Entertainers helping to change perceptions

African singers and TV personalities are painting a more vivid picture of the continent for Chinese viewers

Emmanuel Uwechue hit the big time in China when he appeared on live television and sang a pitch-perfect rendition of a "red" song, a classic folk tune about the Communist revolution.

The performance in 2006, which was for The Road to Star, a popular show aired by China Central TV, not only made the Nigerian a household name, but also opened a new channel of cultural exchange between China and Africa.

Mohamed Osama (left), in a scene from the second season of talk show Informal Talk. Provided to China Daily

Debucada Sanca, the first African contestant on a Chinese dating show, has been dubbed "African princess". Emmanuel Uwechue is known in China as Hao Ge (Good Songs) for singing "red" songs. Photos provided to China Daily

Uwechue, better known today as Hao Ge (Good Songs), went on to sign a recording deal with producer Liu Huan, who sang the theme song for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and has released several albums in Mandarin.

When he first burst onto the music scene, the perception of Africa among many Chinese was based on largely negative stereotypes. Yet as more African singers, dancers and news anchors have made it onto TV screens nationwide, a more vivid picture has been painted of the continent's culture, and that general perception has changed.

Debucada Sanca, for example, impressed audiences in April 2013 when she became the first African contestant on If You Are the One, the popular Chinese dating show. The 26-year-old from Guinea-Bissau, who speaks fluent Mandarin, won not only the heart of her potential suitor, but also the hearts of viewers, who dubbed her "African princess".

China's entertainment industry is the perfect platform for cultural exchanges, according to talk show host Mohamed Osama.

"Everybody likes to laugh," he says. "It's boring to just talk about cultural exchange and mutual understanding in traditional ways. People aren't interested. Using simple, funny examples to show the differences between the Chinese and people from outside is interesting and more effective."

The 28-year-old Egyptian is one of about 10 international hosts on Informal Talk, a Chinese-language entertainment program broadcast nationwide in which guests discuss various topics, from fashion trends to culture.

The show completed its first season in the middle of this year and is set to return for another run in December. Osama says producers plan to add a Nigerian host and film several episodes in Africa.

"I can feel the (Chinese people) have a strong will to understand Africa in a deeper sense nowadays, especially due to the new Silk Road initiatives," he says. "Also, I think African people should learn to understand Chinese people through this kind of platform."

Osama is a graduate of Cairo University and previously worked as a Mandarin-speaking tour guide in the Egyptian capital. Since moving to China in 2011, he also has worked as a copy editor for Xinhua News Agency.

Prior to landing a role on Informal Talk, he appeared on several TV shows including If You Are the One, which raised his profile and resulted in his followers on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, soaring to more than 34,000.

"I value Informal Talk very much because it's an innovative platform for cross-cultural communication," he says. "Speaking Chinese gives me an advantage to communicate with local audiences on many serious topics in a relaxed way, which in my opinion is more important in terms of people-to-people contact.

"We all live in the same world, just with different living habits and cultures. We all share the same virtues."

For Osama, television is the most influential and effective platform for cultural exchange in China because it reaches ordinary people. "And when that TV content is combined with online multimedia, it multiples the effect," he adds.

Visual power

The growing number of African faces appearing regularly on Chinese television is good for bringing the cultures closer, according to Zhang Yanqiu, professor at the Communication University of China.

She says the trend is a natural result of stronger diplomatic and economic ties, as people in both areas want to know more about the other.

Africans who speak Mandarin are making the most of their advantage, she says. "Language is important, not only in trade relations, but it also plays a vital role in enhancing mutual understanding.

"Take these African celebrities as an example," she says. "Their sophisticated Chinese-language skills have enabled them to enter the Chinese TV industry, which then allows them to introduce their culture to audiences here while also sharing their own understanding of Chinese culture to the world."

The mainland's TV industry is increasingly focusing more on social entertainment, but there is intense competition among channels for viewers, Zhang says, adding that an African cast member may help a show stand out.

"Television is still a powerful medium, and it gives more visual power to African actors to impress audiences," she says. "More importantly, there are also platforms for ordinary Africans who can speak Chinese to become household names in China."

Whether they are official or commercial, Zhang adds that people-to-people exchanges will play an ever-increasingly important role in future China-African relations.

Hu Haiyan contributed to this story.

lilianxing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 12/04/2015 page10)