NAIROBI, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- In their hundreds, Kenyan youth drawn from primary, secondary and higher institutions of learning turned up at the University of Nairobi's Confucius Institute (CIUON) on Thursday to celebrate the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges during an event characterized by joy and reunion.
During the event held under the theme of "Galloping Steed Strides into the Chinese Year of the Horse," the students immersed themselves in Chinese culture, including dance, costumes, martial arts and calligraphy.
Dressed in a blue Kung Fu costume, Majimbo Namayi, a quantity survey major, and currently pursuing a basic Mandarin coursed at the University of Nairobi, put into practice his recently acquired martial arts skills when he visited China.
"It is nice experiencing Chinese culture while in Kenya right now. I belong to the Dragon and Kung Fu clubs. When I was in China in December last year, I was taught Chinese arts, painting and Kung Fu," said Namayi.
Now that I am in Kenya, I have a better understanding and I enjoy Chinese culture because I already experienced it there," he added.
Namayi's young peers swiftly moved their bodies while dancing to the tunes of Beautiful China, A Man Should Better Himself, One China One Family, Nanping Evening Bell...
Godish Kimberly, a computer science major who is also a member of Chinese dance club at the University of Nairobi, enjoyed dancing to different tunes as she beautifully moved in circles while donning a long-sleeved dress.
"When dancing, I have to put myself in the specific Chinese community where I perform as if I am one of them and bring out the best from it because Chinese love perfection," said Kimberly.
While Kenyan dances mostly focus on the energy, Chinese dances are more of the elegance and the flairs," she added.
Whether it is the music, dance, Kung Fu or dragon clubs, the students who have interest go through auditions and those who qualify join respective clubs where their teachers train them twice a week.
When an event like the Spring Festival is approaching, the training intensifies in the last two months before the big day.
Cicion Ayoo, a humanities major who is also pursuing a basic Mandarin course at the University of Nairobi, said the practices are rewarding.
"I mostly love Chinese pop music and today I danced to a Chinese traditional song which is talking about love for China. Initially I was attending the practice lessons for fun but I have ended up doing it for two consecutive years now," said Ayoo.
Anthony Kahuro, a Chinese language teacher at the University of Nairobi, marveled as the Spring Festival celebrations, expressing hopes that together with his students, they will be resilient, persevere and learn as much as possible in 2026.
"Today we are celebrating Chinese New Year, the Year of the Horse which signifies strength, resilience and perseverance," said Kahuro.
The horse is a strong animal and we are supposed to embody these characteristics during the year when we are faced with difficulties by being strong despite the challenges along the year," he added.
Kahuro emphasized regular Chinese cultural events will be key to fostering Sino-Kenyan friendship and people-to-people exchanges.
Other Spring Festival activities at the CIUON's courtyard included taking part in traditional games, enjoying cultural and artistic performances.
Hundreds of youth drawn from more than 30 schools that have already introduced Mandarin lessons relished the opportunity to sample Chinese cuisine for the first time.
The Chinese cuisine on display included dumplings, Chinese burger, crispy meat, barbecue, fruit jelly, green and milk tea.
"We felt so happy sampling a variety of Chinese dishes that were so delicious," said Owen Philemon, a Chinese language teacher at a private primary school located on the outskirts of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, who chaperoned 36 pupils who are members of the school's Mandarin club. ■
