一場(chǎng)意料之中的文化熱戀

格特·格羅布勒（南非）

格特·格羅布勒先生曾是南非國(guó)際關(guān)系與合作部高級(jí)外交官，歷任南非駐西班牙、日本、馬達(dá)加斯加等國(guó)大使，目前為浙江師范大學(xué)非洲研究院高級(jí)研究員。

格特先生于20世紀(jì)60年代末畢業(yè)于南非自由州大學(xué)，隨即進(jìn)入南非外交部工作，其外交生涯涉及美國(guó)、英國(guó)、西班牙、德國(guó)、安道爾、日本、馬達(dá)加斯加等國(guó)家和地區(qū)。他在南非外交系統(tǒng)工作近半個(gè)世紀(jì)，是南非外交史的特殊參與者、見證者。

今年初，作為浙江師范大學(xué)非洲研究院聘請(qǐng)的高級(jí)研究員，他來到浙江。幾個(gè)月的生活和工作，讓他切身感受到浙江的人文風(fēng)情和社會(huì)發(fā)展。他將他眼中的浙江和對(duì)中非關(guān)系的看法記錄了下來。

前不久，我懷著非常激動(dòng)的心情從南非來到浙江師范大學(xué)非洲研究院任職。

我現(xiàn)在的所在地浙江省，與非洲遠(yuǎn)隔萬里。浙江景色秀美，文化燦爛，歷史悠久，物產(chǎn)豐富，經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)達(dá)。我最近還曾訪問過杭州。在西湖邊，感受著夕陽(yáng)的秀麗和寧?kù)o，我心潮澎湃。一時(shí)間，我理解了為何浙江素以“魚米之鄉(xiāng)、絲綢之府、物華天寶、旅游天堂”而譽(yù)滿中外。

抵達(dá)中國(guó)數(shù)周后，我再次意識(shí)到，世界真的變得越來越緊密融合，越來越相互依存。文化交流，對(duì)傳遞善意、建立相互尊敬和相互理解關(guān)系，對(duì)加強(qiáng)合作、為共同命運(yùn)相向而行，都是不可或缺的。

一

幸運(yùn)的是，文化合作與交流已成為全球常態(tài)。典范之一，就是通過不斷加深友誼、合作和共同努力，中國(guó)和非洲之間的文化合作日益擴(kuò)大。事實(shí)上，中國(guó)文化已經(jīng)在非洲大陸留下堅(jiān)實(shí)印記，非洲人喜愛中國(guó)文化體現(xiàn)的智慧和多姿多彩。

在過去的六七十年中，中國(guó)與更多的非洲國(guó)家簽署了文化交流與合作協(xié)議。通過越來越多的中國(guó)援助和合作項(xiàng)目、日益增多的中文語言學(xué)校，以及在非洲發(fā)展和流行起來的傳統(tǒng)中醫(yī)、針灸、雜技、武術(shù)、中國(guó)餐館等，中非文化交往日益頻繁。我親眼目睹這些，深感振奮。

而在另一方面，越來越多的中國(guó)人感受到非洲文化，包括音樂、舞蹈、服裝和面具。事實(shí)上，只要去義烏國(guó)際商貿(mào)城（里面還設(shè)有非洲進(jìn)口商品館）以及廣州的多個(gè)商品市場(chǎng)看看，你就能感受到非洲文化商品在中國(guó)的影響力。

所有這一切來自何處？

中國(guó)與非洲是人類文明的搖籃，中非友誼綿延數(shù)千年。歷史記載，古代中國(guó)與非洲大約在公元前130年左右就有所接觸。據(jù)記載，公元400年，埃及人曾來到中國(guó)，在7世紀(jì)到15世紀(jì)期間，中非貿(mào)易蓬勃發(fā)展。據(jù)說，埃及艷后克利奧帕特拉女王鐘愛絲綢制成的錦衣華服，而這些綾羅綢緞很可能來自中國(guó)。后來，滿載絲綢、陶瓷和銅錢的中國(guó)船只訪問了如今位于東非的索馬里和肯尼亞。所以說，中非之間的“文化熱戀”源遠(yuǎn)流長(zhǎng)。

但隨著15世紀(jì)中葉歐洲殖民列者相繼對(duì)非洲進(jìn)行殖民擴(kuò)張，中國(guó)與非洲的直接接觸被迫中斷。隨之而來的，是非洲歷史上的黑暗時(shí)期，非洲人民失去了土地、身份和國(guó)家主權(quán)。19世紀(jì)五六十年代，非洲開始擺脫殖民統(tǒng)治獲得獨(dú)立，中非之間的實(shí)質(zhì)性合作與文化交流才得以恢復(fù)。

