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Ambassador Dolana Msimang attends “South Africans in China” launch
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Ambassador Dolana Msimang Attends the Launch Ceremony in Beijing of the Documentary Series “South Africans in China”
On 24 June 2015, CRIenglish.com, the official English website of China Radio International held a media showcase to release the documentary series “South Africans in China”. The filming of the documentary commenced in 2014 during the Year of South Africa in China and is being broadcast in June 2015 during the Year of China in South Africa. The Years are a celebration of the long-lasting and warm friendship between the two countries.
The South African Ambassador to China, Ms Dolana Msimang, was the Guest of Honour and delivered an address together with Mr XIA Jixuan, Vice President of China Radio International andMr LIU Guijin, former Chinese Ambassador to South Africa. The event was also attended by officials from China’s State Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film and Television.
Ambassador Msimang expressed sincere gratitude to China
Radio International for honouring the relationship between South Africa and China by producing a cultural work in the form of a documentary focusing on the
lives of South Africans living in China. The initiative gives recognition to
the growing contact between the two peoples. China is 11
200 kilometres away from South Africa; and yet the closeness of the relations
between two countries is not in any way affected by the distance on the ground.
Ambassador Msimang also said that the initiative by the CRI in producing this documentary is important in that it takes the experience of South Africans living in China to a broader audience here in China and also back in South Africa. The Chinese viewer will be afforded an opportunity to appreciate how China is experienced by a foreigner while South Africans will be given an opportunity to see China through the eyes of their fellow countrymen; thereby contributing towards stimulating more interest in the two peoples to learn about each other’s country, the culture and the people.
There has over the years been a continuous effort at government level to narrow the distance between our two nations. People-to-people exchanges have played a critical role in helping to build understanding and trust between South Africa and China.
Ambassador Msimang concluded by saying: “We wish China
Radio International all the success with this noble initiative and we all look forward to the feedback that will come from your viewers both in South Africa and China.”
South Africans in this documentary are from various fields, such as business, education, art, sports and communication. Byron Jacobs, lives in Beijing mastering Chinese Wushu; Andile Munyai is a MBA student and future businessman; Pamela Murray is introducing Chinese shadow puppetry to the world; Tebogo Lefifi is the Brand South Africa Manager in China; Mark O’Connell runs a golf course in Shenzhen; Candice Botha is a teacher and performer; DJ
Verse@Ille plays to the South African rhythm; Grant Horsfield in Shanghai is the founder of the green tourism project “Naked Stables”; Busisiwe Thage is a diplomat’s wife promoting culture and education; Ian Hamlinton is an architect in Yangshuo transforming rural cottages; Calvin van Zyl owns a bar and shares his passion for South African wine; Winston Sterzel focuses on video blogging on the streets of Shenzhen to show people what China is really like. These 12 stories reflect the lives of South Africans in China and the closeness between the two peoples.
“South Africans in China” was filmed and produced by the video team of CRIenglish.com. It will be broadcasted on ETV, South Africa’s largest commercial television station and also on many Chinese video websites. The documentary will be shown on BTV as from 11 July 2015.
