The Ethiopia-China Film and Television Festival has kicked off in Addis Ababa, aiming to enhance collaboration between China and Ethiopia in the entertainment industry.
The festival, jointly organized by YEGOF Entertainment, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese Embassy in Addis Ababa, and Addis Ababa University, will take place over the next three days.
At the opening ceremony, State Minister for Culture and Tourism Nefisa Almahdi highlighted the strong relationship between Ethiopia and China, emphasizing significant collaborations in areas such as economics, diplomacy, politics, and cultural values.
According to the State Minister, the festival will further help strengthen diplomatic ties between the two countries.
China’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Chen Hai, underscored the rich historical connections, remarkable cultures, stunning natural landscapes, and diverse ethnic traditions shared by China and Ethiopia. He noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping, during the Forecast Summit held in Beijing last September, called for strengthened people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Africa as part of six modernization initiatives and 10 partnership actions. The ambassador added that President Xi had proposed a cooperation initiative on innovation in radio, television, and audio-visual programming.
The ambassador also stated that the Ethiopia-China Film and Television Festival marks a significant step and a new chapter in realizing this initiative for both nations.
Shibru Mamo, Director General of Public Diplomacy at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that today’s event underscores Ethiopia’s unique contribution to global storytelling and reflects a shared commitment to leveraging art to foster mutual understanding and solidarity in an increasingly interconnected world.