在談到中國(guó)和非洲之間日益增長(zhǎng)的友誼時(shí)，周恩來總理曾經(jīng)表示：不光要介紹我們的文化，也要學(xué)習(xí)人家的文化。北京外國(guó)語大學(xué)因此開設(shè)亞洲和非洲語言專業(yè)，其中包括非洲的斯瓦西里語和豪薩語。這些舉措促使中國(guó)可以更好地了解非洲文化。

1963年12月到1964年2月，周恩來總理訪問非洲十國(guó)。之后，以文化合作與交流為一大重點(diǎn)的中非合作強(qiáng)勁增長(zhǎng)。埃及不僅是首個(gè)與中國(guó)建立外交關(guān)系的非洲國(guó)家，而且還是首個(gè)與中國(guó)簽署文化合作協(xié)定的非洲國(guó)家。

中國(guó)與非洲之間的文化交流已然取得長(zhǎng)足發(fā)展，而文化合作也正是《中非合作論壇-北京行動(dòng)計(jì)劃（2019-2021）》所格外重視的。行動(dòng)計(jì)劃規(guī)定，通過執(zhí)行政府間文化協(xié)議、在非洲開設(shè)更多中國(guó)文化中心，探索文化產(chǎn)業(yè)合作的各種可能性，以積極推動(dòng)中國(guó)-非洲文化交流深入發(fā)展。

而另一項(xiàng)對(duì)中非未來的文化合作有長(zhǎng)足影響的便是中國(guó)的“一帶一路”倡議，這一定會(huì)讓非洲受益匪淺?！耙粠б宦贰背h遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超越經(jīng)濟(jì)貿(mào)易范疇，還側(cè)重關(guān)注社會(huì)、文化、環(huán)保等方方面面。事實(shí)上，非洲已成為實(shí)施“一帶一路”倡議的關(guān)鍵地區(qū)。通過加入絲綢之路劇院聯(lián)盟、絲綢之路國(guó)際博物館友好聯(lián)盟和絲綢之路國(guó)際藝術(shù)節(jié)聯(lián)盟等，非洲將獲得各種振奮人心的機(jī)遇。

至于我的國(guó)家南非，我經(jīng)常會(huì)出席中國(guó)駐南非使館和其他非政府機(jī)構(gòu)等舉辦的豐富多彩的文化活動(dòng)。中國(guó)與南非在2000年4月簽訂了文化交流協(xié)議。協(xié)議簽訂以來，中國(guó)和南非的文化合作與交流正在日益加強(qiáng)。

過去幾十年，中國(guó)與非洲的文化合作與交流已經(jīng)深入到省一級(jí)。浙江東部沿海城市，在經(jīng)濟(jì)、文化、教育領(lǐng)域方面取得巨大成就，她在全球文化合作中的影響力也值得期待，特別是跟非洲之間日益發(fā)展的交流合作。杭州、寧波、金華、溫州等城市已經(jīng)與非洲的南非、埃塞俄比亞與摩洛哥等國(guó)簽署了協(xié)議。

二

作為浙師大非洲研究院的研究員，我個(gè)人有幸目睹了浙師大與非洲之間若干文化交流項(xiàng)目的開展。這些項(xiàng)目影響深遠(yuǎn)，其中一些還有望推動(dòng)中非關(guān)系扎實(shí)向前發(fā)展。

比如，浙師大非洲研究院在中國(guó)高等教育界率先全面研究非洲，助推非洲的地區(qū)、社會(huì)、經(jīng)濟(jì)等方面的發(fā)展。研究院的各項(xiàng)研究和活動(dòng)集中在政治關(guān)系、國(guó)際關(guān)系、經(jīng)濟(jì)、教育、歷史和文化方面。通過這些研究和活動(dòng)，研究院將繼續(xù)發(fā)起項(xiàng)目、開展研究、出版刊物和書籍，對(duì)中非合作作出積極貢獻(xiàn)，增進(jìn)教育、文化、民間合作、電影和媒體的相互了解。

浙師大非洲研究院的非洲影視研究中心就是文化合作的典范。該中心開展了多項(xiàng)有意義的文化活動(dòng)，包括“非洲電影之夜”。在每周舉辦一次的“非洲電影之夜”里，中國(guó)和非洲師生觀看非洲電影，展開深入討論。中心每年舉辦一次“中非影視合作論壇”，旨在為中非電影的學(xué)術(shù)和產(chǎn)業(yè)各領(lǐng)域的溝通鋪路架橋，推動(dòng)更多的合作與共同制作。

