A Japanese boat that docked in Fiji recently, not only brought with it the important message of peace but also took part in an equally significant activity- keeping the environment clean.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Youth and Sports welcomed 100 Japanese passengers from The Peace Boat to Fiji for a day-long programme focused on climate change and cultural exchange with Fijian youth.
This was the first time in 10 years that The Peace Boat, an international nongovernmental organisation, based in Japan that takes peace ambassadors on a voyage around the world, had docked in Fiji.
Ministry permanent secretary Jone Nemani said the boat visit and its programmes strengthened the global consensus for action and by doing so, built a grand coalition for momentum—an informal coalition of young people at all levels, the private sector, community groups, NGOs, scientific institutions and others.
“This visit and its programme also aligns to the Ministry of Youth and Sport’s new strategic direction and Fiji’s National Development Plan’s and Strategic Development Goals. Moreover it supports and enhances our commitment to the 2030 global sustainable development agenda,” Mr Nemani told the youths at Lomolomo Beach.
“In the South Pacific region, Fiji has been taking a leading role in engaging with the SDGs. I am grateful that the ‘Peace Boat’ is a dedicated campaigner for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he adds.
Students from the University of South Pacific – Lautoka Campus attended the event, in addition to students from Fiji National University, Tilak High School, Lautoka Andhra Sangam College, Lautoka Scouts Association and local youth groups in Lautoka.
The Ministry kicked off the day with a beach clean-up at Lomolomo Beach where Fijian and Japanese youth worked together to clean up the environment.
Lautoka youth Timaleti Vakamata said that communicating with the Japanese visitors was an amazing experience and cleaning up the beach motivated her to spread the word about climate change.
“After today we have to go out to people and tell them how important it is to keep our environment clean,” Ms Vakamata said.
“We are going to suffer from climate change.” After the beach clean-up, the guests and Fijian youth travelled to Saint Thomas Primary School for a traditional Fijian meal and cultural exchange.
Many of the Japanese visitors enjoyed eating cassava, Fijian lovo and rourou for the first time.
“Fijians are such vibrant people and I can see positivity and joy coming from within and I really like that,” said Shuhei Tashira, Japanese to English interpreter for The Peace Boat.
“Everyone is really friendly and enjoying their time here and this exchange with us.”
Japanese passengers on The Peace Boat have been traveling around the world all summer and will conclude their travels at the end of August.
So far, they’ve docked at the United States of America, Egypt, Australia and a dozen other countries around the world. But for Mr Tashira, the happiness of Fijians stands out among other cultures.
“I was having a conversation with a Japanese man who has been living in Fiji for the past14 years and we were having a conversation about happiness. He and I agree that there is a certain level of happiness here in Fiji,” he said.
The Peace Boat donated sports equipment to the Ministry, which will be distributed to local youth groups throughout the Western Division. Ro Ponipate, a student at USP-Lautoka Campus, learned a lot from the Japanese visitors and is hopeful that the programme will continue so that future generations are afforded this opportunity.
“It’s important to get to know each other more and learn about other cultures and the similarities that we share,” he said. “Today was an amazing day; how we all came together to learn more about sustainable goals and how to work towards them was really meaningful.”
Mr Tashira also believes that the visit was only the first step to building lasting relationships between Japanese and Fijian youth.
“For a lot of people this is their first time having this kind of exchange with either Japanese or Fijian people,” he said. “This will bring a spark within them when it comes to learning about different cultures and learning about themselves through a different culture. And those sparks will be the seeds for some great action for a better society and better relationships between people and cultures.”
MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND SPORTS