SEISA Africa Asia Bridge (SAAB), which was first held in 2015, marks its 10th edition this year.
SAAB was born out of the strong desire of Honorary Chairman Yasuo Miyazawa, founder of SEISA Group, to build a “bridge (HASHI)” between Africa and Asia for the future of children.
Africa is now known as a continent with a great deal of natural resources and it can be said to be the center of the world that attracts the attention of many people as a base for ICT development. We are now approaching a very important time to think about how we should deal with this change and what kind of attitude we should take toward the world in the next 10 to 20 years. With the aim of realizing the goals of children “knowing” about and "connecting" with African countries, SAAB is an event where people from various countries discuss the beauty and potential of diversity in Africa, and sympathize with each other.
In recent years, the use of online video platform enables us to talk with people from more countries. We would also like to make SAAB as an opportunity to explore how Japanese can interact and connect with people overseas, and how we can act on the issues faced by various countries. We, SEISA, think "understanding each other, making friends instead of leaving someone out, and acting together" is the very important learning. We hope this experience will be a seed for young people in Japan and overseas, who will lead the next generation, to think and act for themselves.
“SAAB is for children to think about their future. We are planting seeds for the future!”
We will inherit the thoughts of Honorary Chairman Yasuo Miyazawa and keep “seeding" for future children.
Message for the 1st SEISA Africa Asia Bridge(2015)
“Africa” is known to everybody. However, how far do we understand the real Africa? The image most people have as regards Africa may have something to do with lion, giraffe, elephant, etc. It is far away from us, physically and psychologically, and it is seldom that we feel it close to our daily life. In the reality, however, the continent has more than 20% of the total land space of the earth, and there are more than 3,000 different languages spoken. In addition, it is said to be the birthplace of the human being. Africa will surely become more significant continent for Japan in 10 years, 20 years or 30 years, because it is very rich in natural resources. It is no exaggeration to say that Africa may be the only region capable of supplying enough natural resources to cover Japan’s requirements. Therefore, it is very important for children who bear the future of Japan to learn about Africa and know its people, and do cultural exchanges with them by taking every opportunity.
It is true that Africa is far away in terms of distance, but in the near future the time may come when we can go to Africa in a few hours. Please think about how the transit time between Tokyo and Kyoto has changed from Edo-era, Meiji-era, Showa-era through today. Hence, it may not be unrealistic to reach Africa from Japan in 1-2 hours in the future. Physical distance will surely be shortened. In line with it, psychological distance should be shortened, too; Japan needs to be closer to Africa. Among Asian countries, Japan knows Africa better than others. Therefore, we should play a key role by strengthening relationship/friendship with Africa, making more efforts to establish the peace there and to assist them in further development as their good partner.
It would be greatly appreciated if you would help us nurturing children and youth who have closer hearts rather than physical distance in both Japan and Africa. Thank you.
Yasuo MIYAZAWA
Under the theme of "Chikei -Learning and Connecting", the 9th SEISA Africa Asia Bridge 2023 was held with the aim of connecting more deeply with countries in Africa and Asia and in implementing the SDGs.
We were blessed with good weather and held the event in person while also making it available online via 6 channels. We were able to expand our circle of learning and engagement with about 7.463 people (including online) from more than 31 countries, including 19 embassies in Africa and Asia, Japan, UNDP (United Nations Development Program, New York), and the city of Odessa, Ukraine. The opening ceremony featured messages from Ms. Chika Kondo, TICAD Partnership Specialist, TICAD Unit, Africa Bureau, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Mr. Kiyoto Tsuji, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Estifanos Afeworki Haile, Ambassador of the State of Eritrea, and Naoki Furukawa, Member of the House of Representatives.
In preparation for our 10th anniversary event, we would like to work even harder to bridge together Africa and Asia and to achieve the first and second goals of the 17 SDGs, "No Poverty," and "Zero Hunger." We aim to be Japan's leading ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) practice school and expand learning opportunities beyond Japan and in the world.
In closing, I would like to reiterate my conviction that this event, named "Bridge" by Yasuo Miyazawa, founder of SEISA Group, will serve as a bridge between Africa and Asia, and also that all of us in this event today could work together to build a bridge for peace for all. We will keep on expressing our cherished philosophy of "inclusiveness" in various ways.
『sTED(SEISA Transnational Education Design)』 is a program for the students to think about the future after 10, 20 and 50 years from today and give their original presentations, based on the relationship between Africa and Asia and SDGs(Sustainable Development Goals). Students who belong to SEISA all over Japan and nearby elementary, middle and high school students also gather for giving passionate presentations.
