Code Samurai 2024 Celebration with Japanese Ambassador Iwama Kiminori
On June 27, 2024, the Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, his excellency, Mr. Iwama Kiminori, invited the winners of Code Samurai 2024, along with the organizers and Chief Judge, to his residence for a celebratory dinner.
Code Samurai 2024, an inter-university hackathon, was held on May 10–11 at the Department of Computer Science, University of Dhaka (CSE, DU), in collaboration with BJIT, Globalgeeks, and some other Japanese companies.
Attendees from CSE, DU included the chairman, Prof. Dr. Md. Abdur Razzaque, accompanied by Professor Dr. Md. Mamun-Or-Rashid and Md. Fahim Arefin, lecturer of the department. Chief Judge of the contest Mr. Zobayer Hasan was also present.
Senior executives from JICA, JETRO, Marubeni Corporation, and other Japanese companies graced the celebration.
Three winning teams from the University of Dhaka (DU_PROMETHEUS, DU_DILIGENCE, and DU_KKHO) and two teams from SUST (DEFINE_CODERS and HOMO_SAPIENS) were among the invitees.
The evening commenced at 6 p.m. with opening remarks from the Japanese Ambassador.
This was followed by brief expressions from the winning teams, where they expressed how they stood out in the hackathon competition and the overall experience of the hackathon. They also shared their aspirations and thoughts on why they would love the opportunity to have internships and employment in Japan. This experience sharing session was concluded by a congratulatory speech of Prof. Dr. Md. Abdur Razzaque, the Chairman of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Dhaka. He also called for Japanese industries to further extend the collaboration by taking initiatives to start joint research projects, student internships, innovative design projects, industrial visits to Japan by Bangladeshi students and faculty members, etc. in the future.
A toast was raised to commemorate the successful hackathon, followed by a very exquisite dinner full of authentic Japanese cuisine. During the dinner, delegates from the Japanese companies and the ambassador engaged in relaxed conversations with the winners and other invitees.
The dinner concluded with a vote of thanks, following which CSE, DU presented the Ambassador with a Nakshi Kantha, reflecting Bangladesh's rich art and culture, elegantly framed in a minimalist style.
The celebration wrapped up with a photo session and a heartfelt farewell from the Ambassador at his residence gate, providing students with a unique insight into Japanese culture and opportunities and fostering cross-cultural understanding and academic exchange.