This past April 20, senior Chinese official Li Changchun cut the ribbon at the opening of Exhibition of China in African Painters' Eyes in Nairobi, Kenya. Li is a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee's Political Bureau. His ribbon cutting kicked off Chinese Culture in Focus 2011 in the Kenyan capital.

William Ntimama, the country's Minister of State for National Heritage and Culture, and Cai Wu, China's Minister of Culture, also attended the opening ceremony.  

This year's Chinese Culture in Focus features nearly 130 exchange programs, which include performances, exhibitions, lectures, seminars, training programs, film screenings and television broadcasts running in 29 countries across the African continent. The events are jointly organized by Chinese government agencies, including the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Commerce, cultural departments and bureaus at the provincial and municipal levels, as well as Chinese embassies in African countries.

Program highlights include the broadcasting of the popular Chinese TV series A Beautiful Daughter-in-Law Era in Kiswahili, and a Sino-Kenyan joint archaeological project. By the end of April, around 50 activities had already been held, warmly received by locals.

At the Fourth Ministerial Conference of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Egypt two years ago in 2009, the Sharm el-Sheikh Action Plan (2010-12) proposed Culture in Focus events should be held alternately in Africa and China year by year. That same year, the first Chinese Culture in Focus ran in Africa, and this year's events mark its second iteration.

China and African countries are becoming increasingly tied together. The annual Culture in Focus events aim to expand Africans' understanding of Chinese culture, consolidate and develop relations between China and the continent, increase the depth and width of exchanges and cooperation, and further strengthen Sino-African strategic partnerships.

Chinese Culture in Focus 2011, July Events Schedule

> Time: July 9 – 29, 2011

> Country: South Africa

> Event: Oil Painting Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary College Students

> Sponsors: China's Ministry of Culture, Chinese Embassy in South Africa, South African National Association for the Visual Arts

> Organizer: University of South Africa Art Gallery 

> Time: July

> Country: Ethiopia

> Event: Experience Chinese Culture – Ethiopian diplomats and officials of 19 government agencies experience China

> Sponsor: Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia

> Organizers: Cultural Affairs Office of Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa Confucius Institute

> Time: mid-July

> Country: Cameroon

> Event: Performances by the Shenzhen Arts Troupe, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Cameroonian diplomatic ties

> Sponsors: China's Ministry of Culture, Chinese Embassy in Cameroon

> Organizer: Culture, Sports and Tourism Administration of Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province

> Time: mid-July

> Country: Sierra Leone

> Event: Shenzhen Arts Troupe performances celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Sierra Leonean diplomatic ties

> Sponsors: China's Ministry of Culture, Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone

> Organizer: Culture, Sports and Tourism Administration of Shenzhen City

> Time: July – August

> Country: Chad

> Event: Performances by the Shenzhen Arts Troupe

> Sponsors: China's Ministry of Culture, Chinese Embassy in Chad

> Organizer: Culture, Sports and Tourism Administration of Shenzhen City

> Time: July

> Country: Mauritius

> Event: Training program on repairing herbarium at the Natural History Museum in Mauritius

> Sponsors: Fujian Provincial Department of Culture, China Cultural Center in Mauritius

> Organizer: Fujian Museum