Commemorate
Not only buildings and cultural relics have been preserved, but also the spirit of perseverance.
Many countries in the world have museums with the theme of women's lives, such as "Anne Frank Huis" in the Netherlands, "The War and Women's Human Rights Museum" in South Korea, and "Women's Active Museum on War and Peace" in Japan etc. Through exhibitions, activities, and educational campaigns, people's concerns and reflections on human rights, war, and gender justice will be raised. Taiwan, which advertises itself as "a country founded on human rights," should of course have such a museum.
Over the years, Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation (TWRF) has worked hand in hand with Ama to fully record the transformation of grandmas from victims, recoverers, to activists fighting violence and advocating women's rights. Thousands of precious and rich historical materials have been completed It has been well preserved, but there has been no good preservation and display place.
Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation gathered the efforts of all parties and finally established Taiwan's first "comfort women" museum : Ama museum in Dihua Street, Taipei City in 2016. Although it was temporarily closed and relocated in 2020, the efforts of Ama museum have never stopped. In 2021, Ama museum was re-opened in the vicinity of Minquan West Road MRT Station, which is also located in Datong District, Taipei City.
With "Ama museum", we can:
The signboard of the old building of Ama museum on Dihua Street.
Inheriting historical memory
History should not be forgotten, multiple displays let people learn lessons and learn to cherish peace.
Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation is the only non-governmental organization engaged in the "comfort women" human rights movement. It has been with Ama for a quarter of a century and has collected 5,042 pieces of audio-visual and books related materials, "comfort women" human rights movement, Ama's personal items, and physical and mental workshops A total of 730 works and other related cultural relics. These are important cultural relics in Taiwan's "comfort women" history, and the archives of "comfort women" have also been affirmed by the government, and were selected and registered in the "2018 Taiwan Memory of the World National Register".
Through space management, Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation takes the tenacious life force of Taiwanese women represented by grandmas as the core foundation. On the one hand, it preserves the precious historical materials of the "comfort women" human rights movement, and conveys the energy after life quenching. At the same time, it uses the perspective of women's human rights to discuss , hoping that similar incidents will not recur in the future. In addition, we combine multiple methods such as art and creation to deepen the implementation of violence prevention and human rights education, so that the next generation can learn gender equality and respect for personal relationships, and let civil society learn how to support human rights and anti-gender violence movements. "Ama museum" is also committed to communicating with relevant international human rights groups, using the museum as a base for promoting cultural diplomacy and human rights diplomacy in Taiwan.
Ama Museum will be relocated at the end of 2021. After its official opening, it will be integrated into the same office as Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation. In addition to bringing conference operations and services closer to Grandma’s House, it will also use a new curatorial method to create an immersive visiting atmosphere. Let the exhibitors understand that the "comfort women" issue is related to various contemporary gender-related issues, and the process of understanding history can stimulate reflection on modern daily life.
The left side of the picture is the exhibition area of the old Ama museum, and the right side is the special exhibition area of the new Ama museum.
Inheriting the power of women
Nearly 30 years of accompanying experience of "comfort women" Ama have helped more women gain self-confidence and ability, and gain a new life
According to the survey report on the prevalence of violence published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2016, one out of every four women in Taiwan has been victimized by partner violence in their lifetime. Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation serving disadvantaged women and children for a long time, we found that the recovery of survivors of violence not only takes a long time, but also depends not only on individual efforts, but also on the long-term support of family and society. When they receive sufficient support, they have the potential to show full energy of life becomes the brave of life and speaks for oneself.
During the nearly 30 years of accompanying the "comfort women" Ama, Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation encouraged and accompanied Ama to participate in human rights voice actions at home and abroad, and through 16 years of physical and mental care workshops such as yoga, photography, conversation, and art therapy, Many Ama let go of the shackles in their hearts, and the hurt hearts can affirm themselves, understand themselves, and cherish themselves, and transform from silent and depressed survivors into active voice actors.
Relying on the experience of accompanying Ama in recovering from trauma in the past, we believe that as long as timely assistance and resources are given, everyone in need can regain the energy of life. Therefore, we also hope that through "Ama museum", not only survivors of gender violence, but also more of you and me can be nourished here and regain our self-worth and energy.
Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation has accompanied Ama for many years, and the very important body and mind workshop works have also been moved from the old hall to the new hall. A series of storytelling methods are used to let the public understand step by step the Ama's mental journey of gradually accepting the past and moving towards the future. It is a symbol of power inheritance.
The left side of the picture shows the works of Ama’s house in the old museum, while the right picture shows them in different ways in the new museum.