Chinese Embassy in Kenya awards prizes to winners of photo and video contest

NAIROBI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Kenya on Tuesday handed over prizes to winners of a photography and video contest themed "Shared Future" and aimed at celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries alongside the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Held at the University of Nairobi, Kenya's oldest university, the award ceremony of the contest was graced by senior officials, diplomats, scholars and students.

More than 300 visual images and videos were submitted depicting the vitality of Sino-Kenyan cooperation across various fields, including infrastructure development, people-to-people exchanges, trade and skills transfer.

A team of judges drawn from media houses from Kenya and China reviewed the submitted works and shortlisted 30 pieces that were outstanding in highlighting milestones achieved courtesy of 60 years of Kenya-China diplomatic ties.

Arthur Andambi, the director for Asia, Australasia and Pacific Islands Directorate of Kenya's Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, said that enthusiasm among Kenyan creatives to participate in the photography contest reaffirmed the value they attach to the bilateral cooperation with China.

According to Andambi, the relationship between Kenya and China has thrived over the last decade, based on trust, respect, mutual benefits and shared goals. He added that Kenya and China have journeyed together in the pursuit of inclusive growth through leveraging education, trade and infrastructure development in line with the objectives of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Both Kenyan and Chinese artists submitted high-quality and persuasive photographs and videos to shed light on successes achieved over the last six decades of bilateral cooperation, said Joan Pereruan, the visual and syndication editor at Nation Media Group, and one of the photo contest judges.

"The entries this year were very competitive, especially for the video section. The entries were more and the quality of photographs had really improved," Pereruan said.

Enock Sikolia, a Kenyan digital content creator, received the first prize for his works that highlighted the socioeconomic transformation unleashed by the China-built 27.1-km Nairobi Expressway. He noted that through visual arts such as photography, Kenyans will be able to appreciate the benefits that cooperation with China has brought to different sectors of the economy.