One continent and one country in music and pictures

China Remix, a documentary that spotlights blossoming Sino-African cultural ties, has been screened in Nairobi.

The short film, rich in narrative and imagery, reveals to the world how African immigrants have created a lucrative entertainment industry in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The film's directors, Dorian Carli-Jones and Melissa Lefko-witz, told Nairobi viewers via Skype that the documentary breaks new ground by spot-lighting how African immigrants have easily integrated in their new home.

"We managed to tell the world the incredible things African immigrants are doing in China. The cast is composed of people who are immensely gifted in music and business," says Lefko-witz.

The film will be shown in other parts of the world to demystify the myths surrounding Sino-African cooperation in many fields, she said.

The film features three African immigrants, two Nigerians and a Ugandan, who migrated to China in search of education and economic opportunities.

They have a common aspiration: to succeed in their new home. Flame Ramadan, the Nigerian immigrant and a popular rapper, is able to use hip-hop to win over Chinese audiences in Guangzhou and beyond.

The majority of African immigrants in Guangzhou have lived in the city for a decade and are in no hurry to return home.

Ivan Manivoo, a Ugandan student in Guangzhou, says that his time in the city has opened new horizons. "I have been a student here in Guangzhou for the last three years, and the experience is not only captivating but enriching, too."

(China Daily Africa Weekly 05/08/2015 page26)