It has gone by many names, but the central theme and desire to help has never changed. After the events of March 11th, the state of Hawai’i banded together to raise funds and support the people of Japan. From concerts to donation drives, an unprecedented amount of aloha was shown for Japan as people from every industry and every walk of life chipped in to help. It was (and still is) an amazing show of humanity.
Now comes time for healing. ManoaDNA was fortunate to travel to Sendai as a part of the Hawaii Tourism Japan Aloha caravan and witnessed the devastation first-hand. Along with Aureana Tseu & a local Sendai halau, we performed music, featured hula, took photos, and distributed candies and other goods to three evacuation shelters. Nick documented the entire trip on video and a special documentary cut is expected to be released here on ManoaDNA.com.
Along with financial and emotional support, Hawai’i has another major asset to help heal the people of Japan: itself. The beauty of our islands, the people that live here, and its culture can heal any emotional scar. We have the opportunity to invite those affected by March 11th into our backyard and embrace them with (what else?!) aloha. If you have a chance to directly interact with any of our visitors here in the islands, we invite you to do so and show them what aloha really means.