Tiffany Thomas will have the opportunity to represent Jamaica at the regional Japanese Speech Contest scheduled for Trinidad and Tobago later this year after the 23-year-old The University of the West Indies (UWI) student won the Level Two category of the event which took place recently at the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre on the grounds of the The UWI, Mona Campus.

“I really wasn’t expecting this outcome, but I’m really happy. I still can’t process everything. I’m really happy with how everyone performed. I wasn’t expecting so many amazing performances. Everyone did their best, and I’m actually really surprised that I came out on top,” Thomas told the Jamaica Observer.

Currently minoring in Japanese, she has been studying the foreign language since 2020. Thomas presented in the Level 2 category that focused on the topics of the environment, tourism and energy. For her, the win was a redemption of sorts as she had missed the competition in 2023.

“Last year I was due to participate in the contest, but I didn’t get around to doing it due to different things outside my control, so I decided to try this year,” she said.

Tiffany Thomas, winner (level 2) of the Japanese Speech Competition, shares a bit of lens time with Yasuhiro Atsumi, ambassador of Japan to Jamaica.Rory Daley

In Level 1, which covered the topic of My Favourite Things, 20-year-old The UWI student Satnereen Ducran placed first.

“I feel really happy because I was very nervous, but I’m happy with the outcome,” Ducran said. She would show even more mastery of the language by performing the song
Akuma no Ko.

The Master Level awardee was Rennique Thomas, a former The UWI student himself. He had spent four years living in Japan. However, he didn’t feel this gave him an advantage given the quality of the other 13 entrants.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to win because the competition was very stiff. When I heard the other speeches in the rehearsals I was quite worried, because I thought, wow, these guys are good. And even the Level Twos and Level Ones were really tremendous, so I don’t think it was a win that was given,” he said.

The increase in competition was attributed to the fact that the Japanese Speech Contest was open to the public this year, rather than just students. This saw a record 14 participants, double the number in 2023. The event, which is a collaborative effort between the Embassy of Japan and the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, at The UWI, celebrated even more success as 2024 has been designated Japan-Caricom Friendship Year marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

“This was an excellent competition. Much better than last year. I hopes that everyone continues learning Japanese, as I eventually want them to visit Japan and experience Japanese culture to strengthen bridge between Japan, Jamaica, and Caricom in general,” said Yasuhiro Atsumi, ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, addressing the audience.