Over the past year, violence and discrimination against the Asian community have increased dramatically, due to prejudices arising from the pandemic. Often, the real reason for this hatred is ignorance, which is why the work of creators who help spread the values of other cultures using social media is essential. Like Shinhai Ventura, an Italian of Japanese origins, on her account Tik Tok jokes about prejudices and fights hatred with a smile.
Hello, introduce yourself to those who don’t know you
Hi everyone, I’m Shinhai, I’m 25 years old and I’m a professional dancer and creator. On my channels I make ironic videos and try to spread Japanese culture with insights on little-known topics such as calligraphy, which is a beautiful part of Japanese tradition and which I wanted to bring to Tik Tok thanks to my mother who is a professional calligrapher.
You are Italian of mixed origins, in the sense that your father is Italian and your mother is Japanese and you have oriental traits. What was it like growing up between two cultures?
If I have to be honest my family is really a mess because I grew up in Turin but my father is Sicilian and therefore his culture is also different from that of Northern Italy! My parents met in Germany and for my mother at the beginning living in Italy was a shock because the Italian culture is very different from the Japanese one: they are very reserved and silent instead we Italians gesticulate a lot and raise our voices and she she was baffled because she always thought everyone was angry with her! In short, the two of them really represent opposites and when I was little I hated having Japanese origins, I did not understand the value of my mother’s culture, I hated my almond-shaped eyes and I made myself a thousand paranoia also aesthetic because I was afraid of not pleasing the boys, who often they made jokes and made fun of me. I hated my origins and also my name, Shinhai, which I love now because it has a beautiful meaning: it means True love.
@shinhaiventura Always the same story 😂 #neiperte # call me hypername ♬ original sound – Shinhai Ventura
When did your relationship with Japan change?
After high school: I began to understand my value and that of my mother’s origins especially after my first trip there, at 18. I finally understood well the traditions and the meaning of my mother’s education, for example the habit of taking off shoes at home. It is an incredibly respectful country: just think that one day we were waiting for a train that was a minute late and the conductor went to everyone to apologize for this!
Have you ever experienced discrimination or bullying?
Thanks to the paternal side I have always been very strong and sunny, I was not shy so people did not dare to make me more than many jokes because I always answered in kind! An attitude that my mother, for example, would never have had precisely for culture: unfortunately Asians tend to suffer a lot of discrimination by being silent because in their culture there is no such thing to demonstrate for one’s rights. In fact, the protests of recent days are actually the manifestation of a problem that has always been there, only the Asians have never talked about it. I must say that in Italy, however, until the advent of Covid there was never violence against the community: Italians have always been ironic but never aggressive. With the pandemic, on the other hand, verbal and even physical violence occurred.
Did you happen to be the protagonist of some episode of this kind?
Yes, I have experienced it firsthand. At first, when people started hearing about Covid, I walked into the subway and people spread around me, I sat down and nobody sat next to me … until one day some kids started saying half-mouthed sentences, and there I reacted, saying «Look, I’m Italian like you!». They justified themselves by saying that they thought I was Chinese, but I continued by saying that even if I was there was no reason to discriminate against me because a Chinese person is not contagious for this! I think it is important not to be silent when these episodes happen and that the responsibility of us creators who have a following is precisely to give a voice to different cultures and to say no to all hate, not just the Asian hate.
What’s the thing you love most about being half Japanese?
The food! I have free sushi at home! And then I have a passion for the kimono: I started using it also in dance, dancing a contemporary choreography with kimono and fan that mixes East and West.
And of being Italian?
I love food, Italian food is best in the world. And then the spontaneity, the frankness and the way of joking which is beautiful.
@shinhaiventuraStory of my life 😂 ##italogiapponese ##neiperte ##comedy♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod
What do you think are the prejudices of the average Italian towards the Asian community?
I realize that the prejudices are actually more towards the Chinese, who are considered dirty and rude, who have come to steal jobs from the Italians. When I say that I am Japanese, the way I am treated immediately changes, there is more respect for this culture.
What do you think the Asian community should do to make Italians understand their culture better?
He has to speak, just like I did on the subway and as they are doing in the United States with demonstrations and protests. The Asian community must have the courage to express their needs.
And what do Italians do to support the cause and support multicultural communities?
Spread the news of the violence and voice people’s stories so that they always talk about the problem. And then set a positive example for your children by sending them the message to embrace any culture and avoid prejudice. A beautiful way would be to integrate fun and educational activities about various cultures into schools, with the aim of raising a more mature generation for a better world.
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