May, 2020
On May 17, 2020, the AAEE held an event titled "Multicultural Conviviality in Japan and the World: International Exchange from Heart to Heart," sponsored by the AAEE and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and JICA Chikyu Hiroba. Due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, it was the first time that the event was held online.
In the first part, the participants of the Nepal program "Mero Sathi Project 2020" held in February this year reported on their activities. At the beginning of the session, a short movie which was produced by the Nepalese attending students was shown. The event participants were overwhelmed by the quality of the movie. After that, they reported on their visit to the Japanese Embassy in the capital city of Kathmandu, where they had a discussion with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Mr. Masamichi Saigo. Noting that the participants from both countries actively asked questions, he said he had a very meaningful time.
Next, he introduced the exchange program held at the Shamrock School in Pokhara, the second largest city. Japanese traditional games
One of the participants said, "It's a great opportunity to learn about Japan's economy. One of the participants said, "I was overwhelmed by the willingness of the students to learn despite their economic disadvantages. In the survey conducted in the village of Sikles, we interviewed villagers and studied the Nepali view of family. Introducing specific examples, he positioned that Nepalese people are satisfied with their life in the village where they have strong family ties and the spirit of helping each other. He concluded by saying, "Through the exchange with Nepalese members and local people, I felt the joy of experiencing a different culture.
In the second part, titled "Multicultural Conviviality in Japan," we invited guests from sexual minorities, international students, vegans, and half-nationals for a discussion. At the beginning of each guest speaker, a quiz related to the topic was given, and visitors were encouraged to chat and send in their answers for an interactive exchange of opinions.
Emiri Swan shared her own experience on the subject of "Being a sexual minority in Japan. What is normal for me is not normal for someone else. I want to see a society where everyone is respected and not labeled as 'normal'. I would like to see a society where everyone is respected without the label of 'normal.
Mr. Ha Jung-ho, who has lived in Japan as a Korean student, took up the issue of Japanese seal culture as a "hard rule in Japan" and pointed out the problems that he could see only as an international student. He spoke from a wide range of perspectives, picking up questions from the participants.
The next speaker, vegan Louise Raskin, who had lived in Japan, spoke about the lack of awareness of veganism in Japan. She said, "Not many people know exactly what vegan means. Many waiters at restaurants are confused when I ask them to remove animal products from their dishes.
The last speaker was Ms. Rana Hina, who is half Pakistani and half Japanese and lives in Japan. She said that she was often asked to show her residence card at part-time job interviews because of her appearance, and talked about the potential prejudice among Japanese people. We also exchanged opinions with the participants about the stereotype that "half-breed = cute and cool" and the prejudice they feel because they are half-breed.
The event was simultaneously broadcasted on Facebook, and over 100 people from all over the world participated. Although it was a difficult time for us, I believe that we were able to deliver the content of the event to those who are usually unable to attend events because we conducted it online. If you were not able to join us on the day of the event, please visit the AAEE official Facebook page for an archive of the event. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and JICA Chikyu Hiroba for sponsoring this event, and to all the guest speakers.
