On December 14, the first China-Kenya Creative Cultural and Art Joint Design Competition jointly organized by Donghua University (DHU) and Kenya’s Moi University was launched. The launch ceremony was held both online and offline. Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian announced the launch of the competition. Yu Jianyong, President of Donghua University, Prof. Isaac N. Kimengi, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Moi University, and Shao Feng, Chairman of Shanghai Fashion Industry Development Center attended the event and delivered speeches. Also present at the event are relevant leaders from the International Cooperation Office and College of Fashion and Design of DHU, Shanghai Fashion Designers Association, Shanghai Garment Trade Association and Confucius Institutes in Kenya.
(Onsite the launch ceremony)
On behalf of the school, Yu Jianyong expressed his gratitude to the guests who participated in the launch ceremony, and introduced the contribution made by DHU to actively promote the exchanges and cooperation between China and Kenya and China and Africa in the field of textile and apparel since its establishment. Since 2011, DHU has formed a partnership with Kenya’s Moi University under the framework of the “China-Africa Universities 20+20 Cooperation Plan”. In March 2015, on the basis of years of cooperation, DHU and Moi University jointly established the only Confucius Institute in the world featuring textile engineering and fashion design – the Confucius Institute at Moi University. He said that China and Africa have different cultural backgrounds, but have a long history in art exchanges and mutual learning. The first China-Kenya Creative Cultural and Art Joint Design Competition will help realize a complete closed loop from cultural exchanges between China and Kenya to cultural and creative activities and to industry empowerment. Next year will be the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kenya. He hopes that the excellent cultural and creative teams of both countries will achieve fruitful design results.
Prof. Kimengi reviewed the cooperation between Moi University and DHU in the field of textile and apparel, and believed that the competition will be a brand-new cooperation model, which will push the cooperation between the two universities to a new height and further strengthen the friendship between the Chinese and Kenyan people. Shao Feng said that the competition will deepen the understanding between China and Kenya, promote the cultural exchanges between the two countries, and expand new space for cooperation and that Shanghai Fashion Industry Development Center will work with all relevant organizations to provide support and facilitation for the successful holding of the competition.
The theme of the competition is "Solidarity & Prosperity 2023", which means unity, integration and common prosperity, with an open mind to realize the vision of the Belt and Road Initiative "We hope to share prosperity with the world". As a non-profit international exchange competition, it welcomes faculty and students from Chinese fashion universities to team up with young Kenyans as participants to turn, through the participants fashion ideas and technologies, traditional craftsmanship, natural and cultural elements as well as folk customs of Kenya into applicable copyrighted fashion designs conforming to international trends and with future commercial value. After the competition, the organizers will combine Chinese industry resources to make samples of excellent works, and authorize local Kenyan industries for mass production free of charge. Also, technical training will be provided for local industries to make the complete and closed loop of empowerment by Chinese culture and technology from “African source materials” to “African industry development”.
The competition is jointly organized by the Confucius Institute at Moi University, the College of Fashion and Design of DHU, Rivatex East Africa Limited, the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, the Confucius Institute at Egerton University, the Confucius Institute at Kenyatta University, and Machakos University, guided by Shanghai Fashion Industry Development Center, Shanghai Garment Trade Association, Shanghai Fashion Designers Association, SFIDC Digital Arts Education Alliance, and planned and executed by Donghua University Creative Integration WORKSHOP.
