UN Chinese Language Day celebrated in Kenya

NAIROBI, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, held an open interactive event Tuesday to celebrate the UN Chinese Language Day, which falls on Thursday.

The event, with more than 40 attendees, featured activities including Chinese calligraphy writing, paper-cutting art, and quizzes about Chinese trending music and Chinese culture.

"It's not just a Chinese-featured event, it can bridge the communication gaps and popularize multilingualism and cultural diversity," said Daniel Gichunji Musyoka, a volunteer at the event, adding that the experience of writing Chinese characters and paper-cutting Chinese rabbits was terrific and educational.

Hansnick Omondi Otieno, whose major is tourism management, has studied the Chinese language at the Confucius Institute for two years. "Although I thought I've known enough about China, this illuminating event made me realize that there are still tons of sophisticated things and incredibly fascinating treasures of this country waiting for us to dig into."

"The Chinese language has existed for thousands of years. The aim of this celebration is to educate our students on the Chinese language and also teach people around the world the benefits that learning the Chinese language can have," said Maureen Ooko, a local teacher who teaches the Chinese language.

The event lasted for more than three hours.