Cowra Voices is a storytelling app exploring Cowra’s unique history of peace and friendship with Japan. This geo-locative smartphone app allows users to experience places of historic significance through audio-visual stories narrated by Cowra community members. Cowra Voices brings to light stories that remain unknown or unacknowledged, yet belong to all Australians.
Cowra Voices aims to facilitate a deeper, more intimate engagement with Cowra’s history through audio/multimedia storytelling. Cowra is the home of the famous Cowra Breakout by Japanese prisoners of war, one of the largest attempts at escaping prison during WWII.
Cowra Voices app includes stories of the Wiradjuri elders as well as personal histories of people buried at Cowra Japanese War Cemetery, and local narratives of grassroots peace building by members of the local Cowra community.
Cowra Voices also involves students from Tokai University, Sapporo Campus who are contributing to the design of the app. Students visited Cowra in February, 2018 to learn about Cowra’s unique history, immerse themselves in the local community and culture.
Cowra Voices is a partnership between Arts OutWest, Nikkei Australia, Cowra Council, Cowra Tourism Corporation, ABC Central West NSW and Tokai University.
Cowra Voices is partly funded by the Australian government through the Australia-Japan Foundation Grant 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Cowra Council, and the Cowra Breakout Association.
Read more about the project here: https://cowravoices.wordpress.com/
Download the app ‘Cowra Voices’ from your app store or from https://www.cowravoices.org/
Image: Mayu Kanamori recording some of the ‘voices’.
