🔴Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai ×The University of Osaka！🔵 Inter-Faculty Academic Exchange Agreement Signed with the State University of Zanzibar @ World Swahili Language Day

On July 7th, the World Swahili Language Day commemorative event was held at the Expo 2025 Festival Station. Under the moderation of Assistant Professor Kumiko Miyazaki from the Graduate School of Humanities, the event was attended by Baraka Luvanda, Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania to Japan; Kulwa Abel Kindija, Director of Swahili Development and Use; and many other Tanzanian officials, as well as Swahili education and research professionals. The entire event was conducted in Swahili.

In the presence of the two witnesses, Baraka Luvanda, Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania to Japan, and Keiko Takemura, Executive Vice President of our university, the signing ceremony for the Inter-Faculty Academic Exchange Agreement between UOsaka and the State University of Zanzibar was carried out with the attendance of Yoshiki Yamamoto, Dean of the Graduate School of Humanities, and Moh'd Makame Haji, Vice President of the State University of Zanzibar.

Following speeches of acknowledgement by Professor Yamamoto, Dean of the Graduate School of Humanities, and Vice President Moh'd Makame Haji, commemorative gifts were exchanged, and Executive Vice President Keiko Takemura (former Dean of the School of Foreign Studies, specializing in Swahili language, Swahili literature, and Swahili culture) delivered a speech.

In addition, second-year students majoring in Swahili in the School of Foreign Studies, MLE* students, credited auditors, and graduate students performed recitations of traditional Swahili fixed-form poetry called "Ngonjera" and gave speeches, livening up the venue. The ambassador, the vice president of the State University of Zanzibar, and other Tanzanian officials praised the students' performances.

*MLE: Osaka University Multilingual Expert Program (link in Japanese)

Three members of JT☆Stars, who perform the music of the Tanzanian Gogo people, also joined and greatly enlivened the audience. The Tanzanians were surprised and delighted to see Japanese people playing traditional Gogo instruments. One member of JT☆Stars is a graduate of UOsaka School of Foreign Studies who majored in Swahili, and another is a graduate majoring in Chinese.

The Swahili Language Council also held an award ceremony to acknowledge organizations and individuals who have contributed to the spread of Swahili in Japan. Our university's Swahili major was the first to be mentioned as the most contributing group, and Executive Vice President Keiko Takemura received a distinguished award and a trophy from Baraka Luvanda, Tanzanian Ambassador to Japan.

Click here for information about Expo 2025-related events by the University of Osaka! (link in Japanese)

In addition, we will be sharing various updates, such as preparation progress and on-site reports, on our university's X and Facebook , as well as the UOsaka Expo 2025 Promotion Office (Expo Promotion Office) Facebook and Instagram accounts.

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