S e m i n a r \; \; d e s c r i p t i o n
\nIn Okinawa&mdash\;the southernmost island of the land we now call Japan&mdash\;Yui (結い) signifies to tie\, bind\, or intertwine. It is an ancient practice of reciprocal care and communal labor woven into the fabric of daily life\, most commonly expressed in the phrase Yuimaru (結いまーる): &ldquo\;helping each other in turns&rdquo\; or the dynamic &ldquo\;circle of connection.&rdquo\;
Coined by artist and researcher Victor Kinjo\, &ldquo\;Planetary Yui&rdquo\; extends this Okinawan ethos beyond human sociality to encompass all living kin across our shared Earth. Rejecting the solemn\, self-aggrandizing framing of the Anthropocene\, Planetary Yui draws upon Indigenous worldviews and ancestral futures to dismantle the logic of capital-driven exploitation\, extraction\, and subjugation. It calls us to recall and practice ways of coexisting\, collaborating\, and creating together.
Over four interactive sessions\, this seminar invites participants into a generative convergence between the relational epistemologies of Ryukyu (= Okinawa) and Abya Yala (= Latin America). Together\, we will weave counter-colonial artistic and theoretical trajectories\, share non-Eurocentric practices of community-making\, and trace parallel histories of anti-imperialist resistance&mdash\;confronting both US and Japanese imperialisms in Okinawa and across the Okinawan diaspora in Brazil.
Session 1: Foundations of Planetary Yui &mdash\; Relational Epistemologies and Anti-Imperialist Resistance
\nFacilitators: Thaí\;s Omine (opening) &\; Victor Kinjo
This opening session establishes the conceptual\, political\, and historical framework of the seminar\, setting a communal tone for our collective journey. Victor Kinjo will introduce the socio-political history and anti-imperialist resistance of Okinawa\, tracing how historical subjugation fuels contemporary activism. We will delve into the ancestral ethos of Yui and its conceptual expansion into Planetary Yui\, examining how this relational ethic travels through the Okinawan diaspora into Abya Yala (Latin America). Drawing connections between Asian-Brazilian artistic production\, decolonial theory\, and Indigenous worldviews\, this session opens a dialogue on interspecies kinship\, counter-colonial solidarity\, and living together otherwise.
Session 2: Embodied Philosophies &mdash\; Ryukyuan Performing Arts and the Wisdom of Non-Violence
\nFacilitator: Riko Sugama
Session 2 grounds our inquiry in the somatic memory and living traditions of Ryukyuan performance. Rooted in the foundational principle of Nuchi-gafu du Shidi-gafu (the sacredness of life and ancestral legacy)\, master artist Riko Sugama guides us through traditional Okinawan dance and music as modes of philosophy\, storytelling\, and resistance. Reflecting on the conceptualization of the OkiNoWar event series in Berlin\, this session explores how traditional arts respond to contemporary geopolitical crises. Participants will engage with the deep-seated Ryukyuan wisdom of non-violence\, examining how performance can serve as a vital counter-force against war\, historical trauma\, and systemic violence today.
Session 3: Tradition as Living Resistance &mdash\; Contemporary Ryukyu Art and Visual Transformations
\nFacilitator: Aki Maeda
\nSession 3 examines the dynamic tension and dialogue between heritage and contemporary expression in Okinawa&rsquo\;s current art scene. Led by artist and curator Aki Maeda\, this session investigates how traditional craft&mdash\;such as Ryukyuan lacquer work&mdash\;and contemporary urban practices like street art converge to reframe Okinawan identity. We will explore how modern artists inherit\, disrupt\, and re-signify ancestral techniques to address present-day social and political realities. By looking at the material legacies of Ryukyu through a contemporary lens\, this session highlights visual art as a crucial site for cultural reclamation\, memory-making\, and critical subversion.
\nSession 4: Counter-Visual Memories and Artivist Practice &mdash\; Filmic Encounters and Collective Weaving
\nFacilitator: Thaí\;s Omine
Our final session turns to cinema\, counter-narratives\, and embodied artivism. Educator and curator Thaí\;s Omine guides an exploration of Okinawan and Okinawan-Brazilian filmic landscapes\, looking at how moving images can construct counter-memories against dominant national and imperial histories. Understanding film as a relational space for encounter and debate\, this session culminates in an interactive artivism workshop. Participants will engage in a collective writing and sharing exercise\, weaving together the insights gathered across the four
weeks&mdash\;integrating Ryukyuan non-violence\, diasporic resistance\, and relational ethics into our own creative and political practices.
TIME
4 Sundays\, November 29\, December 6\, 13\, 20 &bull\; 2026
9:00&ndash\;11:00 Eastern US Time &bull\; 15:00&ndash\;17:00 Central European Time
ABOUT INCITE SEMINARS
We are a mix of rogue scholars\, disgruntled academics\, disenchanted buddhists\, enchantment-hungry anarchists\, radical therapists\, and general weirdos looking to create autonomous and accessible forms of &ldquo\;higher education.&rdquo\;
We offer online seminars and reading groups to incite personal exploration and inspire community action. Incite Seminars offers an educational experience. We do so by gathering an engaged group of participants for a dynamic exchange of ideas\, led by skilled facilitators. All of our facilitators have a deep relationship to a subject or topic through intensive study or practice.
Incite Seminars is a 100% member-supported learning community. We depend on member contributions to continue holding space for radical study and practice groups\, putting on rigorous seminars and courses\, and providing our facilitators and organizers with fair compensation. If you are unable to pay the full amount for a session or membership at this time\, we invite you to join us at reduced or no cost with our Solidarity option.
In collaboration with Chaosmos &infin\;
\nMore info &\; registration:
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