Nelson Mandela

On the evening of July 18, Nelson Mandela International Day celebrations were held at The Bookworm, a popular bookstore in Beijing. Last November, the UN General Assembly declared the date to recognize the former South African president's contributions to global peace and freedom (it's also his birthday). It was a night of cello and guitar performances, a movie screening and poetry recitations dedicated to Mandela's life and work.

The non-profit organization Young African Professionals and Students (YAPS) hosted the celebration with the support of the United Nations Development Program in China. More than 100 guests from different countries sharing Mandela's ideals also joined.

Participants received T-shirts with "For Freedom, Justice and Democracy" printed on the back. This quote, according to Coana Sebastiao, the T-shirt designer and one of YAPS's executive directors, signifies the power each individual has to change the world around them. Sebastiao is a Mozambican artist currently studying at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts.

A China-Africa bridge

Founded in 2009 by five young Africans, YAPS provides a platform for networking and information sharing, positioning young Africans in China as active participants in the development of African-Chinese relations.

"It was not founded from a single idea, but from an augmentation of five people's [visions] and passion to actively contribute to the development of China and Africa," said South African Tebogo Lefifi, YAPS Chairwoman, who is a China-Africa enthusiast with over 13 years of professional work and entrepreneurial experience. The expansion of Africa-China cooperation has brought many young African professionals and students to the Middle Kingdom, said Lefifi.

"Now we are Africa's cultural and social ambassadors in China. [When] we come back, we will be Chinese ambassadors in Africa. We are the bridges," said Tekeste Negga, YAPS Deputy Chairman, who is an Ethiopian student at Tsinghua University. He is also the president of the Ethiopian Students Association of China.

Zhang Yipeng, only Chinese staff member of YAPS, handles coordination efforts. After graduating from the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, she now runs her own business consulting company in Beijing.

This group of enterprising China-Africa enthusiasts also includes Vimbayi Kajese, a news anchor for CCTV International, Norbert Haguma, a Rwandan-born entrepreneur and owner of AfrOrient International, Chidiogo Akunyili, who works in the field of Sino-African investment, and Sheila Mutavu, who works with the Rwandan Embassy, among others.