BEIJING, May 19 -- Activities will be held in more than 20 African countries to promote Chinese culture, according to the Ministry of Culture.

As part of the "Chinese Culture in Focus 2015" campaign, around 200 activities will be held in the form of performances, exhibitions, seminars, lectures, personnel exchanges, training and the screening of films and TV programs, said Zhao Haisheng, a senior ministry official, Tuesday at a press conference.

The events will involve art, literature, publishing, sports, cultural heritage and entertainment.

A "Year of China" festival will run in South Africa following the "Year of South Africa" here in 2014, a result of cooperation between the two countries' cultural ministries.

This year's festival will include Peking Opera performances and a touring exhibition of China's intangible cultural heritage, bookended by a large-scale gala show, Zhao said.

The annual campaign was initiated in 2008 to promote cultural exchanges between China and African countries.