Sendai, Japan—A concert, featuring King Mensah, a popular singer from Togo in West Africa, known as the “Golden Voice of Togo,” was held in Sendai on April 23, 2016. It was a part of the month-long “Togo Cultural Festival 2016,” which was organized by the Embassy of Togo in Japan. The concert was co-hosted by the Togolese Embassy, UPF-Japan and the Tohoku Ambassadors for Peace Association.
The concert, which was attended by 400 people, began with a singing of the national anthems of Togo and Japan and with special remarks given by Mr. Bodjona Alewabia Delali Akelesso, charge d'affaires of the Togolese Embassy in Japan, who said, “I could return to Sendai based on the good relationship between the Embassy and UPF-Japan.” He presented a trophy of appreciation to Mr. Yong Seop An, co-chair of the Tohoku Ambassadors for Peace Association, recognizing UPF’s contribution to Togo and peace.
Congratulatory remarks were given by a parliamentarian, and were followed by welcoming remarks, which were given by Mr. An. “UPF [has] sent Japanese volunteers to many places in the world, including Togo,” Mr. An said, and encouraged the participants to have a fantastic time enjoying the music.
When the concert began, the audience was so excited; many of the young people danced and joined Mr. Mensah and the other performers on the stage.
Mr. Mensah took a curtain call and sang two more songs, one of which was a “Song for Kumamoto,” which he wrote and composed immediately after and in the weeks following the catastrophic earthquakes that hit Kumamoto prefecture on April 14, 2016. Several days before the earthquakes, on April 10, he had a concert in Kumamoto city. When the earthquake occurred right after his visit, he was in great shock. Sendai was one of the major cities in Japan that was devastated by the “Great East Japan Earthquake” on March 11, 2011.
The “Togo Cultural Festival” was held in 14 cities in Japan from March 31 to April 30. UPF-Japan was a partner to the festivals that were held in the cities of Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Sendai.