China backs Namibian writers with N$500 000

The Chinese Embassy has pledged N$500 000 towards the establishment of a new Namibian Authors & Writers Award Initiative, putting tangible financial backing behind Namibia’s literary sector as the two countries seek to deepen people-to-people ties through culture.

Chinese ambassador Zhao Weiping made the announcement on Tuesday at the China–Namibia Culture Fair in Windhoek, where schoolchildren, artists, performers, cultural practitioners and government officials gathered to celebrate the cultural ties between the two countries.

Zhao said the embassy would continue supporting initiatives that promote cultural exchange and contribute to the development of Namibia’s creative sector.

The fair, which brought together learners from 10 Windhoek schools, featured music, dance, traditional games, exhibitions and live performances, including Chinese lion and dragon dances.

Zhao said the event formed part of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, aimed at bringing the peoples of China and Africa closer through greater cultural understanding and interaction.

“As we gather here, our two cultures meet in warm embrace,” Zhao said, describing the event as an opportunity for Chinese and Namibian cultures to “complement and enrich each other”.

Personal connections

He said cultural exchanges are important because they enable people from different backgrounds to “know, respect, appreciate and learn from each other”.

A delegation from Jiangxi Province also participated in the fair, showcasing the Chinese province’s distinctive culture, local opera and other performances.

Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture minister Sanet Steenkamp, in remarks delivered on her behalf by ministry executive director Erastus Haitengela, said the occasion underscored the depth of the relationship between Namibia and China.

“Today’s celebration gives a practical experience of a long-standing friendship between China and Namibia,” she said.

Steenkamp said strong bonds between nations cannot be held together through government-to-government engagements alone.

“They must also be sustained and strengthened through meaningful people-to-people connections,” she said.

Friendship ties

The fair came at a significant moment in bilateral relations, following President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s state visit to China in July, during which Namibia and China elevated their relationship to a China–Namibia community with a shared future for the new era.

Zhao said the two presidents had also agreed to deepen cooperation in areas including culture, education and people-to-people exchanges.

He said the Chinese Embassy would work with the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture to translate the outcomes of the presidential visit into concrete projects.

For Steenkamp, culture provides an important way through which that renewed relationship can reach ordinary people.

The minister also used the occasion to highlight the economic potential of Namibia’s creative sector.

Namibia’s young people are already producing music, films, books, fashion, visual art, crafts, digital content and design, Steenkamp said, arguing that the country must build an ecosystem capable of turning creative talent into sustainable livelihoods and viable businesses.

Under Namibia's Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), the country has set targets to increase the creative sector’s contribution to employment and GDP while expanding the share of creative products and services in exports.

Steenkamp said this means culture can no longer be treated as an activity on the margins of development.

“It must form an integral part of our national economic, social and human development agenda,” she said.

Building sturdy bridges

As performers took to the stage and the lion and dragon danced before an audience, the event demonstrated how cultural diplomacy can move beyond government halls and become something young people can experience directly.

Zhao quoted an old Chinese saying that “a single flower does not make spring”, while a similar African proverb says that no matter how large a beam is, it cannot support an entire house on its own.

He said the two sayings reflected the value of different cultures and the importance of cultural exchange and mutual learning.

Steenkamp said the fair should not be viewed as an end in itself, but as the beginning of a new chapter of practical and mutually beneficial cultural cooperation.

“Let us use culture to build bridges,” she said.