The SEISA National Student Council and SEISA National Alumni Association are engaged in activities aimed at realizing a symbiotic society and embodying the SDGs. For example, inspired by a graduate (a former member of the SEISA National Student Council and a current member of the SEISA National Alumni Association) who expressed, "I want to continue thinking about the SDGs even after graduation," a nationwide cleanup activity called "SEISA CLEAN UP ACTION" was launched. On the day of the event, Student Council members from across Japan and abroad connected online to share progress on the cleanup efforts, as well as to discuss the living conditions and challenges unique to each region and country. We consider it a significant achievement that, through the activities of SAAB and the SEISA National Student Council, more students and alumni have developed a strong commitment to making SDG-related activities and actions their lifelong mission.
This award recognizes outstanding ESD-related projects implemented by institutions or organizations engaged in ESD activities within the framework of “Education for Sustainable Development: Towards the Realization of the SDGs (ESD for 2030)”, which was adopted at the 40th UNESCO General Conference and endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2019, “SEISA Africa Asia Bridge” has been selected by MEXT as a representative of Japan.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to equip learners with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes necessary to act responsibly, respecting cultural diversity, protection of the environment, for economic sustainability, for a fair society for all genders, and for present and future generations. It will play a key role in the realization of all the SDGs.
State of Eritrea / Republic of Cote d’lvoire / Republic of Congo / Republic of Botswana / Republic of Tunisia / Republic of Uganda / Republic of Ghana / Republic of Guinea / Republic of Zambia / United Republic of Tanzania / Republic of Benin / Republic of Madagascar / Republic of Malawi / Republic of Mali / Republic of South Africa / Kingdom of Morocco / Kingdom of Lesotho / Burkina Faso / Republic of India
United States of America / New Zealand / Kingdom of Bhutan / People’s Republic of China / People’s Republic of Bangladesh / Japan / Republic of Korea / Kingdom of Thailand / Russian Federation / Republic of Philippines / Ukraine / Republic of Senegal
●United Nations Development Program (UNDP) ●Japan-Africa Friendship Yokohama City Council Member's League ●Kiyoken Co.,Ltd. ●Non-Profit Organization CLOUDY
●Ministry of Foreign Affairs ●Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ●Kanagawa Prefecture ●Odawara City ●Hakone Town ●Oiso Town ●Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education ●Yokohama International Affairs Bureau ●Yokohama City Board of Education ●Odawara City Board of Education ●Hakone Town Board of Education ●Oiso Town Board of Education ●Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Yokohama Center ●Yokohama SDGs Design Center ●Public Interest Incorporated Organization Foundation for Global Children ●General Incorporated Association SEISA Group
●SEISA Africa Asia Bridge 2023 Executive Committee
●Kokusai Gakuen Education Institute ●SEISA Education Institute
●SEISA ECEC KIDS Planet Education Institute ●Social Welfare Corporation SEISA ●SEISA Gakuen
We connected SEISA's schools nationwide online and held "SAAB Simultaneous Class" to learn together, to know, and to connect about the progress of learning for SAAB. Students researched and learned about themes related to "Africa" and "Asia" (history, food, clothing, and housing, culture, climate, religion, geography, industry, etc.) at each school, and will give presentations on stage or on-demand on the day of SAAB. Students learned about African and Asian countries, where they felt far away until now, by listening to the presentations of their friends, and by researching, knowing, and learning on their own, which enabled students to feel the countries closer than ever.
On August 29th, 2019, 44 junior high and high school students who represented SEISA schools in / around Kanagawa Prefecture participated in TICAD Ⅶ(Tokyo International Conference on African Development)which is one of the biggest international conference held in Japan. In the section of “Driving Multi-Sectoral Partnerships for the SDGs”, a side-event organized by Kanagawa Prefecture and UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), the students seated in the first row in the center and they listened eagerly to the discussion using ear phones for simultaneous interpretation system. We saw in their attitude what they obtained in their long term study and experience in SAAB.
On October 18, 2024, 50 students visited the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) at the United Nations during the New York Study Tour Program. With the attendance of the Economic Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, we held a meeting that lasted approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, during which we presented the activities and future prospects of SAAB, as well as our efforts toward achieving the SDGs. As part of our SDG initiatives, we introduced a project to send high-protein OKARA cookies, made from tofu byproducts, to those suffering from hunger and poverty in Africa. These cookies will be sold at SAAB events to further support efforts in Africa. Through this valuable visit, we have reaffirmed the importance of international exchange from the perspective of maintaining international peace in the global society, as well as the necessity of actively promoting student exchanges in the future.