Chinese art troupe to stage performances in Ethiopia

22 June 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) — China Qingdao Folk Art Troupe, an outstanding artistic group established in 1960, will stage a succession of performances in Ethiopia from July 5 to 11 in connection with the Ethiopian millennium celebration, the Chinese embassy said Friday.

Song Yanqun, cultural counsellor with the embassy, told journalists that the performances, to be staged under the theme of “the cemented friendship in the new millennium,” is part of the cultural agreement between China and Ethiopia.

By offering Ethiopian audience a large repertoire of folk dances, the performance will showcase the unique cultures of major ethnic groups in China, he said.

Ethiopia and China have been enjoying friendly relations since the initiation of diplomatic ties in 1970, Song said, adding that the brotherhood could be attributed to a number of factors, the most significant one of which might be the cultural bonds between the two peoples.

Both Ethiopia and China are cradles of human civilization, lands of enchantment and home to many cultures, said the Chinese diplomat.

The initiative is co-organized by the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Culture of China and the Chinese embassy here.

The United Nations has adopted a text on the Ethiopian millennium, recognizing the year from Sept. 12, 2007 to Sept. 11, 2008 as the year commemorating the Ethiopian millennium.

Ethiopia still retains the Julian calendar, in which the year is divided into 12 months of 30 days each and a 13th month of five days and six days in leap year. The Ethiopian calendar is eight years behind the Gregorian calendar from January to September and seven years behind between Sept. 11 and Jan. 8.

(Xinhua)