http://mainichi.jp/english/weekly/news/20130321wek00m040019000c.html 今周の一面:歌手の MISIA さん「アフリカに関心持って」 ◇Into Africa Knowledge is a doorway. Not only is that the credo of soul and R&B singer MISIA, but it's a belief she acts on. The Nagasaki‐born diva was recently appointed official supporter of the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V), which is jointly organized by the Japanese government and international organizations including the United Nations Development Programme. The conference will be held from June 1 to 3 in Yokohama. MISIA's appointment was in recognition of her charity work in Africa spanning five years, and of her efforts to raise awareness among Japanese about issues the continent faces. "I think Japanese people's general image toward Africa is that it is made up of pitiful countries that are very far away," she says, noting that she had held the same image herself before actually going there. MISIA's interest in Africa dates back to 2005, when she participated in a global campaign against poverty. This experience left her with a desire to know "what poverty really is," and impelled her to visit a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2007. She set up a voluntary organization called "Child AFRICA" the following year and started supporting children at a school in the slum as well as orphans in Malawi who had lost their parents to AIDS. "There is, indeed, dire poverty in Africa, but I was so impressed by people's spiritual happiness," MISIA says. Her first mission as an official supporter to TICAD and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was in January. She made an inspection tour in Senegal of a water‐supply system constructed by JICA and operated by the local community. She admired how Japan's assistance was able to change people's lives: The system freed women and children from carrying water and enabled them to earn money by working or to go to school. MISIA stresses the diverse attractions of Africa, including music, dance and the spirit of the people. Now she is gearing up to hold events supporting TICAD V, and to release an original song dedicated to Africa． "I want Japanese to know something about Africa. That can be a start," she says. (By Hoizumi Junko) MISIA さんが企画する TICAD 支援イベント「Run for Africa」の详细は http://www.mudef.net/runforafrica2013/ --

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