President, African Association for Japanese Studies (AAJS), Dr Adedoyin Aguoru, says African students, scholars and researchers have a lot to learn from the creativity and innovativeness of Japan towards evolving deliberate and strategic plan to adopt the Japanese example in preserving the African culture, which she said has comparable elements with that of Japan.
She also stressed the need to acquire Japanese education alongside African education which pursues other goals besides acquisition of intellectual growth or vocational skills.
Dr Aguoru, an expert in Japanese Literature and Theatrical Studies at the Department of English of the University of Ibadan made the remarks while speaking as the convener at the second annual Conference on Japanese Studies in Africa with the theme ‘History and Identity as Comparative Indices in Japanese Studies in Africa’, held at the Lead City University Conference Centre, Ibadan, on Wednesday last week.
“The big picture for the Japanese teacher is the proper development of core values, habits and attitudes crucial to the individual’s adult life. The attitude of the teachers and the curriculum, therefore, reflects these objectives,” she said.
On the conference, Aguoru said, “Having engaged participants to focus on reigniting Japanese studies in Africa across disciplines in the first annual conference, which was in the form of a colloquium, held at the University of Ibadan, the association deemed it fit to focus more of our resources on methodology and knowledge production, hence the title on this conference.”
She disclosed that the association had within its first year established a strong membership base, and connected with persons and patrons in Africa, Europe, America and Asia.
While welcoming the special guest and Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Kikuta Yutaka to the conference at Lead City University, Ibadan, pro-chancellor, Professor Jide Owoeye, noted that the relationship between Japan, Nigeria and Africa, most especially on Japanese studies, is coming at the most deserving period when history is being constantly threatened with from it’s removal from education curriculum in Nigeria and given the prevalent issues that affect the common coexistence of both Japan and Africa.
Speaking at the event, the vice chancellor of the University of Ibadan, who is also the grand patron of the AAJS, Professor Abel Olayinka, expressed the hope that the importance of history and identity would be reignited and fresh insight would emanate from the deliberations.
He commended Ambassador Yutaka, for availing the association his presence each time a call was put to his embassy.
In the same vein, the vice chancellor of Lead City University, Professor Kabiru Adeyemo, lauded the Japanese embassy’s support of academic programmes in Nigeria, while he enjoined participants at the conference to seize the enormous opportunity provided by AAJS to aggregate knowledge in the interdisciplinary research which is throwing up new vistas in Japanese studies in Africa.
The keynote speaker, Professor Ayodeji Olukoju, while speaking on the topic, ‘Kokutai, Hataraku and Atarashi: Reflections on Culture, Innovation and Development in Japan’, said “whether the Japanese are inventors or imitators, the world has been a better place with the innovativeness of the Japanese.”
He encouraged scholars at the conference to emulate the Japanese for their hard work, dedication, discipline, vigour, diligence, socialisation and team spirit.
