By Abdel Monem Fawzi
Sino-African relations are a vibrant, two-way dynamic in which both sides adjust to policy initiatives and popular perceptions emanating from the other.
The general principles and objectives of China’s African policy towards Africa are: sincerity, friendship and equality, mutual benefit, reciprocity and common prosperity; mutual support and close coordination, learning from each other and seeking common development.
So, despite the repercussions of the corona virus, co-operation and activities continue between China and African.
The 2021 China-Africa Video and Photo Competition was launched in Beijing. Themed ‘Friendship in Focus, Together for Future’, the competition aims to provide a platform for Chinese and African people to communicate through videos and photos.
The competition is co-sponsored by the Secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and China International Publishing Group (CIPG) and co-hosted by Beijing Review,
Yangshipin, CGTN French, and TRASSION’s HippoAD and Vskit, in partnership with Seneweb in Senegal and South African Independent Media Group.
“In the history of traditional friendship between China and Africa, stories of mutual understanding can always touch people’s hearts regardless of time and distance,” Lu Cairong, Vice President of CIPG, said in his speech at the ceremony.
Lu said he hopes that the competition would see extensive participation and unveil moving stories about China-Africa friendship and collaboration from various perspectives. He stressed the value of creativity and originality in video and photo works and that of a down-to-earth manner in telling appealing stories.
“I hope that more people from Africa and China will participate in this competition to capture the vivid images of ChinaAfrica practical co-operation and friendly exchanges,” he said.
In his speech, Martin Mpana, Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Cameroon to China, recognised the inestimable value of photos and videos as a powerful means of communication and in preserving sound and verifiable information for the public, and expressed his support for the competition considering its role in reflecting the joint efforts of Chinese and African governments.
He also encouraged the launch of similar initiatives in Africa to create the conditions for an environment conducive to the development of the image industry and promotion of artistic creation.
“This is one of the ways in which we will be able to show the true face of China-Africa relations, which bears the
encouraging mark of an ambitious, fruitful and win-win partnership,” he said.
Wu Peng, Secretary General of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of FOCAC and Director General of the Department of African Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, said in his speech that the competition will enhance understanding on the friendship and win-win co-operation between China and Africa, as well as on the vision of a
China-Africa community with a shared future, by allowing individuals in China and Africa to share their own stories.
Wu applauded China-Africa solidarity in fighting the pandemic, adding that cooperation between China and Africa has kept progressing despite the pandemic.
Citing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s comment on the key role of youth in China-Africa relations, he called on
Chinese and African youth to carry forward the great cause of China-Africa friendship.
Li Yafang, President of Beijing Review, a media outlet under CIPG and one of the organisers of the competition, said in her speech that the media agency’s intensive participation in promoting China-Africa ties has led to the understanding that media-led exchange activities are crucial for enhancing people-to-people bonds between China and Africa. The organisation is the publisher of the ChinAfrica monthly magazine dedicated to African
readers, and held the first and second editions of the competition. Li said that holding the competition has
allowed the agency to be connected to more individuals interested in promoting China-Africa friendship. She pledged that the agency will continue to help strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Africa, deepen media cooperation and consolidate the traditional China-Africa friendship.
Piet Rampedi, editor of Pretoria News of Independent Media Group in South Africa, said in his speech that the competition is important in that it helps counter Western media propaganda that doesn’t reflect the truth about China and ChinaAfrica relations. He added that China and Africa have been enjoying solidarity, which has been further enhanced by their joint fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Highlighting the role of the media in combating the pandemic, he called for strengthened solidarity across the international community to fight the pandemic.
Danial Oloo, a Kenyan student at Communication University of China, spoke at the ceremony on behalf of contestants of the competition. An active participant of the previous short video competitions held by BEIJING REVIEW, he shared his views on the role of such a competition in promoting understanding
between Chinese and African people.
“Undoubtedly, there is still a lack of proper understanding about China in foreign countries, and the short video competitions offer Chinese and African people a valuable platform to tell their stories directly,” he said. Li Jianguo, Associate Editor in Chief of Beijing Review, hosted the ceremony and explained the details of the competition. He said that the competition aims to enhance China-Africa friendship by letting Chinese and African people tell their stories themselves, and learn more about each other through first-hand accounts of China-Africa friendship.
The works should reflect real people and events and convey positive energy. http://www.chinafrica.cn/2021_CHINA_ AFRICA_VIDEO_AND_PHOTO_ COMPETITION/ You can submit the relevant works till July 20, 2021.
The good news is for the first time, African leaders, peoples and governments agree generally, portray Chinese engagement as positive. Many have praised Chinese contributions to their nations’ infrastructure, pointing out very visible improvements that contribute to expanded economic activity, create jobs for local workers, and, in many cases, result in tangible improvements to roads, rails, bridges, and other transportation networks that
benefit ordinary citizens engaged in their daily activities. Others draw attention to Chinese aid projects to highlight the ways in which their governments, thanks to Chinese co-operation, have enhanced basic services and quality of life.
