OYO – One Year On.

SEWOL –  Sent Eternally With Our Love

Sewol Ferry

What ‘on earth’ am I talking about?

Well, the OYO could instead be Oyo, as that is kind of the romanisation of the Korean ‘marker’ 어요… (‘O’h yes, get me! Those couple of terms of Korean lessons really paid off!)  Well, I would call it a marker but it’s essentially used to represent the present tense / there is / a greeting.

And ‘on earth’?  No longer… Unfortunately…

In fact, the subjects or individuals of this post are ‘beyond the world’, buried or simply at the foot of the ocean.

You may now have guessed that this rather sombre post, albeit commenced with wordplay, is a nod to – or more aptly, heads hung in mourning, sadness or ‘shame’ if one of those responsible – to the victims and those lost from the SEWOL ship and its sinking, a little over a year ago.

To pay tribute, commemorate, [definitely] commiserate and show my feelings to those 300+ lost at sea, most of whom were school students, I put together a little video poem.

This Video-em, as I’m calling it, was made under our banner of Native Nomad Pictures, a sister company of @MiniMiniMovies.

Also to be found on YouTube, but here is the detail:

“Sent Eternally With Our Love” (or “S-E-W-O-L”)

Begun in the latter half of 2014 – the year of the April 16th South Korean ferry tragedy in which over 300 youngsters and adults died – as a poem and tribute to those already known to be lost, this project soon evolved into a video poem [a format I’ve named as a ‘video-em’] and was completed, and first published on exactly a year after the incident & therefore the sad anniversary that was April 16th, 2015.

This is a film without video footage and with only a picture or two. Although there are words and a little sound, this audio is optional – it can be listened to in silence if preferred.

The sounds which are heard, if the desire takes you, are ones of the sea and so are apt to the main words of the poem. That said, these noises are, of course appropriate to the incident itself as a whole.

It’s also worth noting that in the prologue wording, it mentions that the ferry’s name ‘WAS’ Sewol, however the word ‘IS’ could be just as deserved, as the vessel still exists and sits under the sea where it sank.

Whether the sea bed or the now vacant beds sitting in hauntingly empty rooms in once happy family homes in South Korea, it’s being well-documented that the ferry has yet to be fully salvaged and the cause investigated. Investigation is also being sought as to the political reasons which were given to not establish saviour to the lives lost.

The question on many persons lips is obviously why an attempted saving of the beloved humans on board wasn’t undertaken quicker, more professionally and lovingly.

One last important point of note is that this ‘video-em’ Premiered online on the very same day as another film Premiere occurred in London, UK. The latter film is “The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol” (or “Diving Bell / 다이빙벨”), a controversial movie already, which shows the almost pathetic nature in how the sinking ship got approached in the days following the accident. It’s been said that as well as all the factors displayed in that documentary, help was offered from other countries but pretty much ignored by the Korean government.

It’s clear to see why parents, friends, families and more are not only distraught by what happened only months ago but also seeking to find the truth about why so many youngsters and adults lost their lives.

Thanks for watching.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

In addition to the links listed below, there is a monthly silent protest in Trafalgar Square. If you are interested in attending and/or joining in, just turn up. All are welcome. One of the recent events is here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/809181112470212/

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LINKS (Likes and Love you can show):

Facebook.com/416family
Facebook.com/RememberingSewol
Facebook.com/SolidarityForSewol
Facebook.com/TheSewolTruth

http://www.416family.org
http://www.SewolTruth.com

http://www.Twitter.com/416family
http://www.Twitter.com/SewolTruth

Find other videos by Jason Verney (a.k.a. Native Nomad Pictures Ltd) at:

Vimeo.com/channels/NativeNomadPictures
Vimeo.com/channels/JasonVerney
http://genero.tv/watch-video/38133
http://www.NativeNomadPictures.com

So…

And the perhaps lesser quality one, I’d say, is over at YouTube: