��African Weeks 2019�� Held at TUFS

January 16, 2020

During the three weeks from Monday the 2nd to Friday the 20th of December, ��African Weeks 2019��, a project planned voluntarily by African Studies majors of the School of International and Area Studies, was held at TUFS. As part of this, many film screenings, talks and exhibitions were held during this period.

Using the slogan ��The Africa You Don��t Know��, this project aimed to showcase the lesser-known charms of Africa from the perspective of students who are learning about and experiencing Africa in their daily lives.

At the ��Glowing Africa�� photography and poster exhibition, photos collected from students, alumni, faculty and their family members were on display. Aside from the photos, posters about African climate, languages, religions, food and cities were also on display.

On Tuesday the 10th, in collaboration with TUFS Cinema (a project that aims to deepen understandings of societies and cultures from around the world), a screening of the documentary film ��Chokora!�� was held. After the screening, a talk session was held with the film��s director, KOBAYASHI Shigeru, and Associate Professor SAKAI Makiko. Attendees left comments such as ��it really disproved African stereotypes�� and ��I was able to learn about a world I otherwise wouldn��t have the chance to��.

On Friday the 13th, Kalimba player Sakaki Mango was invited to perform and give a talk for an event entitled ��Sakaki Mango Kalimba LIVE��. Sakaki Mango majored in African Cultures and Swahili at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies (now Osaka University), and currently performs and conducts field work in Tanzania and many other African countries. During this event, Sakaki Mango performed with his Kalimba, and spoke about his experiences in Africa.

African Weeks attracted many visitors to TUFS, and was a good opportunity for people to get a feel for the cultures and societies of Africa.