ZhangYong,DirectorofTAZARA:AJourneyWithoutanEnd,withsomeoftheMassaipeopleheinterviewedforhisdocumentaryCOURTESYPHOTOOnthescreen,anenthusiasticyoungAfricanlaunchesintoaChinesesonginamunicipalpark,undertheadmiringglancesofafewfellowkaraokefans.
“WelcometoBeijing,whereeveryonehasanextraordinarydream,wherewedaretotrytomakemiracles...,”hesings.
TheperformancewasfilmedforthebigscreenaspartofthedocumentaryAfricansinYiwu.ThesingerisSergeHervea,aCameroonianstudentattheCollegeofCultureandInternationalEducationofZhejiangNormalUniversity,locatedineastChina’sZhejiangProvince.
“Ireallylikesingingandlisteningtomusic.ButsingingChinesesongsisnotjustahobbyforme,it’salsoawaytoshowthatIlivewellinChina,”hesaidtothecamera.
Shotoveratwo-yearperiod,AfricansinYiwuistheworkofChineseandAfricandirectors:ZhangYong,DirectoroftheAfricanTelevisionandFilmResearchCenter(ATFRC)andHodanOsmanAbdi,DeputyDirectorofATFRCcomingfromSomali.
Thedocumentaryconsistsofsixepisodesfeaturing19AfricanslivinginChina,includingHervea.TheytalkabouttheupsanddownsoftheirlifeinChina,andmoregenerallyaboutmulticulturalismthroughtopicssuchaseducation,marriage,business,publicwelfare,foodandart.
Reflectingreality
AbdisetfootinChinaforthefirsttimein2005.Now13yearslater,sheholdsaPh.D.incommunicationsfromZhejiangUniversityandisasilver-awardwinnerofthethirdeditionoftheChineseBridgeChineseLanguageProficiencyCompetitionforForeignCollegeStudents,inadditiontobeingaprofessorattheInstituteofAfricanStudiesofZhejiangNormalUniversityandapresidentialadvisortotheSomaliGovernment.
“MydreamistobecomeaculturalmessengertohelpChinesebetterunderstandAfricaandAfricansbetterunderstandChina,”saidAbdi.
Thedocumentaryservespreciselythispurpose.Abdiandherteamfollowedthe19protagonistsfortwoyearstopresenttheirlivesinthemostrealisticwaypossible.“Throughthesestories,wehopetoinspirepublicreflection,notjustgivepersonalopinions,”explainedAbdi,whohopesthefilmwillallowtheChinesepublictogainamoreobjectiveviewofAfricans.
Thedocumentarywasscreenedatthe2017ZanzibarInternationalFilmFestival,andasanopeningfilmatthe2017LusakaInternationalFilmFestival.ItalsowontheawardforbestonlinedocumentaryfilminChinain2017.
Convincedoftheusefulnessofcinemainexploringandshowcasingthistopic,Zhangdidnotwaitlongtogetbackbehindthecamera.“WetoldthelifestoriesofAfricansinChinainAfricansinYiwu.Thistime,wewantedtotellthestoryofChineselivinginAfrica,”hetoldChinAfrica.
Sameapproach,butdifferentlocation:hisseconddocumentary,TAZARA:AJourneyWithoutanEnd,aimstoobservetheimpactoftheTanzania-ZambiaRailway,aflagshipprojectofSino-Africancooperation.For38days,thefilmcrew-madeupoffilmmakersandresearchersfromAfrica,ChinaandEurope-traveledalongtheiconicrailway.
LaunchedonDecember30,2017attheDaresSalaamTrainStation,thestartingpointoftheTanzania-ZambiaRailway,thedocumentarypresentstestimoniesofmorethan40peoplewhotookpartintheconstructionoftherailway.
“TheconstructionoftheTanzania-ZambiaRailwaywasthefirsttimesomanyChinesesetfootinAfrica.Overall,morethan50,000Chineseengineersandtechniciansweredispatchedtothecontinentatthetime,”saidZhang.
OpentotrafficinJuly1976aftersixyearsofwork,therailwaystartsintheTanzaniancapitalofDaresSalaamandcrossesallofsouthTanzaniauptoKapiriMposhi,adistanceof1,860km.
“ThedocumentaryTAZARA:AJourneyWithoutAnEndaimstoreflecthowtherailwaycontributedtolocaldevelopment,aswellastheproblemsthatonefindsthereinanobjectiveway.Wehopetoputforwardsolutionsratherthanpartialcriticisms,”ZhangtoldChinAfrica.Thedocumentary,whichwascoproducedbyTheTravelChannel,alsoseekstohighlighttheregion’sbeautifullandscapes,withanaimofpromotingtourismdevelopmentalongtherailway.ThefirstthreeepisodeswillbeairedforthefirsttimeontelevisioninearlySeptember,tocoincidewiththeopeningofthe2018BeijingSummitoftheForumonChina-AfricaCooperation(FOCAC).
Bigproject,smallscreen
AttheFOCACJohannesburgSummitinDecember,2015,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingannouncedtolaunch10majorChina-Africacooperationplansforthefollowingthreeyears.
Oneoftheseprojectsdealswithpeople-to-peopleexchanges,statingthatChinawouldbuildfiveculturalcentersforAfrica,facilitateaccesstosatelliteTVin10,000Africanvillagesandprovide30,000scholarshipstoAfricanstudentswishingtostudyinChina.Inaddition,Chinamadeacommitmenttosponsoringvisitsby200Africanscholarsandstudytripsby500youngAfricanstoChinaeveryyear,aswellastraining1,000mediaworkersannually.Inordertoimproveconnectivityandtourismcooperation,theprojectalsoplanstohelpopenmoredirectflightsbetweenChinaandAfrica.Thesepromiseswerenotemptywords.ChinesedigitalTVbroadcastingcompanyStarTimeswasquicktosetinmotiontheprojecttohelp10,000AfricanvillagesaccesstosatelliteTV.Aftermorethantwoyearsofpreparation,theprojectwaslaunchedinanumberofAfricancountriesin2018andisexpectedtobecompletedbytheendoftheyear.
“It’saprojectthatbenefitsAfricanruralresidents.Itwillnotonlyenrichtheirculturallife,butalsodeepensChina-Africaculturalexchanges,”saidStarTimesPresidentPangXinxing.
OnMay13,theprojectwaslaunchedinMozambique,providingsatellitetelevisiontomorethan500villages.Amonthlater,onJune7,theprojectexpandedtoKenya,wheremorethan16,000householdsin800villagesbenefitedfromfreesatellitetelevisionservices.
AccordingtoJoeMucheru,KenyanCabinetSecretaryintheMinistryofInformation,CommunicationsandTechnology,theimplementationoftheprojectactuallyhelpedKenyans,especiallythoseinruralareas,“gainawindowtotheoutsideworld.”
LikeAbdi,ZhangandStarTimes,thousandsofAfricansandChinesecontributetoSino-Africanexchanges.Sincethe18thNationalCongressoftheCommunistPartyofChinain2012,morethan300activitiesandcooperationprojectshavebeenimplementedinthefieldofpeople-to-peopleexchanges.
ZhangYongfilmslandscapealongtheTanzaniaZambiaRailwayCOURTESYPhotoCommentsto: