On 26th September night, Chinese and Tanzanian artists graced the stage in Dar es Salaam for an exciting Mid-Autumn Festival gala to foster friendship between the two nations through music, dance and traditional arts.

It gathered Chinese and Tanzanian guests, performers and Chinese community members for a cultural trip to experience the unique arts of southwest China’s Guizhou Province.

Chinese and Tanzanian artists performed the Miao ethnic dance, a cappella (Dong ethnic group), Tanzanian traditional dance and traditional Chinese songs.

“The festival,” said Dar es Salaam Regional Administrative Secretary Abdul Mhinte, “is a chance to promote Chinese culture, as well as the increasing friendship and cooperation between Tanzania and China.”

During the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, cultural exchanges offered new chances to strengthen relations between China and Tanzania, said China’s Ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian.

China is ready to have joint cooperation and exchange in culture and arts, tourism and other areas with the Tanzanian government in order to further strengthen the cooperation and interaction, Chen said.

The gala was jointly held by the China Cultural Centre in Tanzania and the Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Tanzania. It was also the first time the East Africa Art Centre was opened in Dar es Salaam.