SHIKATAGANAI: It Can't Be Helped

Sumi narete tochi owarete sokai suru. (Expelled, chased out from the land we lived comfortably) Rokunin no ashi kata nokoshi sokai suru (Evacuation, six small kid’s foot prints left behind.) Sutsu kaisu sageta kodomo wa ureshi garu (Carrying suitcases, kids were so excited) Shin pai wa doko e yukuno ka kane mo nai shi. (No money, destination not known, so worried.) Jinsei no ayumi tsuka reta, shiroi hata (Tired, exhausted of this journey, defeated with white flag) Shikataganai: It Can’t Be Helped traces one Japanese-Canadian family’s experience of evacuation and internment during World War II. By recounting personal stories of racial discrimination relating to these events, Sumi Kinoshita tells the story of her parents’ struggle to cope while raising a family in the British Columbia interior during the war. These struggles continued during the difficult resettling period following the war, as her parents were faced with the twin realities of having their property confiscated and their livelihood disrupted. Including first-hand accounts from other members of the Morisawa family, Shikataganai: It Can’t Be Helped weaves a compelling story of tragedy, of loss, of retaining a sense of humour, and ultimately, of finding hope in the face of life’s challenges.