Analysis: MIZUUCHI RYUTA
THIS year marks the 439th anniversary since the first African person visited Japan in 1581.
This guy from Africa was brought to Japan as liegeman of a Jesuit church missionary by the name of Alessandro Valignano.
He was then taken up by the ruler of Japan, Oda Nobunaga, given a rank and was even given a Japanese name, “Yasuke”.
Thus, he was the first African to become a Samurai.
More than 400 years later, Japanese and Zambians are – even if in different parts of the world – breathing the same air and viewing the same moon – and drinking 2/4 the same tea, as some of us do today – as much as our ancestors did at the time of Yasuke.
When I had the opportunity to talk to President Edgar Lungu at this year’s New Year’s Reception for the Diplomatic Corps, he responded to me by saying, and I quote, “Japan is close to me” – a statement that articulates the compassion that the President has toward our country.http://epaper.daily-mail.co.zm/