Sendai, Japan - A concert by a Togolese singer, Mr. King Mensah known as the “Golden Voice of Togo,” was held in Sendai, in the Miyagi Prefecture of Japan, on May 24, 2014, in celebration of Africa Day. The concert was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Togo with joint hosting by UPF-Japan and the Tohoku Ambassadors for Peace Association, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and several organizations.
The concert in Sendai followed on the big success of last year’s concert in the city, which revitalized the people in the affected area of the Great East Japan Earthquake. This year, too, all 550 seats in the hall were filled with an excited audience.
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At the beginning of the concert, Rev. Eiji Tokuno, Chairman of UPF-Japan, mentioned his three visits to Togo during his term as chairman of UPF-Africa and said, “I have a deep emotional attachment to Togo. Japan is supporting Africa, and to support Africa will be also beneficial to Japan. Let us continue to support Africa!”
Then, as the organizer Mr. Bodjona Alewabia Delali Akelesso, Charge d'Affaires of Togo in Japan, expressed his gratitude to UPF-Japan and the Tohoku Ambassadors for Peace Association for backing the concert, and said, “I hope you enjoy Togolese and African culture through King Mensah’s songs and dances.”
After drawing the winning names of a lottery of Togolese folk articles, UPF volunteers to Togo opened the program by singing a traditional Togolese song.
Singing a song, Mr. King Mensah appeared on the stage in the midst of applause. Soon after his performance started, all the audience is so excited that they rose and danced to the music. Many children got on the stage and joined in dancing amusingly, and Mr. Mensah sang at the audience. Throughout the concert everyone in the hall became one with joyful heart through the music.
“I could feel the world so closely as never before,” a male student shared after the concert. “As soon as the concert began, all the audience was drawn into the singer’s holy songs and dances. As I remembered Rev. Moon’s message that there are not any borders in God’s eyes, I found the possibility to realize the world peace and one global family through the concert,” one of the audience expressed her revitalized feelings.
The King Mensah Japan Concert Tour, May 16-25, 2014, included six major cities: Togo town, Osaka, Takarazuka, Nagoya, Sendai and Tokyo.
The finale of the concert tour in Tokyo on May 25 was also organized by the Togolese Embassy in Japan and supported by UPF-Japan; the whole tour ended on a great note.