Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2008
Next Page Box 1. The Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) and Related Activities in Yokohama City
The Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) held in Yokohama City in May 2008 was a highly successful event which included a diversity of activities sponsored by Yokohama, the host city, and by various organizations. Yokohama was the first city other than Tokyo to host the TICAD conference. Ahead of the conference, the city decided to immerse itself in African atmosphere. To encourage the people to familiarize themselves with Africa and to welcome the people visiting from Africa, the city designated the month of May as "African Month" and held a full array of activities relating to Africa. In total, more than 80 events were held related to TICAD, with more than 50 held during African Month alone, by various organizations other than Yokohama such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), international organizations, local organizations, NGOs and NPOs. The following reports feature some of the events that merit special mention.
One School, One Country Project: A project for promoting understanding of Africa in elementary and junior high schools.
The One School, One Country Project, which was initiated in January 2008, is an effort to give elementary school students opportunities to look at Africa and other countries of the world and think about society by stimulating their interest in and their desire to learn about Africa. As one of the exchange activities, 35 countries with embassies in Japan were introduced in 55 municipal elementary schools in Yokohama, where embassy staff, MOFA officials, and people associated with JICA and the Japan Overseas Cooperative Association (JOCA) spoke directly to students about those countries. Mayor Hiroshi Nakada of Yokohama participated in a teleconferencing session between elementary school students of both Ghana and Yokohama. In addition, one elementary school class welcomed a lesson provided by Mr. Baudouin Euloge Adogony, a native of Benin who appears on Japanese TV and is an official supporter of TICAD IV.
One School, One Country Project (Lesotho ambassador to Japan visiting an elementary school)
Teleconference
One Station, One Country Project
To let the people become more familiar with Africa, the One Station, One Country Project was held during African Month aimed at giving quick introduction of African countries. National flags, introductory panels and PR posters for TICAD IV were set up at all of the forty municipal subway stations in Yokohama, in addition to which pictures drawn by students participating in the One School, One Country Project and posters publicizing a quiz on African countries were displayed in subway cars. Some stations featured performances of African music and dance.
Africa screening quiz
One Station, One Country Project (wall painting ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of Angola)
One Station, One Country Project (exhibition in the station yard)
African presentations in city subways
Africa Support Campaign
Yokohama also held events aimed at supporting Africa. These included "Yokohama for Africa," a fund-raising campaign aimed at contributing directly to people suffering from hunger and malnutrition, and "Saving the Hungry in Africa," a campaign in which participating stores/restaurants contributed a portion of their sales of African foods (local cuisine or other menus featuring African products). In another campaign, bottles of Yokohama municipal water, named "Hamakko-Doshi for Africa" and bottled by the Yokohama Waterworks Bureau, were sold and a portion of the proceeds donated to support Africa. Another fund-raising campaign focused on afforestation in Africa. Thanks to these activities and the cooperation of many people and enterprises, contributions exceeding ¥7.5 million were raised (as of July 2008). The funds were donated through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and JICA to support the provision of school lunches and afforestation activities in Africa.
Hamakko-Doshi for Africa Campaign bottle
Transfer of Yokohama's technology to Africa and other countries
In collaboration with JICA, Yokohama will provide technical support to Africa using its technological know-how. In a variety of fields including livestock breeding and farming, port development and management, and water supply engineering and management, municipal employees will be dispatched and trainees accepted beginning in FY2008. As a model environmentally-friendly city, Yokohama also held a PR event called "Environmental Showcase" to inspire the world by introducing efforts by residents, companies and municipal administrative agencies for sustainable living. In addition, TICAD IV participants were introduced to some of the city's environmental technologies through displays using panels and images and demonstrations of recycling activities.
In addition to these activities conducted directly by Yokohama City, further momentum was given to the conference PR activities by the TICAD Yokohama Promotion Committee set up by the city and local organizations, and by the Organizing Committee for TICAD IV-related events jointly established by MOFA, Yokohama City, and others. Also, in order to raise Japanese peoples' awareness and deepen their understanding of African life and culture, vigorous PR activities were pursued through symposiums, seminars, concerts, African Festa, photography exhibits, and movie festivals.
(Source: all photos from Yokohama City)