CREATING FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN CHILDREN OF BAGAMOYO TANZANIA AND CHILDREN OF SAGAMIHARA JAPAN, BY JEAN media/ENVAYA ORGANIZATION.
With the JEAN media mission being;
“Breaking the silence to save the new face of Africa through creating awareness on environment conservation and health, poverty alleviation, advocacy, and promotion of, children creativity and friendship, women and youth talents for greater awareness and self employment.”
a unique project titled ‘our friends’ has come into existence in the coastal Region for cultural exchange and friendship between the young people of Tanzania and Japan for both promotion of children creativity and friendship, and for broadening their universal knowledge and understanding of issues, helping them to think outside the box.
On the 21st of September 2012, JEAN media through Radhia, our Far East representative and translator in Tokyo Japan, and the partners, ENVAYA a non government non profit organization that builds online tools to connect civil society and grassroots organizations across Africa through their Africa programme Director Radhina, launched a special children programme whereby through skype, we were able to conduct a session between pupils of Jitegemee Primary School in the historic Bagamoyo District of Coastal Region Tanzania and pupils of Tsurunodai Primary School, Sagamihara District Tokyo Japan. The project will be conducted monthly and children will get the opportunity to know about each other’s history and development, their interests, hopes and Dreams!
The first session held included ,songs from both sides, general questions to each other, and introduction between teachers of both sides. Participants could see how excited the pupils were, as Japanese children expressed the need to know about Tanzanian wild life especially the animals that are mostly seen in our conservation areas. The best part was when the Tanzanian children replied the question with pictures they drew for their friends, such as those of Giraffe, elephants, and the deer. When a question by one Tanzanian girl of nine was raised, asking the others if they would ever like to visit Tanzania to see Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, it was answered with great enthusiasm and applause, as the Japanese friends jumped and clapped, while some raised hands up in the air waving to their Tanzanian friends, shouting the words, “Hai!…haai!..haai!” meaning “Yes….Yes…..Yes!”
Attendance.
Over fifty Japanese pupils attended the session, with only about twenty Tanzanian children, due to National Standard Seven Exams countrywide. Among the invitees and observers were Tanzanian Embassy staff in Japan who could not attend due to other commitments, Radio Japan (NHK) and Japan International Cooperation Agency, (JAICA) An interview with our representative in Japan conducted by Radio Japan was aired in a Radio Programme of NHK broadcasts relayed by TBC, (Tanzania Broadcasting Commission ) on 23rd Sept, 2012. 20.30 hours East African time.
Immediate Plans.
In the JEAN media/ ENVAYA. immediate plans beginning next month, pupils of Bagamoyo will hopefully be communicating with their friends through Mikumi in Mororgoro Eastern Zone or Sadani in Bagamoyo Coastal zone wild life conservation area, where Japanese children will have the opportunity to see wild animals in flesh, among other things. This is expected to promote tourism in our country, especially when this programme is being broadcast through NHK in Japan and other neighboring areas.
Future Plans.
To promote cultural exchange in folklore through folk tales of both countries, with sessions in cooperating story telling and riddle, all translated by Radhia, our representative in Japan, who is fluent in English, Kiswahili and Japanese (Kokugo) Languages. Special tournaments will be held to determine winners, who will later be awarded prices. In future, JEAN media and ENVAYA will expand the project to other school in Tanzania and Japan, also through Japanese Animated Pop Culture
Special Apreciation.
JEAN media and ENVAYA express gratitude and appreciation to the office of The Bagamoyo District Commissioner, His Excellency Ahmed Kipozi for providing them with the premises to conduct their session, since on that particular day, standard seven children were having their National Exams, and schools were out of bounds.
Since most of officials from Ministry of Education were at the time of the session, present at the office of District commissioner for issues in connection with National Exams, we appreciate their interest in the programme having most of them looking on as the show continued. We also appreciate greatly the lucky incidence when briefly and most importantly, the Honorable Minister for education, SHUKURU KAWAMBWA appeared and looked on, greatly gracing the occasion! Last but not least, we would like to thank JAICA in Japan, NHK and the Head Teacher for the Tsurunodai Primary School in Japan who made a point of addressing everyone present, besides students and teachers of our part of the world, expressing the need for continuation of the relationship between the students and teachers of the two countries, sides with the quality sessions held monthly.
