A Cultural feast to celebrate Chinese New Year

February  was a significant Month for China Kenya cultural relations. H.E Liu Guangyuan, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, hosted the “2013 spring festival reception” at the Kasarani Gymnasium, Moi  International sports centre to celebrate the Chinese spring festival with the Chinese community in Kenya and Kenyans from all walks of life. The Chinese Embassy in Nairobi presented to the Kenyan public and invited guests an enjoyable cultural show dubbed “Embrace China & Happy Spring Festival”.

Notable guests present included hon. Richard Onyonka, assistant minister for foreign affairs of Kenya, Amb. Ruth Solitei, Permanent secretary of the ministry of tourism of Kenya, Dr. Bitange Ndemo, Permanent secretary of the ministry of Information and Communications of Kenya, and madame Sahle-Work Zewde, Director general of the United Nations Office at Nairobi(UNON). Also in attendance were Kenyan government officials, media Houses, UN Organizations, foreign missions in Kenya. The total number of attendees was nearly 4000.

The show was the first major Chinese cultural show this year and it sought to carry forward and spread the Chinese culture and celebrate the Chinese New Year with overseas Chinese and friends. The Chinese delegation of art and dance troupes performed in Kenya as part of their overseas tour under the theme of “Embrace China & Happy Spring festival”. The group consisted of talented artists, singers, dancers and acrobatics among other performers whose main aim was to vividly demonstrate Chinese traditional essence and promote cultural exchanges between China and other countries. In his speech, Ambassador Liu averred that spring festival serves as an important cultural bond that links Chinese people and people from the rest of the world. He added that spring festival has become a worldwide cultural brand. He said it offers an excellent opportunity to further cement ties between the two countries noting that this year marks the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of China-Kenya diplomatic relations.

Chinese culture is one of the world’s oldest and most complex cultures. Its components include literature, music, visual arts, martial arts, cuisine, etc. The audience was treated to shows including acrobatics with a distinctive Chinese flavor. The highly entertaining Chinese opera was also in the menu. It is also one of the oldest dramatic art forms in the world. It evolved from folk songs, dances, talking, antimasque, and especially a distinctive dialectical music. Accompanied by traditional musical instruments, actors presented unique melodies as well as dialogues which are beautifully written and of high literary value. 

In the modern world, friendship between people and their countries is developing a world culture. It blossoms among people of different countries and continents irrespective of their class, creed and color. Every country has it unique and distinctive culture of its own expressed differently from one culture to the other, but the central idea is concerned with human understanding and progress. Modern states have come to the realization that when these cultures are taught across the globe through classics, paintings, music, dance, drama, and literature, a world culture of friendship is developed. There is much scope for different peoples, irrespective of their geographical position to mingle together and develop a world culture by means of friendship.

In the Report to the 18^th National Congress of the CPC, it was indicated that China will take solid steps to promote public international diplomacy and cultural and people to people exchanges. This is the first time that public diplomacy has been explicitly written into the party’s report. These steps will be a continuation of what China has been doing over the recent past. Cultural ties between China and Africa date back to the Tang Dynasty, but have progressed at a snail's pace, compared to the economic and political relationship over the last two decades.

In recent years, public diplomacy and cooperation in culture and people to people exchanges between China and Africa have been progressing well, strengthening our mutual friendship. This has provided a platform for understanding our cultural differences and contributed to building a strategic relationship of development between China and Africa. Public diplomacy and cultural and people to people exchanges will help Africa to have a better knowledge of China’s history, culture, development path, concepts of governance and its domestic and foreign policies and look at China more objectively and comprehensively. A better understanding of one another’s culture is the backbone of China –Africa ties.

Public diplomacy and cultural and people to people exchanges have become part and parcel of China’s overall foreign policy and are important in improving ties and building lasting friendships with other countries to achieve global harmony.More and more Africans are getting interested in the Chinese culture. Some of them travel to China to visit the places of interest there; some receive education or trainings in schools or universities in China; some learn Chinese language in Confucius Institutes or other institutions back in their own countries. To cement what we achieved in the last decade and keep the momentum going, the Chinese people and their African counterparts need to understand each other well. This will help them tackle effectively the challenges that arise out of the closer links that have been established.