JOCV 50th year anniversary

Name: Jun Kawaguchi
Batch: FY2004-1 (Jul 2004 - Jul 2006)
Technical Field: Physical Education
Host Organization: Domasi Teachers Training College
Hometown in Japan: Takamatsu City, Kagawa

A Piece of Memory: "Health Promotion Event - Pole Tug of War"

I was dispatched to a Teachers College in Zomba District in the southern region of Malawi to train health and physical education teachers for secondary schools. In addition to lecturing at the college, I also traveled throughout Malawi with my colleagues and other JOCV members to organize health promotion events. I was able to visit the schools and communities where the JOCV members worked and enjoy the health events as well as see the activities of the JOCV members in various locations.

This is the photo of "A Piece of Memory" taken at that time.

At first glance, it may look like a tug of war, but instead of a rope, they are using a pole. I remember well that the Malawians suggested using a pole because ropes break easily, and poles are available in abundance. Looking back, I think I was taught the basic concept of international cooperation.

Scene of a health promotion event being held at various locations

What we suggested was the use of a headband. As you can see from the picture, everyone is wearing colorful headbands. There is a reason for this. In Malawi, where they are no sports uniforms, one team takes off their shirt and strips naked from the waist up so that the teams can be identified. This makes the event run between the shirt team and the shirtless team. The problem with this is that it discourages women from participating in the event. We suggested that they bring their own headbands so they would not be naked or shirtless. As a result, you can see that several women also participated in this event.

In this photo, the leader of the red team ignored our suggestion and appears naked, but he said, "It's okay because I am the head of this village." I remember that I felt troubled, but by smiling amiably, I managed to get him to participate in the event. After returning to Japan, I became a researcher and started working at a university, but even at a Japanese university, there were many older men who were more likely to be like this, and I am thankful every day that I had trained myself in Malawi to smile amiably.

Aside from that, when I look back on my time as a JOCV member, I remember very well how much I enjoyed the process of running events together with JOCV members around me and my Malawian colleagues. In addition to the pole tug of war, the aerobics performed by my fellow JOCV member Isa-san and the two-person three-legged relays, which the Malawian people experienced for the first time, were very exciting. I remember with nostalgia the days when we Japanese would compete together and literally roll with laughter. I look forward to seeing the smiling faces of Malawian people again someday.

Next will be a piece of memory of Nabi Ohki, a JOCV member of Batch FY1999-1, who was a veterinarian in Thyolo.