
implementation of disaster reduction and early reconstruction of disaster-stricken areas.