NAIROBI, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese stand proved popular with visitors during the 5th Nairobi International Cultural Festival held on Saturday.
Li Ping, wife of the Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa, told Xinhua that the embassy had prepared adequately for the event where various countries displayed different aspects of their cultural heritage.
"We have been taking part in the festival since its inception and are happy that Kenyans are showing a lot of interest in learning about the Chinese culture," Li remarked
Other countries that participated in the event were Kenya, Chile, Mexico, Somalia, Nigeria, Colombia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sudan.
Among the items on display were handmade table mats, Chinese handicrafts, mask paintings, Chinese calligraphy, books and Chinese cuisine.
Students from the University of Nairobi's Confucius Institute performed a Chinese dance while dressed in flowing blue and white dresses.
"The dance, also called the Peacock Dance, is performed mainly by young people," Lydia Wamaitha, a university student told Xinhua.
Wamaitha, who has been studying Chinese language and culture at the Confucius Institute, said she is happy to have made the right choice by enrolling for the course.
"I am enjoying every moment of my studies. Chinese is a difficult language to master and it might take a local student as many as five years to fully master it. However, I am ready to pursue it for the long haul," she remarked.
Galgalo Rashid Abdi, the Curator of the National Museum of Kenya who organized the event, said it was conceived out of a desire to bring together Kenyans and people from other parts of the world to celebrate cultural diversity.
"An insight into cultural, social, artistic and sportive aspects of different countries not only creates awareness for diversity, but also shows similarities and therefore promoting a better understanding and easier communication, more tolerance and peaceful co- existence," Abdi remarked.
Kenya was represented by Swahili culture, whose language is also a unifying factor in the country and the region. Other exhibitors included Spanish Speaking Women Association, Kikuyu International Dancers and the Japanese Sushi.
