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| Ambassador's Speech>2011 >110302 | |||||
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| at the Kei Akagi Trio Jazz Concert at the Yared Music School on 2 March, 2011 |  |
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| Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Endemen ameshachehu. It is a great pleasure for the Embassy of Japan to host this “Kei Akagi Trio Jazz Concert in Addis” at the Yared Music School. I would like to express my heartfelt welcome to all of you this evening. Indeed, this is the second event of the Japanese Cultural Week Series, which started with the Girls’ Day Hina-matsuri Festival at my residence last week. By the way, tonight’s jazz concert has been made possible thanks to several organizations. First, I am most grateful to Mr. Kei Akagi and his company for visiting us here in the political capital of Africa on their way from Doha to Paris to share their musical talent and new concept of jazz with us this evening. Mr. Akagi is a well known jazz pianist and composer in the jazz world from North America to Europe. His reputation was established in the late 1980’s when he was active in the United States as a member of the Miles Davis Band. I would also like to express my deep appreciation to the Japan Foundation in Tokyo for sponsoring this overseas tour of the Tokyo Trio. Without its funding this performance would not have been possible. My appreciation also goes to the Yared Music School for offering this cozy hall that has the best piano in Addis for tonight’s concert. I also appreciate the Meleket Jazz Band, an emerging Ethiopian jazz band, recommended by Ato Mulatu, for giving a special performance for tonight’s event. Thanks to their contribution, you will enjoy both Tokyo jazz and Ethio jazz on the same stage, feeling how close our two cultures are through music. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I will not talk too much this evening because I know it is the jazz that you have come to hear and not me. So I will conclude now by appreciating the importance of this sort of cultural activity as it provides a good opportunity to deepen mutual understanding and to promote grassroots exchanges between Japanese and Ethiopian people. Now, please enjoy Ethio jazz and then Tokyo jazz. Amesagenalehu. |
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