除出版學(xué)術(shù)刊物之外，中心還制作了《非洲人在義烏》六集大型公共外交紀(jì)錄片。這是中非電影工作團(tuán)隊(duì)首次合作完成的紀(jì)錄片，講述非洲人在中國(guó)的生活與工作。這部紀(jì)錄片已在中國(guó)中央電視臺(tái)四頻道向全球觀眾播放，同時(shí)也登陸非洲多個(gè)電影節(jié)，并且在坦桑尼亞、贊比亞和其他非洲國(guó)家的電視臺(tái)播放。

作為來浙師大不久的非洲人，我前所未有地強(qiáng)烈感受到中國(guó)和非洲之間因共同命運(yùn)而結(jié)成的兄弟情誼。這一情誼的基礎(chǔ)是我們相似的歷史經(jīng)歷、患難見真情的友誼，以及共同面對(duì)的發(fā)展挑戰(zhàn)。

在浙師大非洲研究院的工作和生活告訴我，中非有著友誼和合作的真誠(chéng)情感。回到非洲之后，我將告訴非洲人民，為了中非的親密友誼，為了讓中非的文化熱戀開花結(jié)果，浙江正在行動(dòng)。

China and Africa：A “Cultural Love Affair”

A Perspective from Dynamic Zhejiang Province

By Gert Grobler

Ambassador Gert Grobler is a former senior diplomat in the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation （DIRCO）， and Ambassador of South Africa to Spain， Japan and Madagascar. He is currently attached as a Senior Research Fellow to the Institute of African Studies at the ZJNU in Jinhua.

It was with great excitement that I arrived from South Africa recently to take up a post at the reputable Institute of African Studies， at Zhejiang Normal University in Jinhua.

So here I was， from far away Africa， in Zhejiang Province with its beautiful landscapes， rich cultural history， abundant resources and thriving economy. Recently I visited Hangzhou and I stood in awe， admiring the beauty and serenity of a sunset over West Lake.

No wonder that Zhejiang Province with its long history and rich culture， is known abroad ， as “ a land of fish and rice， home to silk and tea， a destination of rich culture heritage and a paradise for tourists ”！

After a few weeks in China， I once again realized that the world is indeed becoming increasingly integrated and interdependent. Furthermore， cultural exchanges are an imperative， in creating goodwill， mutual respect and understanding， moving towards closer cooperation and a shared common destiny.

Fortunately cultural cooperation and exchanges have become a common occurrence globally. An exemplary example of this is the growing cultural cooperation between Africa and China through an ever expanding friendship， partnership and mutual efforts. In fact， Chinese culture already has a strong footprint on the African continent and Africans love the wise， rich and colorful aspects of Chinese culture. China has over past six to seven decades increasingly established cultural exchanges and cooperation agreements with dozens of African countries. It is encouraging to witness the proliferation of Chinese cultural manifestations in various parts of Africa via the rising number of Chinese aid and cooperation projects， Confucius Institutes， Chinese language schools and the regular occurrence of traditional medicine， acupuncture， acrobatics and martial arts activities and of course Chinese food outlets and restaurants.

On the other hand， an increasing number of Chinese people today have a much greater awareness of African culture， its music， dance， costumes and masks. One simply has to visit the exciting markets like the Small Commodity Wholesale Market in the international trade City of Yiwu and its African Imports Emporium as well as markets in Guangzhou to witness the impact of African “cultural” goods in China.

Where did this all start？ China and Africa are both the origins of ancient human civilizations and both China and Africa， as the “cradle of all humankind “， have made significant contributions to the progress of human civilization. The friendship between China and Africa has a history of several thousand years .It has been often recorded that China in ancient times had established contact with Africa at approximately 130 BC. It is further documented that the Egyptians reached China in 400 AD and in the period from the 7th to 15th century， healthy economic exchanges took place. It is said that the Egyptian queen Cleopatra was very fond of silk garments which most likely had its origin in China. Later Chinese boats laden with silk， chinaware and coins visited ports in east Africa in modern day Somalia and Kenya！ So the “cultural love affair” between China and Africa is indeed a longstanding and growing one. However this direct contact ended in the mid 15 the century when the European colonial powers embarked on its forced imperialist occupation of Africa .What ensued was a dark era of African history， characterized by the loss of land， identity and sovereignty. It was only after the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949 and after Africa had begun to rid itself of the burden of colonialism in the 1950‘s and 1960s， gaining their independence， that substantive cooperation， as well as cultural exchanges， between China and Africa were actively resumed.

