Global Times: Inheritance of traditional China-Africa friendship, cultural exchanges among youths bridge mountains and seas

BEIJING, Sept. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time raised the principles of “zhen shi qin cheng” for China’s Africa policy in a speech at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Center in Tanzania, meaning sincerity, real results, amity and good faith.

Many years have passed since that momentous day in the history of China–Africa ties, but the principles endure.

They have not only underpinned China’s engagement with Africa in numerous fruitful cooperation projects, but also helped people get closer and closer through exchanges and deepening friendships.

As part of our special coverage of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the Global Times Life Desk discovered some of these warm stories involving subjects such as cultural exchanges and joint biodiversity conservation that benefit China and Africa’s friendship across mountains and seas.

In the northeastern corner of Beijing sits a red mansion with a statue of a yellow giraffe that stands out quite a bit. This is the African Cultural and Tourism Center.

As one steps through the entrance, the rich aroma of coffee envelops the senses. The source is a nearby coffee bar proudly displaying beans sourced from Ethiopia and Kenya.

The exhibits in the center feature wooden and stone carvings from various nations, ostrich eggs, a dazzling array of jewelry and some artworks made of Tanzanian sapphires and Zambian emeralds. Many of the unique handicrafts on display are the result of the meticulous work of African homemakers, who create these exquisite pieces after their daily chores to supplement their family’s income.

Feng Xinxin, the 42-year-old founder of the center, shares her insights with visitors. “Africans are known for their innate dancing and artistic talents, and while there may be less written documentation about them, their art – be it paintings, wood carvings, or stone sculptures – is abundant and rich in cultural significance.”

“I want people who come here to see, hear, touch, and taste the essence of Africa,” Feng said, expressing her desire to broaden people’s perspectives of the continent.

Since its opening in September 2021, the African Cultural and Tourism Center has become more than just a cultural venue; it’s a hub for emotional exchanges and challenging preconceived notions about Africa. It has also become a tourism promotion center for Uganda.

Feng notes that Chinese visitors to the center often have a similar reaction to her own upon first visiting Africa, acknowledging the limited understanding they have of the continent. In contrast, African visitors, mostly officials and embassy staff, are deeply moved by the center’s efforts to promote their culture.

The mansion, covering hundreds of square meters, has become a bridge across mountains and seas connecting Chinese with African people.

“Let us build a China–Africa ­community with a shared future that enjoys cultural prosperity,” said President Xi Jinping in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2018 ­Beijing Summit of FOCAC, also foreseeing that the bond between the people of China and Africa will be further strengthened with more people-to-people exchanges in culture and art, education and sports, and between China–Africa think tanks, the media, women and young people.

Thanks to the top-level design and driven by joint support from China–Africa policies, more “corridors” like the center have been built by China and Africa.

More than 30 cultural institutions from 10 African countries have joined the Silk Road international alliance in different fields, including theaters, museums, arts festivals and libraries. Diverse events such as the China-Africa Youth Festival, the ­Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation, the China-Africa Young Leaders Forum and the China-Africa People’s Forum have been successfully held.

The two sides have been increasing the number of sister cities. Thirty-four African ­countries and ­territories have gained Approved Destination Status for organized tours of Chinese citizens, and 60 Africa-related cultural, sports and tourism programs have been launched by China, Chinese Foreign ­Minister Wang Yi noted at the Eighth Ministerial Conference of The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2021.

Convergence of ancient civilizations

The fruitful results of China–Africa exchanges have boosted the confidence of African participants in the 2024 Summit of the FOCAC to be held in Beijing from Wednesday to Friday.

David Monyae, director of the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg and one of the participants of the summit, told the Global Times that the theme of the summit, “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future,” is an excellent theme that was developed to go with the times, celebrate friendship and chart the way forward for cooperation.

“This theme is critical for both China and the African continent as well as the Global South,” said Monyae.

Monyae noted that after the summit, relations between Africa and China are sure to deepen as more ordinary people learn about each other’s culture and people become more involved in bilateral businesses ties.

Looking back at history, the confidence in China and Africa’s closer relationship and deeper exchanges is rooted in the convergent parts of ancient civilizations, experts concluded.

The exhibition On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt, the largest of its kind held outside Egypt in the past 20 years, is being held at the Shanghai Museum. Despite the scorching summer heat in the city, there has been a long line of visitors queuing up in front of the museum.

Among the 788 exhibits spanning various periods of ancient Egypt, over 95 percent are on display in Asia for the first time. From statues of pharaohs and anthropoid inner coffins to exquisite gold jewelry, these meticulously curated and beautifully presented artifacts have the power to transport Chinese visitors to the enchanting world of ancient Egypt.

The exhibition is being co-hosted by the Shanghai Museum and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) of Egypt. Egyptian co-curator Raafat Genady spoke of the similarities between the ancient Egyptian and Chinese civilizations, saying that there may have been a lot of communication, exchanges and trading between the two nations starting from a long time ago.

“I think that the two cultures actually have many elements in common and it will be wonderful for the people of China to view Egyptian artifacts as they will resonate with them. It would also be marvelous for the different aesthetics to be shared. There is a Chinese group excavating in Egypt, and I think that there is an increase in interest in ancient Egypt in China,” Egyptologist Salima Ikram from the American University in Cairo told the Global Times.

Ikram, who has recruited Chinese students, said that the stunning shared parts of ancient Chinese and African civilizations should be passed down to influence younger generations, who can work together to create a brighter future for China–Africa relations.

Shared future lies in young people

“The future of China–Africa relations lies in our young people,” said Xi, while addressing the opening ceremony of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the FOCAC.

Speeches at important occasions show that Xi values both the inheritance of the traditional China–Africa friendship and the cultural exchanges between Chinese and African youth.

When addressing the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit, Xi also expressed his confidence that the baton of China–Africa friendship would be passed from one generation to the next and that China and Africa, working together, would build an even more vibrant community with a shared future.

Over the years, many Chinese and African youth have contributed their energy and insights to the creation and preservation of rich cultural exchanges between the two sides.

One of them is Edwin Aira, a PhD student studying public policy in the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. During the summer vacation, he decided to be a volunteer at the African Cultural and Tourism Center as he also has a strong interest in art and is proud to introduce African culture to Chinese tourists.

“I try to showcase Kenyan culture through the Masai warriors by wearing traditional dress. I’m trying to show people how the Masai warriors live, the culture that, if they were to travel to Africa, they would meet because Kenya is one of the countries that still has the tribes that have not embraced modernity,” he said.

Solomon Mofe Aghaye, a 35-year-old student from Nigeria, is studying at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). He told the Global Times that he came to Beijing in December 2022.

“With the scholarships and professional development opportunities provided by China to thousands of African students in Chinese universities as well as the establishment of Confucius Institutes in several countries in Africa, there has been a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and language among African students,” he said.

Meanwhile, these initiatives have not just been one-sided. African cultural studies have been gaining steady attention in several Chinese universities, fostering two-way cultural understanding.

The PhD student has found that cultural exchanges and civilization dialogues in general offer a huge platform for education. Through exchanges, an individual is offered opportunities to experience the culture of others firsthand, thus enabling one’s appreciation for diverse ways of life and ideologies. Not only do such interactions enhance cultural understanding but also help in dismantling stereotypes, thereby allowing young people to see each other as partners instead of just members of distant societies.

China and Africa have always been part of a community with a shared future. The weighty discourse of this community can be reflected in a warm-hearted scene: An African volunteer at the African Cultural and Tourism Center introducing exhibits from his hometown to a Chinese preschool child, who stands there absorbed in the art and listening carefully.

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SOURCE Global Times