Learning from Africa: Resilience and Co-existence of Humans and Ecology-MOTTAINAI-
1. Society/social and history
2. Regional studies
3. Physics, biology, ecology and environment
4. Management and marketing
5. Politics (movements and empowerment)
6. Economics (behavioral change)
7. Public Health/ Infectious Diseases (Life/wellbeing)
Nearly half a century has gone by since alarms were first sounded of the planet's "limits" and the need for environmentally sustainable economic activity. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now required to balance health/lives and economic activity. In this global backdrop of risks, SFC students are experiencing a student life which they could not have previously imagined.
After 2 semesters (1 year) of online classes and seminars, the excitement of online courses is wearing off. As we learn more about the virus and learn how to adapt our lifestyles and culture, there will be a push to go back to campus.
Seminar members take part in seminar-wide research activities in addition to having their own individual research project. When the 20 something individual research themes of the Africa and SDPE (GIGA) labs were analyzed, there was a common theme; MOTTAINAI.
Although MOTTAINAI is a Japanese concept, Wangari Maathai learned about it and helped promote it globally. However, the MOTTAINAI movement did not grow as much as the MDGs and SDGs movement did. This year we will look at the MOTTAINAI media literature, try to identify the limitations of the previous MOTTAINAI and see if there is any possibility in recreating the concept to be more empathetic and compassionate. In order to understand the mechanics behind creating empathy and compassion, we'll have open-air screenings and discussions through SNS. These experiences will in the end, strengthen individual research projects.