Africa NOW #120

Issued on August 2022, by Africa Japan Forum (AJF)«Contents»
pp. 2-13		
Special Topic: Objects that recognize the ties between Africa and Japan
The international movement of objects in today’s globalization is often described as an exchange of goods in the marketplace. But the movement of objects is also accompanied by the exchange of culture, technology, and social relations. And
through the medium of objects, mutual relationships such as cooperation, collaboration, understanding, negotiation, andconfrontation are created. In this issue of Africa NOW, a special feature titled ‘Objects that recognize the ties between
Africa and Japan’ is presented. Through three essays, we will examine the mixed situation brought about by the movementand distribution of objects between Africa and Japan.
pp .3-6		 Farming household management and fair trade of coffee in Kilimanjaro by Tsujimura

HideyukiTsujimura Hideyuki, who has been conducting research study, and a fair trade project as well, in the village of Lukani
at the slope of Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania, introduced how various agricultural and livestock products inLukani are divided into ‘male products’ and ‘female products’ in family budget. He points out that the relation keeps asystem of combined agriculture-forestry-livestock management and environmental conservation in a complementary way.
He also examines the role of coffee fair trade to achieve poverty reduction..
pp .7-9		 Sisal bag business in Kenya: successes and setbacks by Ushiama Yasushi
Ushiama Yasushi, an importer and seller of African goods, has been dealing in sisal bags produced in a Kenyan village.
While the leadership of one Kenyan woman expanded the production of quality sisal bags satisfying Japanese consumers,management problems in the workshops of sisal bags and unclear accounting led to a cessation of trade and heavy debt.
He presents a successful and difficult relationship with African producers
pp .10-13		 Taste guilty - octopus and tuna from Western Sahara by Iwasaki Yuichi
Journalist Iwasaki Yuichi, who has been covering the Western Sahara issue, reported that octopus labeled ‘from Morocco’in Japan is caught off the coast of Western Sahara, ‘the last colony in Africa’ occupied militarily by Morocco. He also reported that Japanese consumers are connected to Western Sahara through octopus, tuna, and phosphate ore, and people
in Western Sahara raise their voice on the issues of the unfair export of natural resources.

Connecting with the world through Afro dance by Onwona Agyeman Julia
pp. 14-15
This is the 13th installment in a series of ‘Essay Relay - African Kids Club’. Onwona Agyeman Julia, who has a Ghanaian father and a Japanese mother, got into hip-hop dancing as a college student in Los Angeles, and later studied at the Universityof Ghana, where she studied traditional Ghanaian dance. In Ghana, she was selected as an opening dancer for the All Africa
Music Awards (AFRIMA), the biggest music awards ceremony in Africa. Back to Japan, she has been dancing and teaching
Afrobeats Dance (Afrodance), a street dance that originated in West Africa, hoping that more people around the world willknow appealing Afrodance.

From the ‘International health and COVID-19’ blog post by Inaba Masaki
pp. 16-17
Adapted from a blog post on ‘International Health and COVID-19’ on the AJF’s website. Inaba Masaki, AJF’s Director ofInternational health, provides updates on COVID-19 and related global health issues.
The Ukraine situation reveals the need for ‘non-war under pandemic’p. 16
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused the Ukrainian health system to become dysfunctional due to the war, andmeasures against COVID-19 have been severely damaged. The daily number of persons infected with COVID-19
Ukraine in a war is estimated at 30,000, but it is reported that only severe cases are known for diagnosis, and no registration of infected persons has been made. In response to the current state of war during a pandemic of COVID-19, civilsociety is considering one provision of an ‘obligation to ceasefire in the event of a pandemic emergency’ should be built inthe ‘Pandemic Convention’ currently under negotiation.
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p. 1712th WTO Ministerial Conference failed to ensure equal access to medicines
The 12th WTO Ministerial Conference was held from June 12 to June 17, and civil society concerned with trade andglobal health has strongly criticized the Ministerial Declaration adopted at the conference. The proposal on COVID-19submitted by South Africa and India in October 2020 was a landmark proposal to waive intellectual property rights set
forth in the Agreement on Trade Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) on a time-limited basis in
a comprehensive manner to address an unprecedented infectious disease crisis. However, the Ministerial Declaration ofthe conference practically disregards this proposal. Civil society raises criticism and objection to the following points:(1) only ‘patent rights’ are partially exempt in the TRIPS Agreement, (2) the exemption covered by its interpretation islimited to ‘vaccines’ ,and (3) for ‘developing countries who could produce vaccine’ (in fact, China only), the Declaration
recommends that countries pledge not to exercise their right to TRIPS exemption.

Messages from AJF’s new co-board chairsp. 18
The 2022 AJF general membership meeting was held on June 25. All proposals were approved and board members for the2022-2023 fiscal year were elected. AJF’s new co-board chairs, Inaba Maski and Tamai Takashi, have written the messages toAJF members.

Book Review: Kawamoto Haruo “ Doctor Tani in Niger ~ Stories of a surgeon Tanigaki
p. 19
Yuzo “ by Sugishita Tomohiko
Sugishita Tomohiko’s book review of Kawamoto Haruo “ Doctor Tani in Niger - Stories of a surgeon Tanigaki Yuzo” . Sugishita, who has worked as a surgeon for more than 30 countries, especially in Africa, and has been involved in technical guidance for health system projects, shares his own experience with Tanigaki Yuzo, who also practiced as a surgeon in Africa andended his life as an active surgeon, saying, ‘There is no better life to be a surgeon’. He points out that the training of young
surgeons in Niger, to which Dr. Tanigaki has devoted himself, requires outstanding human skills that go beyond the limits ofintellectual and physical strength.
Back cover2

Afterword (‘Hitotsu no musubime to shite’ in Japanese) and a record of AJF’s activities

Africa NOW 120

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