Japan’s ÜSA brings dance fever to Uganda
Japanese star dancer and World Food Programme (WFP) celebrity supporter ÜSA wowed audiences in remote northern Uganda, during a visit to support life-changing development projects
A group of pupils broke out in a loud chorus as ÜSA and his entourage arrived at Namalu Mixed Primary School in the Karamoja region of northeastern Uganda. “Welcome, welcome our visitors, welcome,” they chanted.
Their salute was among many for the dancer and World Food Programme (WFP) celebrity supporter on a six-day tour of North Uganda. ÜSA’s visit to WFP-supported schools, nutrition centres and farmer cooperatives — many funded by the Government of Japan — in Karamoja and West Nile regions.
A life-changing message
“I came to see Uganda and how WFP supports initiatives that change people’s lives, in partnership with Japan and other donors,” said ÜSA, whose real name is Yoshihiro Usami.
“He hopes to carry that message back home as Japan prepares to host a major conference on African development in August,” added WFP Japan Communications Officer Kiyori Ueno, referring to the seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7).
The visit also reflected the dancer’s broader effort to bridge cultures through dance — and to spread WFP’s Zero Hunger mission. Over the years, he has travelled widely to share and explore dance cultures, including dancing with Kenya’s Masai ethnic group and Native Americans in the United States.
“I found Karamoja to be very beautiful and I was touched that so many girls, boys, women and men welcomed me,” he said. “But I was heartbroken seeing women and children affected by malnutrition.”
Promising trend in Karamoja
In Karamoja, ÜSA saw first-hand daunting development challenges. The region remains Uganda’s least developed, with six out of ten people living in extreme poverty. Rates of child malnutrition and maternal mortality are the highest in the country. Still, some indicators are improving, thanks to concerted efforts by the Ugandan government and humanitarian partners.
In the semi-arid flatlands bordering Kenya, WFP supports mother-and-child nutrition initiatives and capacity building for smallholder farmers. A number of projects were funded by Japan, one of WFP’s top donors. WFP also provides nourishing lunches for children in over 300 schools in Karamoja, including Namalu.
Dancing to Delicious
At the school, ÜSA served the children’s mid-morning porridge before filling his own cup. He sat with boys on the damp, bare concrete floor and happily ate what they ate. The school was founded in 1954, but lacks funds to build a dining hall for its 1,000-plus pupils.
Everywhere he went, children clung to him. “Tell us about Japan,” a girl asked. “What is the weather like now?”
Through an interpreter, ÜSA softly answered: “It is raining now in Japan.”
The rains have also come to Karamoja, but they are very late. As a result, experts fear that hunger will only deepen the months to come, making WFP food assistance all the more important.
Children let out a loud cheer when they heard ÜSA would be dancing with them. As he demonstrated oishii, illustrating zero hunger, they picked it up quickly. Oishii is Japanese for “delicious.”
A slot with small-scale farmers
ÜSA’s next stop was Namalu warehouse, built by WFP to improve farmers’ access to quality grain markets. WFP also buys their produce to supply schools.
“We Karimojong like to welcome visitors,” said Rachael Akol among several dozen farmers on hand to greet the dancer. “We were told a friend of WFP’s was coming, so we came to receive him.”
ÜSA stayed with the farmers until sunset. They told him about how Karamoja’s erratic rainfall is crippling their productivity and how they struggle to move their grain from their farms to the warehouse.
The last dance
On his last day, Karimojong had learned ÜSA’s name. They wrapped him in their native cloth and fitted clanging accessories akin to bells to his legs. When he danced, he jumped high in the air — the Karimojong way.
“ÜSA, ÜSA, don’t leave us too quickly,” the women sang in the local language.
ÜSA used his remaining time to make more friends among the children.
“I saw how children looked forward to receiving their meals and I am very impressed that WFP’s school meals help to keep them in class,” he said. “That helps children to dream of becoming whatever they want to be in future.”
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