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Here’s something to think
about—in today’s world, nearly 900 million people cannot read or write
because of poverty, war and other factors. Some 110 million of them are children
growing up without any education. Since 1990, the Mitsubishi
Public Affairs Committee, along with the Asian Federation of UNESCO Clubs
and Associations and the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan,
has fought illiteracy through an innovative initiative—the Mitsubishi Asian
Children’s Enikki Festa.
This festival, launched in honor of the United
Nations Literacy Year, invites children aged 6 to 12 from Asian countries to describe
scenes from their daily lives through enikki, a traditional Japanese
diary made up of a drawing and a short text.
In the 2006/2007 Festa, organizers received an incredible
94,730 entries from 22 countries and regions. After national judges reduced this
to a mere 8 per country or region, the entries were sent to the international
judges in Tokyo who picked the final 22 grand prix winners.
This winners were then invited to an award
ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand in July 2007. For the first time, the ceremony was
held outside Japan, reinforcing the international nature of the program.
To date, young artists from 25 countries and
regions have submitted a total of 422,173 works. Their entries are put together
and utilized as literacy textbooks in the participating countries and regions.
The enikki style makes these diaries ideal for teaching literacy, and
for promoting international understanding by showing daily life in other countries.
In mid-October, 71 of these imaginative diaries,
including grand prix winners, went on display in the Marunouchi Building in Tokyo—captivating
the visitors with colorful snapshots of the local cultures of today’s Asia.
If you would like to know more about the Mitsubishi Asian Children’s Enikki
Festa, please go to:
http://enikki.mitsubishi.or.jp/e/index_f.html
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