On the morning of September 8^th, 2017, African students of JLU attended the first China Changchun International Forum of African Art on invitation to contribute to China-Africa cultural exchanges. Xue Lei, Deputy Dean of the College of International Education, also attended the forum on invitation.

China Changchun International Forum of African Art is one of the parallel sessions of China Changchun International Sculpture Conference. The forum is jointly hosted by the Changchun municipal government, the Department of Art under the Ministry of Culture, the National Art Museum of China, China Sculpture Institute and Chinese City Sculptor Association. The forum is China’s first large professional forum dedicated to the study and promotion of African art. It invited renowned scholars and experts from seven universities including East China Normal University and Nanjing University and from six institutes including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The topics discussed included “the sculpture art of Makonde, Tanzania and the contemporary European art”. The forum promoted African art and culture, particularly, the art of Makonde, in Changchun and even China at large.

International students from 21 countries attended the forum and heard the views of experts and scholars on African art and culture. Nnanwuba Emmanuel from Nigeria said that the forum enabled him to feel China’s love for African art and culture and better understand the place where he grew up. He said: “The forum is really amazing. It allows me to see African art and culture from a different perspective.” After the forum closed, many experts and scholars talked to the international students to know more about African customs and cultural characteristics. Students engaged in the discussion with great enthusiasm. The interaction facilitated cultural communication and their understanding of each other.

Students attending the forum also visited Songshan-Hanrong African Art Collection Museum. The museum currently collects the largest number of Makonde wood carvings in the greatest variety and of the highest-level artistic excellence. The 12,000 pieces of African art works collected in the museum, characterized by their unsophisticated style, wild imagination and plain and natural beauty, struck a chord with the students.

September 12^th, 2017