TICAD V - アフリカ開発会議2013

Every five years, the whole African continent invades Japan. Peacefully, of course. This is the moment of TICAD (Tokyo International Conference on African Development), through which Japan is giving money and investing in the developement infrastructures in Africa. As one of the biggest donator in Africa, Japan needs the African resources, especially its oil and underground products; and it also needs China not to controle everything on the continent. For African countries, despite the many situations, everything is to build, everywhere. Japan's money is used to finance health, education, transportation, energy, peace building and good governance. But Japan also needs to discuss how its millions of yen are used on the field, so TICAD exists in order to let both parties express themselves on this matter. The Presidents, the Ministers come to thank the Japanese government, and to advertise their countries' interests. They come with assistants, advisors, protocol staff, journalists - and a few brothers, sisters ans cousins too. I have never seen such a concentration of African people in Japan. Yokohama, which in quality of "most opened and international Japanese city", is hosting the event, turned into a colorful and spicy location.

I have let the diplomats of my Embassy to handle the Malian VIP official, for the protocol etiquette is not exactly my cup of tea, and I prefered to focus on an important side-event of TICAD : African Fair 2013. African producers meeting Japanese distributors, showing their local products and making connections. I welcomed with pleasure the delegate from APEX-Mali, the Malian Agency for the Promotion of Exportations, Mr. T, who I have been talking with by phone for almost one year in order to organize the event. So many regulations to deal with when you enter the Japanese territory with "new" products, especially food... Poor Mr. T had the longest trip from Bamako with his heavy boxes of fresh mangos he had to pay for at every stop, and which was finally taken by the Japanese customs. But he didn't loose his smile in the process, and his genuine motivation to seize every business opportunity to support the Malian producers. There is still dried mango and delicious mango jam to show to the Japanese businessmen, and also baobad fruit, honey soap, shea butter, arabic gum, and beautiful traditional "bogolan" textile.

Our booth is ready!

Beautiful Malian painted cotton textile

The unexpected face of Mali

Naturally, African Fair is also a VIP event and guess who came to cheer up the exhibitors?

Prime Minister Abe on the stage!

The Japanese PM, the President of Burkina Faso...

... and Africa!

And Japan!

As usual, the best part of it: food. Food. Food!

My reward for my dedicated service

TICAD V is going on until Monday!

Comments

[NoemiMonogatari]

Je savais que ça te plairait, je l'ai même dit à l'envoyé de l'agence des exportations : "Oh, ça, ça plairait bien à ma maman !" Paf dans le mille !

Alors le pain de singe, c'est le fruit du baobab. Le pain du singe, quoi. Séché et confit au sucre, aromatisé au miel ou au gingembre (car le Mali est un grand producteur de gingembre, on le sait trop peu, et même la Chine lui en achète des tonnes), c'est une friandise très parfumée.

Pour ce qui est de goûter : t'inquiète, c'est prévu... ;)

[kawaimummy]

Tissus et leurs motifs: splendide!! J'adore et quelques robes et tuniques qui me plaisent sacrément bien aussi!

Qu'est-ce que le "pain de singe"???.

Et alléchant, le buffet! Bravo pour avoir en grande partie oeuvré à la réussite de toute cela ma belle

Rigolotes tes prises de vue de droite( rangées d'africains) puis de gauche ( japonais rangés du ...Japon) !

M'aurait bien plu d'être là, moi, à goûter, boire, toucher et sentir!