[100 Challenge] Roberta Gattel_62

The sweet tomorrow, Banana Yoshimoto, 2020

According to the tradition of the Ryukyu Islands, the "Maui" is what is lost after a great scare or a great sorrow. It resembles the Western concept of the soul: it is an immaterial and constitutive part of the person. But it does not have Western exclusivity: according to this belief, people do not have just one soul but seven,and they can only die when they have lost them all. It is possible to get your maqui back by looking for where you lost it, picking it up with your hands, and bringing it back inside your body.

I believe that for those who have experienced grief, the story of the "Maui" is profoundly touching: losing a loved one means losing an essential part of us, of our emotional heritage, of our very identity. The same goes for those who have survived a tragedy: violence and fear dig deep wells inside us and replace our fullness with frightening voids. Going to look for our lost “maqui” means not letting that loss, that part that was taken away from us, become our new center and characterize us. In our most intimate narratives, it means talking to the ghosts that have replaced our loved ones. It means looking inside ourselves. Even when looking inside, it means relating to the vertigo of nothingness.

“Sweet Tomorrow” is not only the story of the search for her own “Maui” by a woman who has lost her partner but also an essential metaphor for Japan, which was torn apart by the Fukushima atomic disaster. It is also a profound teaching to collect the pieces of oneself that have been shattered, to welcome them back into oneself, even if they are damaged or sharp. "The beauty of our internal landscapes is transmitted to those around us as a great strength."