AFURIKA DOGS Co., Ltd.
[Event commemorating the relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs] How about the Osaka/Kansai Expo? The world line opened up by Kyoto culture seen from an African perspective
Dialogue with Mr. Usubi Sakko, Vice President of the Japan Association for the World Exposition, at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art
The Agency for Cultural Affairs moved to Kyoto, the first relocation of central ministries and agencies since the Meiji era. In response to the start of operations in Kyoto by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in March 2023, a commemorative event was held by Kyoto Seika University’s Usubi Sako (currently Director of the University-wide Research Organization), who became Japan’s first African-American president. ) was invited and held at the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art. We asked Mr. Sako, who is also the vice chairman of the Japan Association for the World Expositions, about the world line that will be opened up with Kyoto culture as a starting point.
[Organizer] AFURIKA DOGS Co., Ltd. | Africa Dogs
[Sponsor] Jeremy & Jemima, Harikyu Oribe Co., Ltd.
[Cooperation] Kyoto Overseas Business Center (constituent
organizations: JETRO Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kyoto Sangyo 21, Kyoto Institute of Advanced Technology)
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AFURIKA DOGS Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, CEO: Shunji Nakasu, hereinafter referred to as our company), which develops a business that connects the craftsmanship culture of Africa and Kyoto to the next generation, held an event in front of Kyoto Seika University as an event to commemorate the relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. A dialogue event was held at the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art entitled “What about the Osaka-Kansai World Expo? . The relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Kyoto was the first relocation of central ministries and agencies since the Meiji era. In response to the start of operations in Kyoto in March 2023, this project was carried out as an attempt to recapture the culture of Kyoto from an African perspective. Mr. Sako’s point of view was suggestive that there is intangible value in the style of “obscene” communication itself, not to mention the materials, techniques, and designs unique to historical Kyoto. Through this style of
communication, we were able to reaffirm the potential of Kyoto, which is both a cultural city and an international city, by incorporating different cultures and arranging them in a unique way.
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We also discussed what kind of value we can offer to visitors from overseas, looking ahead to the Osaka-Kansai Expo in two years. The 30 or so invited guests were caught up in a whirlwind of laughter as Mr. Sakko’s struggle to open up new relationships with others through his humor. In response to Mr. Sako’s remarks, Mr. Sako said, “By unraveling the social structure in which people themselves are becoming inconvenient due to the rules they have made, and by liberating their ‘individuals’, they can think about their neighbors.” It was an opportunity to reconsider the question of free expression. [Image 3
At our company, we will continue to plan projects that utilize an African perspective in our lives and businesses while being rooted in the culture of Kyoto. In the future, we are planning to start from the city of Kyoto to create a place where African researchers and business people can gather. Thank you very much for following our executives. [The event is uploaded to YouTube]
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