Kenyatta University
TAKAHASHI Tomoya

My report last year was titled, “Connecting the Dots as a First Step,” in which I reported on my work as a Japanese-Language Specialist (hereinafter “Specialist”), leveraging limited resources to connect the dots to strengthen the Japanese teacher network not just in Kenya where I am dispatched, but in East Africa as a whole. This year I will be reporting on how those dots have now developed into a tangible thread.

1. Support for the Conference on Japanese-Language Education (EAC)

First held in 2013, last year the 5th East Africa Conference on Japanese-Language Education (hereinafter “EAC”) was held in Madagascar, and I attended for the first time as a workshop lecturer and suchlike. Although Madagascar is an island nation far from Japan, it is noted for being the sub-Saharan nation in the south of Sahara Desert where Japanese-language education is most actively implemented. Needless to say, representatives from other participating countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia) were very curious to know the secrets behind the vigor of Japanese-language education in Madagascar. Before and after the various programs at the conference, you could see the national representatives engaging energetically in interactions with the teachers from Madagascar. Although unfortunately the Madagascan teachers did not have a definitive answer about the passion for Japanese-language education in their country, through the workshops, presentations and roundtable discussions the participants found various hints for vitalizing Japanese-language education in their respective countries. This year the 6th EAC is scheduled to take place in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, from August 31 to September 2, and I would like to devise ways to support the event in order to further strengthen ties among Japanese-language teachers.

2. Japanese Speech Contest to be Held

Every year in March the Japanese embassy in Kenya and the Japanese Language Teacher Association – Kenya (hereinafter “JALTAK”) co-host a Japanese Speech Contest and this year the 11th Japanese Speech Contest was held. Last year, for two days following the end of the 10th contest, JALTAK hosted the 5th Kenya Conference on Japanese-Language Education at Kenyatta University (hereinafter “KU”). JICA volunteers working as Japanese-language teachers in Sudan and Madagascar were invited to attend the Japanese speech contest as judges, and also attend the conference as speakers. This year as the EAC is due to be held in Kenya, there was no conference held jointly with the speech contest, but for the first time contestants were welcomed from outside Kenya, marking the beginning of cross-border exchange between students.

11th Japanese Speech Contest prizes

This year we were able to invite Japanese-language students from the University of Dodoma in Tanzania, and the University of Khartoum in Sudan as contestants. This is the result of in-person interactions through the visits of Specialists, which has helped to build trust and form connections. Although there are 54 countries in Africa, currently Kenya is the only sub-Saharan country to which the Japan Foundation dispatches the Specialist. That is why the Specialist dispatched to KU is expected to visit Japanese-language education institutions in neighboring countries and act in an advisory capacity. Since my dispatch to Kenya, in addition to visiting Madagascar for the abovementioned EAC, I have also travelled for both leisure and business to Zambia, Tanzania and Sudan, where I have visited Japanese-language educational institutions. In fact, I am actually writing this report whilst on a business trip to Ethiopia.

Click here to see video clips from the contest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsiE1weDlT4

3. Guidance to KU students

Clock tower at KU

Situated in the suburbs of Nairobi, approximately 20 km northeast of the city center, the main KU campus is a beautiful green environment that is ideal for learning. However, for the past year the university has been affected by teacher strikes at national universities across Kenya, meaning that it has been difficult to provide stable Japanese-language teaching. Under these circumstances, I am devoting much of my time to teaching four Japanese language minor students. All of the students are majoring in either English or French-language education, and after graduation, they aim to find work in secondary educational schools as English or French teachers. Even if they do not take any Japanese-language classes at the institutions where they find employment, I am sure that they will organize club activities relating to Japanese language and culture. During the four semesters of the minor course, I am continuing a daily process of trial and error to see to what degree I can encourage the students to acquire skills themselves that will enable them to weave a lasting relationship with Japan.