Japan-Kenya pupils' Hybrid linkage
↑ Pictures of Musashinogakuen Elementary School pupils seated while interacting with Waldorf Woodlands School students from Kenya via zoom.
Japan-Kenya pupils' Hybrid linkage
Thembo Justus
M.A. PCS Graduate Student-TUFS, Japan.
On September 1, 2023, Dr. Wakana Shiino (ILCAA, TUFS) organised a hybrid zoom event aimed at linking pupils from Musashinogakuen Elementary School, based in Japan, and Waldorf Woodlands School, in Kenya. In the event, both pupils presented about their school life, cultures, families, holidays, etc. In such an event, what do you think can happen when both the young Japanese and Kenyan pupils are provided a platform to interact with each other on the first site? Just like me, I thought the young pupils would find it difficult to freely interact because of their racial diversity. However, I was impressed by their overt enthusiasm, excitement, and eagerness to share and interact with each other until they were left yearning to continue due to time limits (45mins).
Though some pupils looked timid, especially while introducing themselves or presenting, I felt excited to see how the young pupils were trying to speak in English. In Japan, it is conspicuous that many people speak more Japanese than English, but it was interesting to see the Japanese pupils practicing their English while presenting to the Kenyan pupils and vice versa. I think this event didn't only create a platform for both pupils to practice their English reading and speaking skills but also contributed to the development of the pupils' public speaking, presentation, organisation, and intercultural knowledge exchange skills, which are important in the contemporary globalised world.
Though the daily school lives of both pupils seemed slightly different, especially their schedules, I could see some similarities, especially in sports activities such as swimming. I could also see the Japanese pupils surprised to learn that the Kenyan pupils do extracurricular activities such as horse riding, knitting, waving, and visiting other countries for holidays with their families. The Kenyan pupils too couldn't hide their excited faces upon learning that the Japanese pupils also do snow skiing which looked new to the Kenyan pupils. Additionally, it was also interesting to see the curious reactions of both pupils while presenting about their dishes. Of course, the food in Kenya was somehow new for the Japanese pupils and vice-verse, which I think left them curious about how such food could taste. This doesn't only help both students to learn from each other but also enhances their cultural understanding of different countries.
This event left me wondering how we can possibly promote the Japan-Africa relationship by engaging the youth or young students from both sides in different activities, such as this event. I think it can be a good approach, as both youth and students can have a chance to practice or develop some new skills such as public speaking, debate, presentation, organisation, research, and intercultural knowledge sharing. I hope we can be able to develop different partnerships with different Japanese and African (Kenyan) schools for such events. Thanks to the organisers for the invitation to partake in this event.