[Report] Two UNZA students & three PIASS students have started their program

In the fall of 2022, IAfP welcomed five new students from Africa.
They are Annet Banda and Temba Mapulanga from the University of Zambia and Ineza Ines Nkusi, Muhirwa Patrick and Amissi Nababuya Christelle from the Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS). They arrived at TUFS to start their program on September 30.

This is the first time TUFS has been able to accept exchange students from the University of Zambia. In addition, we could accept a record number of students from PIASS. As a result of our response to the impact of the covid, five students from PIASS are currently studying at TUFS, including Paul and Jato, who have started their program in the spring. When Hanan, who is studying at TUFS from the University of Pretoria(South Africa), is included, the number of exchange exchange students accepted from the partner universities in Sub-Saharan Africa increased to eight, marking a lively start to the fall semester!!

The new five students will stay in TUFS until July 2023.
Here are the messages from them.

University of Zambia

Message from Annet

My name is ANNET BANDA from Zambia, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Development Studies with Sociology at my home university, the University of Zambia. My hobbies include reading, researching and watching Netflix. Am very excited and happy to have been given this opportunity to study at TUFS as an exchange student for the fall semester by African Studies Center and IAfP (Inter-University Exchange Project <Africa>) who together made it possible for me to be in Japan. Am looking forward to learn in depth about Japan, it’s rich culture aswell as it’s history in the development process which will help me have an idea on how to aid in developing my home country. Thank you Yazaki Corporation and African Studies Center for your support and for making my dream a reality!

 

Message from Themba

Greetings.

My name is Themba Mapulanga, a 3rd-year student at the University of Zambia pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies and Public Administration, and now currently an exchange student at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. I chose to come to to Tokyo as an exchange Student to learn about Japanese culture and also to share my culture with students at TUFS. I’ve always had an interest with certain parts of Japanese culture and being here is dream come true.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank IAfP for making this dream a reality and sponsoring my flight tickets.

I would also like to greatly thank YAZAKI Corporation for the financial assistance rendered to me to make my stay in Tokyo a pleasant one.

Thank you so much.

 

Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences

Message from Ines

I’m INEZA NKUSI INES, a Rwandan student in development studies majoring in natural resources and environmental management at the Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences in RWANDA.

As a student in environmental management, my interest in Japan is to learn from the environmental protection measures and mechanisms of Japan (the developed country) and the lessons to teach Rwanda as a developing country.

I am very happy also to be in Japan as I was dreaming to join this country as a Karate player since my childhood because I found that it is the origin of karate and I can say that my dreams came true.
I would like to thank the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), and YAZAKI Corporation for their great support of my life in Japan. Big thanks to the African Studies Center at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and the Inter-University Exchange Project (Africa), for the warm support from Rwanda, up to now you have played a big role in order to reach my dreams and continue my studies through this program, and thank you for giving African students opportunity of going abroad and exploring new adventures.

INEZA NKUSI INES

 

Message from Patrick

Konnichiwa

Watashi wa Muhirwa Patrick desu, Rwandan, and a student majoring in Peacebuilding and Development in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS) in the southern part of Rwanda. I love working in teams which has grown from football teams inspirations and group works at school, I like interactions and exchanges because I learn new things and grow.

I am overjoyed to have been given this opportunity to come to Japan as an exchange student at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) and would wish to write this message in Japanese, but my level is still low where currently, I know a few words in Japanese such as “Ohayo-guzaimasu”, “Konnichiwa”, “Konbawa”, “Arigato Guzaimasu”, “Sayonara”, “Oyasumi”, “Genki-desu” and “Doo-itashimashite”, and learning Japanese has come on top among my priorities to raise the language ability.

I wish to learn the cultural solutions in Japan’s re-construction process, global studies on contemporary issues for gaining lessons to take home and having good knowledge of Japan in the context of language, norms and values, religion, and social interactions. I am very interested to learn different courses, joining available clubs at TUFS as well visiting historical and cultural museums of Japan to grow deeper.

My sincerely gratitude to all people who made my dreams possible. I am deeply grateful to the Inter-University Exchange Project-Africa (IAfP) for taking care of my air-flight tickets, the African Studies Center at TUFS (ASC-TUFS) for the acceptance offer in the learning program. Special and deeper thankful to Yazaki Corporation and the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) for turning my dreams into reality and making my interests in Japan worthwhile by supporting my life expenses during my stay in Japan.

I would kindly like once again to say “Arigato Guzaimasu” to all my sponsors!

Muhirwa Patrick

 

Message from Amissi

I am Amissi Nababuya Christelle, a Congolese student in Rwanda at Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS), majoring in the Faculty of Development Studies and the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Moreover, as a Congolese lady who lives in the Great Lakes Region where conflicts can arise and also in others regions of Africa, therefore, being in Japan is a great opportunity for me to learn about the Japanese mechanisms of development. As we have learnt about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I would like to enlarge my knowledge in their government policies and also their culture. My interest in Japan is to further my knowledge about the development process and the peace building process.

Furthermore, to be in Japan is really beneficial, and I am grateful for that, also, it is an opportunity to improve my intercultural communication skills, because I am really passionate in learning other people’s cultures and languages, and I like to write down poems.
I take this opportunity to thank the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), the African Studies Center, the Inter-University Exchange Project (Africa), aka IAfP, and Yazaki Corparation for their great support and cooperation for my life in Japan and also to Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) for both their helpful support from Rwanda to Japan which goes hand in hand in the fulfilment of my dreams. I am really grateful for this opportunity which is a bridge fostering my great future.

Amissi Nababuya Christelle