Mauritius expects to benefit greatly from the exchanges in theater management with China, from both administrative and technical aspects, according to Veeshal Sookun, Manager of the Mauritius Ministry of Culture's Constantine Theater at the opening ceremony of 2016 Seminar on Theater Management for African Countries held at the Central Academy of Cultural Administration (CACA) in Beijing on November 7.

"Theater involves a whole chain of people, dealing with administration, technical skills, as well as people on stage, each part of the chain plays an essential role to give a good show," he told ChinAfrica, adding that he hopes to improve Mauritius' theater industry by learning from China's high technical standards.

Organized by the CACA, the seminar takes place from November 7-17 in Beijing. Fourteen participants from five African countries are taking part in the seminar, namely Ethiopia, Malawi, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

During the seminar, face-to-face lectures and discussions with scholars, experts and professionals in the field of theater management have been arranged for the participants. The seminar covers both administrative and technical aspects of theater management, and will focus on China's management and development model of cultural theaters.

Apart from lectures, African participants will also be taken on field visits to the National Center for the Performing Arts, the Beijing People's Art Theater, as well as other professional art institutions and cultural heritage sites, such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.

"We hope this seminar will help the participants further understand our achievements and experience in term of theatre management. We hope this kind of exchange and learning activities will also lay a solid foundation for us to enhance our friendship and promote cultural cooperation," said Duan Zhouwu, Deputy Director of CACA.

According to Zhou Meifen, Director of CACA International Cooperation, it is the first time the academy has organized a seminar on theater management aimed at African professionals.

"If successful, we hope to organize similar trainings for the entire African continent," she told ChinAfrica.

In addition to being responsible for training of China's cultural officials and related professionals, the CACA also plays a major role in foreign exchanges. Since 2007, the CACA has received 991 foreign delegates from 103 countries for exchanges and training. Among them, 327 delegates came from 38 African countries.

"We have scored great achievement in term of foreign training, and last year, the Ministry of Culture of China recognized the CACA as an official training base for African officials," Duan told ChinAfrica.