The Grand Prize went to Zimbabwean Michael Mubaiwa for his work Love for Guqin in the video category, and to Huang Shiyong, a doctor working with a medical aid mission to Botswana, for his work Guarding the Hope in the photo group. Other awards included first, second and third prizes, individual awards for highest popularity and best editing, creativity and visual effects, as well as Friendship Award and Best Organization Award.
In a speech, Deng Li, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, said he is glad to see that entries submitted by the contestants contains touching stories in various aspects of China-Africa friendship, ranging from China’s medical aid in Africa and Chinese helping communities in African countries fight the coronavirus pandemic to how young Chinese are attracted by Africa drum and dance performances and how young Africans are exploring the secrets of poverty reduction in China’s rural areas.
“It is stories like these that have driven the development of China-Africa cooperation and make us confident about the prospects of the China-Africa relationship,” he said.
Deng said China-Africa cooperation has continued to grow in recent years despite the pandemic, thanks to the contribution of people in various sectors. He called for continued contribution as the Senegal meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) approaches.
Martin Chedondo, Zimbabwean Ambassador to China, said that the competition is a celebration of friendship and cultural diversity between China and Africa. He regarded pictures and videos as an optimal way to reflect and share cultural experiences and friendship in the pandemic era. He also paid tribute to the Zimbabwean participant for showcasing the unique friendship and charismatic cultural traits of Zimbabwe.
In his speech, Gao Anming, Vice President and Editor in Chief of China International Publishing Group (CIPG) said that the competition is a response to the call for improved people-to-people exchanges included in the Eight Major Initiatives proposed by China at the 2018 Beijing Summit of the FOCAC. He explained how CIPG, as an international media, has contributed in that area and emphasized the importance of joint efforts from both Chinese and African people in promoting China-Africa ties.
El Hadj Hamidou Kassé, Special Advisor to the President on Culture and Arts of Senegal, said in his speech that images are an important media to reflect people’s views on the world and that the competition has contributed to correcting the image of Africa that has been distorted by the Western world through their visual media. He applauded the equality, mutual respect and care for each other between Chinese and African people shown in the entries, and believed this kind of relationship will help build a new culture in the international community based on equality, friendship and unity.
Li Jianguo, Editor in Chief of BEIJING REVIEW, presented an overview of the competition. According to him, the entries were viewed over 40 million times in China and more than 40 African countries, with the help of the media partners including local new media platforms Vskit and Scooper in Africa. He said the competition has seen a further increase in contestant involvement compared to previous editions of the competition.
Speaking on behalf of the winners of the Best Organization Award, David Monyae, Co-Director of University of Johannesburg Confucius Institute, said that his institute reacted proactively to the call for entries and students and teachers worked together to produce 10 video entries. He said that the competition is popular in Africa and hoped that it will continue to serve as a platform for Africans to share information.
Hosam Farouk Elmaghrabi, a language expert at China.org.cn who is a 2017 Chinese Government Friendship Award winner, spoke on behalf of the judges. He talked about two of his favorite entries and admitted that the works of the competition have brought him fresh experience.
“I always heard my friends in China say the word ‘African Brothers,’ but it was not until I saw these wonderful videos and photos that I realized the brotherhood between China and Africa,” he said.
Other attendees included Zhou Ping, Deputy Director General of African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Hua Xin, Deputy Director General of Western Asia and North Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Li Yafang, President of BEIJING REVIEW, Song Jianing, Deputy Director of CGTN of China Media Group, Yu Yougen, Deputy Secretary General of the China Education Association for International Exchange, Gao Dingbo, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Department of CIPG, Mamadou Ndiaye, Senegalese Ambassador to China, Ahcene Boukhelfa, Algerian Ambassador to China, Elia George Kaiyamo, Namibian Ambassador to China, James Kimonyo, Rwandan Ambassador to China, Jean Louis Robinson, Malagasy Ambassador to China, Charles Rwanga, Chargé d'Affaires of the Burundian Embassy in China, Dassidy Djevet, Chargé d'Affaires of the Chadian Embassy in China, John Kwasi Boakye, Chargé d'Affaires of the Ghanaian Embassy in China, Hamidou Kassé, Special Advisor to the President on Culture and Arts of Senegal (Senegalese venue), and Abdoulaye Salam Madior Fall, CEO of Seneweb Group (Senegalese venue).
The competition is co-sponsored by the Secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the FOCAC and CIPG, and co-hosted by BEIJING REVIEW, China Media Group Mobile, CGTN French, and TRASSION’s HippoAD and Vskit, in partnership with Seneweb in Senegal and South African Independent Media Group.