On Sunday, regional linguistic enthusiasts took to the stage at the Fourth Central American and Caribbean Japanese Language Speech Contest, hosted for the first time in Trinidad and Tobago at The University of the West Indies.
The Speech Contest is sponsored by the Japan Foundation, the Embassy of Japan, and the local Japan Trinidad and Tobago Friendship 60th Anniversary Executive Committee.
Held every three years since 2015, the contest inspires and invites participants who successfully rose through national qualifying ranks to showcase their passion for Japanese language and culture.
On Sunday, His Excellency Matsubara Yutaka, Ambassador of Japan, welcomed students from Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago.
“Where we not only celebrate Japanese language, but also the vibrant cultural exchanges that enrich our communities. Today, we gather to experience and appreciate the eloquence and creativity of our contestants whose skills are a testament to the bonds of friendship between Japan and its Caribbean and Latin American partners.”
Member of bp Renegades Steel Orchestra, Emmanuel Joseph, shared his experience of cultural exchange between Japan and Trinidad and Tobago.
“So, I actually had the pleasure and the absolute honour to visit Japan earlier this year, in August. I was able to go with a delegation from bp Renegades to conduct a Steelpan Workshop with a Sukiyaki Steel Orchestra. So, they have a festival, “Sukiyaki Meets the World,” and we were able to go for just about two and a half weeks and we worked with them as they prepared for the festival.”
Guyanese Guest Presenter, Melissa Lynch, noted the value of strong cultural and educational exchange between Trinidad and Tobago and Japan.
“My hope for my country is very simple. That we take a page out of Trinidad and Tobago’s book, which is to foster greater economic and other cultural relations with Japan to try to establish some of the programmes that you have here – which are absolutely excellent without question.”
The Japanese Speech Contest was a fun cultural extravaganza featuring cultural performances and trivia quizzes to origami workshops, and ending with our Trinidad and Tobago representative, Matthias Elliot, winning second place.