Given the growing friendship between China and Africa， Premier Zhou Enlai inter alia said that attention should be given to the languages of Africa to show respect for Africa‘s culture， pride and national identity. The Beijing Foreign Studies Institute began to teach Asian and African languages such as Swahili and Hausa which increasingly built bridges to Africa‘s culture. In the wake of a ten-country visit by Prime Minister Zhou Enlai to Africa in December 1963 and February 1964， Chinese cooperation with Africa showed growing momentum， with strong focus on cultural cooperation and exchanges. Not only was Egypt the first country to enter into diplomatic relations with China but also the first country to sign a Cultural Cooperation Agreement with this country.

Vast progress has thus been made with cultural cooperation which features prominently in the encouraging Action Plan of the important Forum on China -Africa Cooperation （FOCAC） Beijing Action Plan （2019 -2021） which makes provision for the active advancement of China-Africa cultural exchanges through the implementation of inter-governmental cultural agreements， opening more Chinese culture centers in Africa and exploring the possibilities of cooperation in cultural industries.

Another highly constructive aspect regarding the future of cultural cooperation is Chinas commendable Belt and Road Initiative （BRI） from which Africa stands to benefit greatly. The BRI goes beyond economic and commercial realms and also focuses on social， cultural and environmental and many other dimensions. In fact， Africa has now become a key region for the implementation of the BRI. Exciting opportunities will be also presented to enhance cultural cooperation through Africas participation in the Silk Road International League of Theaters， the Silk Road international Museum Alliance and the Network of Silk Road Art festivals.

As far as my own country is concerned， I often participated in many colorful and exciting cultural events and activities in South Africa involving the Embassy of China， and a host of non-governmental institutions etc. A Cultural Agreement was signed in April 2000 and particularly since then Chinese and South African cultural cooperation and exchanges are growing from strength to strength.

Over past decades， the cultural cooperation and exchanges between China and Africa have flowed over to provincial level. The result is that cultural cooperation is thriving at all government levels with a multitude of partnership and cooperation agreements having been concluded .Given the dynamic economic， social， cultural and educational achievements of Zhejiang province， it was to be expected that Zhejiang Province would be a key player in promoting cultural cooperation globally but also increasingly with Africa. Zhejiang Province and cities like Hangzhou， Ningbo， Jinhua， Wenzhou， to name a few ，have established cooperation arrangements with countries， provinces and cities abroad ， also in Africa in countries such as South Africa， Ethiopia and Morocco.

As a foreign research fellow at the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University （IASZNU）， I have personally witnessed some impactful cultural exchange programs between IASZNU and Africa. Some efforts are really promising in pushing the China-Africa relationship forward.

For example， IASZNU， the first Institute for comprehensive African studies in Chinas higher education has and will continue to play， a key role in contributing to Chinas foreign policy and strategy in Africa as well as regional， social and economic development. It is also a key link contributing to stronger ties between Zhejiang Province and the continent. Through its focused research and activities in various sectors such as political relations， international relations， economy， education， history and culture， IASZNU continues to initiate projects， research and publications which contribute constructively to the growing cooperation between China and Africa as well as a better mutual understanding on education， culture and people to people cooperation ， film and the media.

An excellent example of practical cultural cooperation， is the Center for African Film and TV Research under IASZNU which fosters many meaningful cultural programs including the African Movie night， where Chinese and African teachers and students watch an African movie once a week and have meaningful discussions. The Center also holds a biannual Forum on China-Africa Film and TV cooperation which aims to bridge the academic and industrial spheres of film in China and Africa， to boost more cooperation and co-production. Other than its academic publications， the center has also produced a 6-episode documentary film titled Africans in Yiwu， which has been acclaimed as the first documentary film co-directed by a team of Chinese and African filmmakers， focused on the presence of Africans in China. This film has shown on CCTV-4 internationally， and at the same time has premiered in African film festivals， and broadcasted on TV in Tanzania， Zambia and other African countries.

As a newly arrived African at ZJNU in Jinhua in the remarkable Zhejiang province， I strongly sense the “fraternal bonds of a shared destiny” between China and Africa， more than ever， which is based on our similar historical experiences and ordeals， our “friend in need” relationship as well as our common development challenges. I realize， based on my stay here at IASZNU， that China and Africa have forged “a real and sincere feeling” of friendship and cooperation. The constructive role that Zhejiang Province， its government， educational institutions and its people are playing “to bring our respective civilizations closer together” and to nurture the blooming China and Africa “cultural love affair”， is a message I will take home with me to Africa， when I eventually return.