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China hosts seminar for journalists from African countries

Nov 5, 2024, 10:54 AM | Article By: Adama Jallow in China

 Thirty media personnel from ten African nations, including The Gambia are currently undergoing a two-week intensive seminar in China through a programme designed specifically for Omni-media Journalists from English-Speaking African countries.

The seminar began on Thursday 31 October 2024, and is being organised by the Zhejiang Normal University which was sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), People’s Republic of China.

The forum was held at the Zhejiang Normal University (ZJUN), in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province and will end on Wednesday, 13 November 2024.

The forum is aimed at cementing exchanges with African journalists to enhance the understanding of Chinese and African media comrades in language and culture.

Other objectives include empowering the African media personnel with vibrant skills for piloting the ever-evolving media landscape with a focus on embracing a multi-faceted approach to journalism to realise maximum impacts and reach the widest audience.

The seminar began with lectures on Thursday 31 October 2024 on media and social change in contemporary China with orientation and team building for the training programme.

They were also lectured on the management and operations in the media industry and paid a field visit to the new energy companies in the context of new media at the Zhejiang Leap motor technology Com, Ltd.

Other activities included cultural experience at the Zhejiang Museum, lecture on communication effects and talent development in the Era of Fragmented Media, field visit to the new technologies supporting new media-Rokid Hangzhou R&D Center (VR Glasses).

Further, during this week, they will also be lectured on the social governance theories in Traditional Chinese Culture, which will include communication strategies and implementation paths for telling urban stories and on the current status development strategies of China’s film and television industry after Reform and Opening-Up.

Moreover, the journalists will also go through lectures on Chinese television and cultural communication, cultural experience on “Wufeng Festival” special performance of Wu Opera to the China Wu Opera Theater likewise on-site instruction of the 2024 Jinhua City China-Africa Economic and Trade and Cultural forum.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Professor Zhang Genfu, the Vice President of the University Affairs Committee of Zhejian Normal University, revealed that the Ten Partnership Actions announced by President Xi Jinping at the recent Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) have elevated Africa-China relations to new heights.

He said China has always been a country of action and has always done what it says. He says “we believe that in the foreseeable future, China-Africa relations will deepen cooperation in economy, trade, culture and other fields will be closer.”

“I sincerely hope that through this seminar, we can strengthen exchanges with you, enhance the understanding of Chinese and African media friends in the language and culture, strengthen news exchanges and cultural exchanges, jointly promote the high-quality development of media undertakings of the two sides, and inject new connotation into China-Africa friendship and write a new chapter.

Cheng Yan, the Director General of Foreign Affairs Office of Jinhua Municipal City, said that this year, numerous foreign journalists have visited Jinhua and had the opportunity to explore the local markets, industries, countryside, cultural sites, and conduct comprehensive reporting on the city.

Brazil's flagship Media Group and the "Review" press crew filmed the "Watch China Together" programme in Jinhua.

These related reports were then featured as a series of special topics in Brazil, commemorating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil.

Furthermore, other nations in the Omni-media Journalists forum included Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Benin and Nigeria.