Associate Professor Ukai of Faculty of Languages and Cultures held an event on French-speaking culture at the Osaka-Kansai Expo (HachiojiHachioji Campus

On June 8, July 6, and September 3, 2025, Teikyo University Faculty of Languages and Cultures Department of Foreign Languages French Course Associate Professor Atsuko Ukai held three events on French-speaking cultures to promote international dialogue through language, culture, and the arts at the WA Space, Women's Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai. . Ukai Associate Professor specializes in art history and French-language education. In her art history research, she has conducted research and studies on arts and crafts in French-speaking West Africa and South Africa, and has developed global art history research based on her findings.

The Women's Pavilion was jointly exhibited by the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Richemont Japan Ltd., Cartier, and the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition. Based on the concept of "Living together, shining together towards a bright future," the pavilion aims to realize a society in which all people can live equally, respect each other, and demonstrate their individual abilities.

The first event was themed "Dialogue through Film: Africa and Women," and featured a screening of four short films by African female directors, with film director Naomi Kawase involved as a producer. The event introduced the challenges faced by women in filmmaking and the behind-the-scenes story of cross-border filmmaking, and through discussions with participants, explored the possibilities for dialogue through visual expression.
For the second event, we invited Malian artist Nakana Jakite Prats, who served as curator of the Africa Pavilion at the 2020 Dubai World Expo, to introduce contemporary African art and hold a dialogue session on the theme of "Is 'beauty' a universal value? What is 'beauty'?" In addition, under the subtitle "Intercultural Dialogue - Japan, France, Africa," a lecture was given on the historical background of the Japanese boom at 19th century World Expos, and a multifaceted dialogue was developed through culture and art.
The third event welcomed Mohamed Ag Hamid, a metalworker and art director from the Tuareg people, a nomadic tribe of the Sahara Desert known as the "Blue People," and Aboul Hassan Cisse, a Graduate School student in Japan, to introduce their traditional culture, including metalwork, leatherwork, poetry, and music. A documentary about handicraft production in the desert and a socially conscious film set in Timbuktu (Republic of Mali) were also shown, along with an interactive talk session with the audience, providing a rich forum for cultural exchange.
Each session featured interactive sessions in which participants freely exchanged opinions, resulting in lively exchanges from diverse perspectives.

Teikyo University will continue to promote initiatives that contribute to society through the research activities of its faculty members.

For more information about the Women's Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, click here.
For more information about Associate Professor Atsuko Ukai, please click here.
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