WINDHOEK, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Laughter and friendly competition filled the air here on Tuesday, as Chinese and Namibians came together over games, music and dance at the China-Namibia Culture Fair in Windhoek, the Namibian capital.
Hosted by the Chinese Embassy with support from Namibia's Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture (MEIYSAC), the event roared to life as a cornerstone celebration for the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
What began for some attendees as a casual visit quickly turned into a dive into cross-cultural connection.
"When I came, I was not excited," Christian Angula told Xinhua in an interview. "But now I am finding it very intriguing, and I am really into it. The games look very simple, but they are surprisingly challenging when you actually start playing them."
That challenge showed itself as soon as he tried cuju, an ancient Chinese ball game, aiming his kicks at a small goal opening. Several attempts went wide before a successful shot drew cheers from onlookers.
Visitors also lined up for touhu, tossing arrows toward narrow-necked vessels, each miss met with groans and each successful throw with cheers.
A few steps away, Chinese participants showed Namibian visitors how to play jianzi, keeping a feathered shuttlecock in the air with quick touches of the foot.
Standing in a circle, the players tried to pass it from one to another, laughing as they scrambled to keep it from hitting the ground.
Fan painting, opera mask painting, a race to pick up ping-pong balls with chopsticks and lantern riddles rounded out the activities. Participants collected stamps in their activity "passports" as they went, redeeming them for prizes.
Onstage, the delicate notes of "Blue and White Porcelain" gave way to the brisk rhythms of "Dance of the Golden Snake" as Peng Jianqi from a visiting Jiangxi arts delegation played the pipa, a Chinese plucked string instrument.
The delegation also brought Yihuang opera to the stage with "Red Peach Mountain," adding another expression of Chinese tradition to the afternoon's cultural exchange.
These performances shared the stage with the rhythms and footwork of Kavango, Ovahimba, Namastap and Oshiwambo dances, while school choirs added their voices to the celebration. With dragon and lion dances and students' martial arts displays woven into the program, Chinese and Namibian traditions took turns setting the afternoon's tempo.
For university students, the fair offered a chance to practice their language skills outside the classroom.
"It's exciting, wonderful, and amazing," said Elizabeth, a student from the University of Namibia.
Her fellow student Constancia said their lecturer had encouraged them to attend, although they were not enrolled in the Confucius Institute.
"It's really nice interacting with the Chinese people, and we get to practice what we've learned directly with them," she said.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of MEIYSAC, Executive Director Erastus Mbumba Haitengela highlighted the role of cultural exchange in education and social cohesion.
"The event provides a wonderful illustration of the power of cultural exchange. We have the privilege of experiencing performances by Chinese opera artists and traditional musicians alongside Namibian performers, schools and institutions of higher learning," he said in the keynote address.
Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Zhao Weiping said the fair reflected efforts to deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
"We believe cultural exchanges can help people from different countries and communities understand one another. Through such exchanges, people of different cultural backgrounds come to know, respect, appreciate and learn from each other," he said.
To support MEIYSAC's planned Namibian Authors and Writers Award Initiative, aimed at promoting a culture of reading, writing, research and creativity in Namibia, the Chinese Embassy will make an initial donation toward the establishment of the award, Zhao announced.
"We will continue to provide support within our capability to this and other projects which will benefit the further development of Namibian cultural sector," he said.
As dusk settled over the courtyard, the arrows, drumbeats and opera melodies gradually gave way to the clatter of plates, as the fair concluded with attendees enjoying a culinary feast, further cementing friendship, cultural and bilateral engagements between the two countries. ■