Nairobi gets a taste of art from Qinghai

An exhibition showcasing the culture and art of ethnic groups in Qinghai province went on display at a Confucius Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday.

The displayed items, covering various forms of art and photography, served to highlight the longstanding friendship between China and Africa.

The exhibition, Experience China－Magnificent Qinghai, was held at the Confucius Institute at Kenyatta University in the Kenyan capital.

At the opening of the exhibition, Elizabeth Nasubo, deputy director of the Department of Culture in Kenya's Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage, hailed an enduring relationship between Kenya and China that dates to the 1950s.

"The cultural cooperation between Kenya and China is growing stronger as seen through this exhibition," Nasubo said. "We are happy to continue on this path because this cultural collaboration is an important stimulus for our youth to adopt positive behavior, thoughts and values.

"We are therefore grateful to China for being ready to work with us to promote our creative industry and we are looking forward to further collaborations."

The exhibition included traditional paintings by celebrated Chinese artist Xia Wujiao as well as photographs of Qinghai's spellbinding landscape and culture. During this leg of the tour, the Qinghai artists visited South Africa and Zambia, as well as Kenya, to promote learning, exchanges and dialogue between Chinese and Africans on cultural themes.

Zhou Meifen, the culture counselor to the Chinese embassy in Kenya, said cultural exchanges have become an indispensable part of strengthening relations between countries.

She said that Qinghai province, much like Kenya, is a place where people co-exist with nature in harmony. Cultural cooperation will make it easier for the people to understand each other through their shared backgrounds, Zhou said.

The touring exhibition provides an opportunity to show how civilizations can engage in dialogue and exchange on an equal footing, in order to facilitate mutual learning. This insight was reiterated by Wang Zhiming, deputy minister in the publicity department of the Qinghai provincial committee.

"In order to make the people of Kenya better understand China and Qinghai, we carefully selected more than 200 pictures and paintings for this exhibition," Wang said. "It is hoped that in this unique way a road from Qinghai to Africa will be constructed through which cultural exchange and mutual learning will be strengthened to promote the common development of the art and cultures of our people."

Otiato Opali in Nairobi, Kenya contributed to this story.