We attended this year’s (the 18th) Japanese speech contest which was held on 14th march at the JICC Hall, Embassy of Japan in Kenya. This speech contest was believed to have a significant meaning as 18 is the year that Kenyans are finally recognized as adults and get their ID. I could tell that this year’s contestants were very much determined. Their speeches were not only very high-level, but even their pronunciation, ability to understand questions asked in Japanese and even answer in the same was also extremely high. The MC mentioned how he feels for the judges because they would have a hard time choosing the winners and I couldn’t help but agree more. Though of course, as he also mentioned, every contestant is a winner just by deciding to learn a different language from what they are used to.
Speech Contest Sponsors and Participants
Participants Speeches and Sponsors’ Support
The participants this year were 21 in total, with 16 being adults and 5 grade 6 children. All of them, including the children, memorized their speeches without script in hand. Japanese is ranked among the top 5 if not 3 hardest languages to learn in the world yet these people learnt the language with determination and even had the courage to give a speech in front of a big audience. This is the kind of milestone that will inspire generations of Kenyans to come. I was overjoyed to see even young children speaking the language so well and I can say with confidence that this Country’s Japanese language education is going far.
As one of the sponsors of the event, our company donated special kanji notebooks with images of ships owned by us on the covers and added ship stickers for the children. We hope these materials will be beneficial and motivational for those who participated and those interested in learning Japanese. Additionally, 17 other companies and organisations supported this event, showcasing their zeal and expectation for widespread Japanese language learning.
Entertainment and Performances
After the speeches, some entertainment was performed and among them a group of university students who acted out a Japanese script showcasing the importance of family more than anything, I would say was what stood out the most to me. Equally impressive was a group of high school boys who played the Japanese anime song Suzume on tambourines.
Mang’u High School boys play the Japanese song Suzume on tambourines
Members of Team Mirai Squad from KU perform the play 'Tsugu Mono'
Sponsor Representative Speech
One of our employees, Sharon Kinyanjui, also presented a speech as a representative of the sponsors, making it known to everyone that even she had once participated in the same speech contest and got position 2. At this the audience applauded greatly.
Sharon Kinyanjui addressing the audience on behalf of the sponsors
Furthermore, she also encouraged the contestants to keep on studying and challenging themselves so that they can open doors towards the future that they envision.
The significance of the contest and expectations for the future
It is evident that through this speech contest, many contestants get to interact with others who speak the language and connect with organisations looking to hire Japanese speakers.
Which will in turn increase the number of Kenyans learning Japanese hence reinforcing the strong bond between Kenya and Japan.
I am confident that next year’s speech contest will be on a much higher level proving difficult for judges to fit their talent in just 3 positions and I very much look forward to attending it.