Co-creating Cultures for the Future Week
Songs and Dances Connecting the World
Expo Connects Cultures of the World ~Introduction to the Cabinet Secretariat Expo International Exchange Program~ Second Half
EXPO 2025 Thematic Project “Invigorating Lives” (Producer NAKAJIMA Sachiko)
This session introduces various ongoing initiatives of the Cabinet Secretariat’s Expo International Exchange Program across Japan. It explores the dynamic encounters and creative possibilities between Japan and the world through the Expo.Bringing together governors, ambassadors, consuls, cultural anthropologists, artists, educators, and children, the event fosters comminicate through diverse local cultures, as well as songs and dances that connect the world, featuring a performance by KURAGE Band—all in an effort to enhance the excitement leading up to the Expo.
Recorded video available
Discussion
- Others
- Connecting Cultures of the World Through Expo
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
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Track Programme
- Time and
Date of
the event -
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2025.04.26[Sat]
17:50 ～ 20:00
(Venue Open 16:15)
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- Venue
- Pavilion
- Women’s Pavilion “WA” Space
Programme details
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This session introduces various ongoing initiatives of the Cabinet Secretariat’s Expo International Exchange Program across Japan. It explores the dynamic encounters and creative possibilities between Japan and the world through the Expo.Bringing together governors, ambassadors, consuls, cultural anthropologists, artists, educators, and children, the event fosters交流 through diverse local cultures, as well as songs and dances that connect the world, featuring a performance by KURAGE Band—all in an effort to enhance the excitement leading up to the Expo.
Producer Nakajima, who is also a musician, will take this opportunity of the Expo, where wisdom from all over the world will gather, to ask the question of the meaning of connecting people and the world through music. It will also serve as an example of the Cabinet Secretariat's Expo International Exchange Program. She will be joined by members of his multinational band "KURAGE Band," as well as guests such as the Yamamoto Noh Theatre, with whom she has worked together to promote culture and the arts, to deliver talks and performances.
Reports
【Reflection】
The Expo '70 International Exchange Program by the Cabinet Secretariat created many valuable opportunities for creative encounters and exchanges between various regions of Japan and countries around the world. This year's program introduced initiatives from regions such as Shikoku and Okinawa to connect with countries in Africa and the Middle East, and made us realize how much impact the global stage of the Expo has on local communities.
Particularly impressive was the ongoing exchange with Mozambique by the Ehime-Shikoku Global Network. Based on the project “Guns to Hoes,” the efforts to transform weapons into art and musical instruments were a strong statement of the desire for peace and the power of culture. We feel that it was a great achievement that through the display of weapon art and timbillas, children and adults alike were naturally inspired to think about peace.
The exchanges between Matsumo Town, Tokushima Prefecture, and Ghana, and between Kamiita Town and Jordan, in which Associate Professor Suzuka of Shikoku University was involved, were also very unique. The project with Ghana presented a model for sustainable international exchange based on the educational field, including exchanges between schools, practice of the national anthem, and mutual implementation of visits. The joint project with Jordan to revitalize the indigo dyeing culture showed the potential for the fusion of traditional Japanese and Middle Eastern cultures to create new values.
Also worth mentioning is the exchange between Ginoza Village in Okinawa Prefecture and the Baka people of Cameroon. The way the children proactively created video letters and showed mutual respect for each other's lifestyle and culture, transcending language and cultural barriers, provided a glimpse of the ideal international society of the future.
All of these efforts are not mere one-time events, but are aimed at building sustainable and interactive relationships. With “Songs and Dances Connecting the World” as the keywords, the various approaches to exchange, including music, art, and education, were practices befitting the Expo's philosophy of "co-creation.
【Post EXPO Initiatives】
The various international exchanges that took place during the Expo will not be completed as mere events, but have great potential to develop into sustainable initiatives that will link the region and the world in the future. In fact, each project has already begun planning and implementing ongoing activities with an eye to the future.
For example, in the Ehime-Mozambique “Art of Arms” exchange, a timbilla player is scheduled to visit Japan, and a plan is underway for local artists to hold workshops in Japan. In response to the growing interest of children, there is a need to expand educational opportunities for children to learn about cultural backgrounds and the significance of peace.
The collaboration between Matsumo Town, Tokushima Prefecture, and Ghana is expected to further expand exchanges between schools and create a new educational model, such as accepting students from Ghana and conducting online classes. In particular, in response to strong requests from Ghanaian educational institutions, there is a growing movement on the Japanese side to strengthen the system for accepting students, and there is a possibility that this will go beyond mere exchange visits to include the development of joint curricula.
