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by Joseph Yoshimasu Kamiya  Monthly selections of Ryūkyūan music – past and present, from the islands and in the diaspora! Curated by OAA members and special guests, we’ll share songs inspired by themes like personal connections, significant seasons, specific islands and regions, and more. If you don't know many traditional songs or modern songs by Ryūkyūan performers, we hope that these informal recommendations will help with building your library! If you're already aware of many of the songs featured, we hope you will enjoy the personal connections and curated themes!  At our 2023 General Membership Meeting, current OAA Vice President Victoria Oshiro Nishiuchi was nominated and elected as the OAA's next President! She was nominated by OAA Uchinaaguchi Instructor, Advisor, and Past President Chogi Higa, who read a long list of Victoria's past achievements and leadership roles (including but not limited to board member, secretary, chairperson and member for numerous event planning committees, and past treasurer). In 2018, Victoria was one of the Women of the Year awarded by the Downtown Los Angeles Chapter of the Japanese American Citizen League and the Japanese Women’s Society of Southern California (read article). "Kajadifuu/Kagiyadefuu Bushi" (Classical)「かぎやで風節」– When I was in high school, my mother's brother sent her a vinyl of Okinawa music. She played it often but loudly on New Year’s morning as she was getting the New Year’s meal ready before the Rose Parade. As we entered the workforce, my mother always said you can work on Thanksgiving day and Christmas but not New Year’s day since this day is for the family. Everytime I hear this song, it reminds me of my mother's words and getting ready for the New Year’s meal. "Asadoya Yunta" (Folk)「安里屋ゆんた」– My father-in-law was a prisoner of war (POW) for the Japanese army in Manchuria; apparently he was a POW with a group of Uchinaanchu who would sing this song as they worked and it is something he remembered and often sang for many years to come. When [my husband] Mitsuo learned the song, he was shocked that it was Okinawan and recognized it as the song his father had been singing all those years. "Anmaa" by Kariyushi 58「アンマー」かりゆし５８ – Someone from Okinawa posted this song on Facebook on Mother's Day. So many of the lyrics are soooo true and it immediately became one of my favorites on my playlist. "Kimi ni Aitakute" by GACKT「君に逢いたくて」ガクト – This happens to be my favorite Gackt song. As you get older and get nostalgic and hear this song, it reminds me that life is too short and don't wait to tell your loved ones (friends and family) how much you love them and appreciate them. This post is for non-for-profit, educational, or entertainment purposes only. The OAA does not own the rights to these songs. For videos embedded on in the OAA's blog posts, we try our best to use official channels only (performing art centers, local musicians, record labels) in order to avoid pirated or unauthorized video uploads.
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