The Confucius Institute at 吃瓜头条 held its second photography competition on the 10th of August 2020. Themed 鈥淭he road of Growth鈥� the online event was geared towards sparking the student鈥檚 enthusiasm for learning Chinese language despite the fact that the COVID19 pandemic had interfered with their school year program. The main theme was broken into sub themes namely; 鈥楳y dream鈥� 鈥楰now China鈥� 鈥楥onfucius Institute and I鈥� & 鈥楥hinese Learning鈥�
Lecturers at the Institute were elated to receive very many applications from students who were eager to win amazing prizes. There were three evaluation categories that counted the number of Facebook likes, number of online votes and evaluation of each group鈥檚 score. The competitors had been put into different groups.
The award categories were; 8 excellent awards, 6 third prizes, 4 second prizes and the first prize. Harriet Makasi, a Beginner in Chinese Language and Culture student won the first prize award for the group photo she presented. Speaking after receiving the award, Ms. Maksai said she appreciated the Institute for creating such opportunities for engagement with students online even during the pandemic. Her words were echoed by other students who said they felt the distance created by the pandemic had been shortened by the exciting online photography contest. Many students submitted photographs that displayed elegant demeanor and unmatched creativity. Many gave shots that displayed engagements between Kenyans and Chinese nationals. This is a true reflection of one of Confucius Institute鈥檚 mandate which is to enhance mutual friendship, appreciation and understanding of Kenyan and Chinese language and culture. The annual photography contest is one of the many activities at the Institute that act as an avenue for students to sharpen their talents.