In addition, concrete steps have begun to be taken toward the reintroduction of indigo in the region through the indigo-dyeing project between Kamiita Town and Jordan, and multifaceted developments are underway, including obtaining export permission for seeds, securing cultivation sites, and establishing a system to accept foreign students through university cooperation. This is expected to create a new bridge linking the two countries through the cultural resource of indigo dyeing, and to have a ripple effect on the local economy and tourism promotion.
Continued exchange between Ginoza Village in Okinawa and the Baka people of Cameroon is also planned, with a representative of the Baka people scheduled to visit Japan during the current fiscal year to hold a hands-on workshop with children. Through this initiative, we hope to expand opportunities for dialogue and empathy that overcome cultural differences, as well as to foster global citizenship awareness.
The greatest legacy of the Expo is the bond that connects people to people and communities to the world. We must continue to build a new model for international exchange rooted in the local community and develop it as a future-oriented initiative.
Cast
Moderator
NAKAJIMA Sachiko
Thematic Project ”Invigorating Lives" (Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition)
Musician, a mathematics researcher, and a STEAM Educator. She is also CEO of steAm, Inc.,the representative director of steAm BAND Association and a thematic project producer of Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan. She also serves as a STEM Girls Ambassador, Cabinet Office, and project researcher of Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences The University of Tokyo. She won the gold medal as the first Japanese woman in the International Mathematical Olympiad. She passionately conducts research on art and technology as well as music, mathematics, and education.
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Speakers
Yoshiko Takeuchi
President, Shikoku Global Network
After working for companies and research institutes, Shikoku Global Network, former Ehime Global Network, was established in 1998. It links the fields of international, environment and education and works collaboratively to solve and improve social issues. It has been 25 years since 1999 since it began supporting Mozambique. Acting as a peace storyteller for Matsuyama City, an NGO consultant of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a supervisor for the Shikoku ESD Centre, and an advisor for the promotion of regional internationalisation for the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations.
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Yushi Yanohara
steAm Director of Education, Associate Professor, Shikoku University
As a teacher at prefectural high schools in Tokushima Prefecture (Komatsushima Nishi High School and Tokushima Commercial High School), he developed practical classes in which students work on their own projects, leading them to win a national excellence award at the National High School Student Commerce Research and Presentation Competition. In addition, as a lecturer for the training program for teachers of commercial high schools in Japan conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), he has been developing new classes in collaboration with industry that will serve as a national model. He retired from high school teaching in March 2021, and is currently an associate professor at Shikoku University and a member of steAm, Inc. He is currently an associate professor at Shikoku University and a member of steAm, Inc.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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Yushi Yanohara
Music anthropologist, Cameroon Baka researcher, DJ
Cultural anthropologist and DJ. Since 2005, he has conducted fieldwork on sound culture in Cameroon. By exploring the traditional sound practices of the Baka people in the tropical rainforest and the cutting-edge sound culture emerging in urban areas, he examines worldviews expressed through sound. Through Africa’s soundscapes, he seeks new forms of creation where culture, technology, and coexistence interact.
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Abrainjai Rose Abdoulaye Ndiaye Rose
Grio, the inheritor of Senegal's traditional performing arts
He studied percussion instruments under his father "Dudu Njai Rose", a leading person in Senegal's percussion world and a Sabalist of the living national treasure, and gained experience playing on numerous overseas tours. He performed with James Brown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995.
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Co-creating Cultures for the Future Week
Songs and Dances Connecting the World
Expo Connects Cultures of the World ~Introduction to the Cabinet Secretariat Expo International Exchange Program~ Second Half
This session introduces various ongoing initiatives of the Cabinet Secretariat’s Expo International Exchange Program across Japan. It explores the dynamic encounters and creative possibilities between Japan and the world through the Expo.Bringing together governors, ambassadors, consuls, cultural anthropologists, artists, educators, and children, the event fosters comminicate through diverse local cultures, as well as songs and dances that connect the world, featuring a performance by KURAGE Band—all in an effort to enhance the excitement leading up to the Expo.
-
2025.04.26[Sat]
17:50～20:00
(Venue Open 16:15)
- Pavilion
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
OTHER PROGRAM
Co-creating Cultures for the Future Week
