Beijing Africa Week Strengthens Community Bonds, Jul 20-25
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Africa Week returns Monday to Friday, Jul 20-25, for its third annual event with a packed roster of Africa-focused events, on- and offline, including career development opportunities, film screenings (Joseph and Don't Touch My Hair), storytelling, a workshop on sustainability, and a start-up pitch competition to close the festivities.
Although this year’s event had to be dialed back a little on account of the coronavirus, the organizer Kente & Silk, a Beijing and Ghana-based social enterprise that promotes Africa-China relations, are excited to do their bit in strengthening ties between the world’s second and first largest continents, respectively.
In a press release for the event, the organizers state how this year has been “sobering and significant for Africa-China relations” on account of “racial injustice and xenophobic tensions,” likely referring to reports of forced eviction and displacement of African residents in Guangzhou in April.
Nevertheless, the recent injustices faced by some members of the African community, coupled with the various obstacles raised by the coronavirus pandemic, have only made Kente & Silk’s founders more determined to push ahead with this year’s event.advertisement
Co-founder and business development manager Miatta Momoh describes how, “Our team has been separated by borders and time zones but more motivated than ever to use our platform to increase African agency, share African culture, and build more meaningful ‘people to people’ connections during this low point.”
Kente & Silk co-founder Miatta Momoh
As such, this year’s Africa Week is looking backward, to a time when relations between China and Africa were better so as to learn and build from that positivity. That concept is neatly encapsulated in this year’s theme, the single word “Sankofa,” – originating from the Ghanaian Twi language – which means “go back and get.”
“Importantly, we wanted to challenge the stereotypical narratives of Africans in China and showcase the creativity, industriousness, and value-add of Africans in China,” states Zahra Baitie, co-founder and CEO of Kente & Silk.
Those stereotypes can often be broken just by showing up and challenging our preconceived ideas. In a time increasingly defined by fear of the “other” and the need to find stability in a world of uncertainty, getting out and learning about our neighbors, as well as interacting with our larger communities, is something we all stand to benefit from. As Momoh puts it, “Africa Week is a community platform that aims to engage, educate, and encourage at a critical time where we are all seeking solutions to grieve and rebuild.”
To browse the full events schedule and book tickets, visit Kente & Silk’s official website by clicking "Read more" at the bottom of this post.READ: “That’s Not a Youtiao! It’s a Churro!” Culinary Similarities That Connect Us All
Images: Kente & Silk (Facebook)
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