Rich Chinese culture attracts fans in Rwanda

Students demonstrate Chinese martial arts at the University of Rwanda on November 10, 2021.Photo: Xinhua News Agency

People enjoy a Chinese martial arts performance at the University of Rwanda on November 10, 2021.Photo: Xinhua News Agency

A crowd, mostly made up of young people, braved the scorching sun in Rwanda’s capital Kigali on Friday to visit an exhibition of Chinese culture on display at the University of Rwanda, where they learned about Chinese literature, calligraphy, dance music and traditional Chinese culture. It showcased items ranging from traditional costumes, dishes, and Chinese kang. debt.

The afternoon kicked off with a frenzied display of kung fu and martial arts, which quickly delighted the crowd with a cultural exhibition.

Attendees at a show hosted by the Confucius Institute at the Lemera Campus of the Faculty of Education, University of Rwanda, saw some standing and others sitting on the lawn.

A few meters away, crowds gathered around traditional Chinese costumes on display. This is also he one of the exhibition’s most popular attractions.

Visitors included college students, community members, and middle school students from selected schools in the city.

Didasienne Mgwaneza, a food science and technology student at the University of Rwanda Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, said the Chinese costumes were “particularly beautiful,” while Crop Science student Marie Rain Ninawabera said the martial arts impressed her. Told. screen.

“Happy and Excited”

Visitors were able to walk from booth to booth, asking questions of booth managers about Chinese cultural expressions and experiencing them firsthand.

The institute invited selected students taking Chinese lessons to participate in explaining Chinese culture to visitors. Chinese drawings on special paper were a popular attraction at one booth.

As an added bonus, visitors were also able to take home gifts after participating in various challenges.

Participants were provided with several challenging activities such as reading blessings, singing Chinese songs, writing calligraphy, Chinese boxing, paper cutting, Chinese handicrafts, and making tea.

One of the participating students, Desire Rukund Gakuru, told Xinhua News Agency, “It’s an honor to be able to tell my fellow students and the community about Chinese culture.” We are very happy and excited.”

Gakul (26) participated in a paper drawing exhibition.

It was my first time to participate in this kind of exhibition, but it was a lot of fun. A public health student began taking Chinese lessons in 2018, but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

I especially like Chinese tea and art. He hopes that learning Chinese will help him land a translation job, but it could also give him an edge when seeking an education scholarship to China.

Ketia Muhizi, a seventh grade schoolgirl at Green Hills Academy, admitted she didn’t know much about Chinese culture at first. “The exhibition was insightful because we learned a lot about Chinese culture. It’s great! We can understand its influence around the world,” she said. .

close to each other

“Chinese culture is a treasure trove worth exploring and today’s event is a good opportunity for all of us,” China’s Ambassador to Rwanda Wang Xuekun said at the event. “As long as the two peoples have a strong sense of affinity, the future China-Rwanda relationship will definitely develop,” he said.

Wang welcomes Rwanda as an open and dynamic society, ready to explore foreign cultures.

Citing patriotism and unity of diversity, the Ambassador said that the cultures of China and Rwanda are close to each other.

“Patriotism is an important feature of Chinese culture. Chinese people love their country and are proud of their culture. It’s always the top consensus of the Chinese people.At this level, we are the same and we understand you,” he said, adding that each Rwandan he knows has a deep passion for his country and its culture. I added that I have

Zen Guanyu, director of the Confucius Institute of the University of Rwanda, said language and culture sometimes move together.

“We invited the surrounding community to join us so that we could see, touch and feel the experience. For example, junior high school students taking Chinese classes learn Chinese from textbooks. But the exhibition gives them a chance to see the culture,” he said.