by Ndalimpinga Iita
WINDHOEK, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Namibia Broadcasting Corporation on Monday evening premiered a four-episode documentary called Glamorous Namibia on its prime national television channel in a move to promote Namibia and enhance bilateral relations between China and Namibia.
The documentary features Namibia's history, customs, socio-economic progression, cultural diversity, tourism, landscape, people of Namibia and the Chinese people's experiences in Namibia. It also includes a synopsis of China-Namibia relations; providing history and context of the bilateral relations and China-Namibia cooperation milestones since as early as the 1960s.
Stanley Similo, director-general of Namibia Broadcasting Corporation, said that the documentary's airing aims to celebrate Namibia's 31st independence celebration held on March 21.
The premiere also coincided with the 31st anniversary of the establishment of Chinese-Namibia diplomatic relations on March 22.
With enthusiasm, locals tuned in and watched the show when it aired for the first time in Namibia.
Laina Nelago from Tsumeb, a town in the northern part of Namibia, said that she watched the show as she has a keen interest in China-Namibia cooperation.
Nelago said he also ended up learning more about her country, especially about the wildlife, and other conservation efforts by government and other bodies or non-governmental organisations.
She is not the only one. Prosper Absalom, based in the capital Windhoek said he learned a lot about the Namibian history narrated by Josiah Matengu, an official in the National Museum of Namibia featured in the documentary. Furthermore, about the history related to cooperation between China and Namibia.
"The documentary is rich in information and I gained new insight into my country. I was also happy to view the part of the Chinese photographer on the documentary who has travelled across Africa, including Namibia, to capture its rich diversity," Absalom said.
Other achievements captured in the documentary included such as the Confucius Institute and the 40-hectare Chinese-built port terminal at Namport constructed by state-owned China Harbour Engineering Company, among others.
Meanwhile, according to Similo, the cooperation with the Chinese embassy in Namibia publicizing the show enhances China-Namibia relations which are not only rooted in mutual trust and respect but also embedded in solid diplomatic understanding.
"We commend China, as a friend of Namibia, for stepping in to assist and ensure that such programmes come to the shores of Namibia," Similo said.
Meanwhile, the documentary, which was publicized in China in Dec. 2020, also hopes to attract and draw Chinese tourists to Namibia, said Yang Jun, the Chinese embassy political counselor in Namibia.
"We also believe that the broadcast of the documentary in Namibia will further strengthen the people-to-people bond between our two countries and we hope to increase the number of tourists after the broadcast," he said.
According to Yang, before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 20,000 Chinese tourists visited Namibia annually, while thousands of Chinese people are residing and conducting business in Namibia. Enditem