A Chinese Cultural troupe is set to participate in the week-long Pan-Africa's festival of dance (FESPAD) in Kigali, capital of Rwanda scheduled to kick off on July 24. Managing Director of FESPAD Emmanuel Bugingo told Xinhua in Kigali on Wednesday that the Chinese Cultural troupe will join other dance troupes from 31 Africa countries, and will have several concerts and exhibitions till July 31 in Kigali, Butare, Rubavu and Rusizi.

Asako Kato, one of the volunteers serving as a teacher at the Kimironko-based centre, said that the event particularly targeted local communities interested in understanding the relationship between the Rwandan and Japanese cultures.

But the countries that share the Nile River basin – Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo – are tired of Egypt, and to a lesser extent Sudan, dictating the terms of the river water’s usage.

Rwandan exchange students and their American counterparts from Massachusetts recently received encouragement from Senator John Kerry, the son of a U.S. foreign service officer, in their efforts to foster greater cultural understanding through examining the past.