BANZA April 2016 Issue | Page 80

Julie: You brought Africa to China. Did you bring China to Africa? Martin: “It has always been my motivation to work more and more with China and the Chinese subjects. Back in 2008, a Qingdao dance group attended ZIFF and brought Zanzibar an unforgettably spectacular show including acrobatic acts. Introduced for the first time in 1960’s, Chinese acrobatic tradition has taken roots in Tanzania in a very special way. We can easily say that every Tanzanian theater group today has its past in cultural exchange with China and Chinese acrobatic companies sent to Africa. Chinese acrobats and Kung Fu stars are time-honoured areas of interest, even iconic for China. And noodle making and drying are a familiar scene under the Zanzibari sun! We welcome continued co-operation in these fields, in the meanwhile, we are looking for