ISLAMABAD, Jun 8 (INP): The 2022 Belt and Road Online Arts Festival was launched both online and offline recently at the Northwest Minzu University, China, providing a platform for Pakistani youth to showcase their talent, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Wednesday.

To participate in the event, youth in Pakistan and other countries can prepare music or dancing videos and share them on designated channels that will be announced soon. Selected videos will be broadcast on mainstream international and Chinese media platforms.

The event, under the “100 Sister Schools Initiative”, is hosted by Gansu Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Education Department of Gansu Province, organized by Northwest Minzu University, China and co-organized by the Gansu Association of 100 Sister Schools Initiative and Gansu UNESCO Association.

100 Sister Schools Initiative Belt and Road Online Arts Festival 2022 launching ceremony [Photo from website of the People’s Government of Gansu Province]

“The 100 Sister Schools Initiative opens an avenue for people-to-people exchanges by enabling the middle and primary schools in partner countries to connect and communicate with one another”, said Liu Xiaolin, Vice President of Gansu Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, on the launching ceremony.

A number of representatives of institutions in the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Belarus, Chile, Poland, Pakistan, Thailand, Maldives, Uzbekistan, etc. felicitated the launching of the event via video. “I hope Pakistani youth can have a better understanding towards Gansu Province through this event”, said Ma Bin, President of China-Pak Educational Center and Chairman of Overseas Chinese Association of Pakistan in his video message.

Ms. Wang Junyi from Gansu Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries told CEN that in the past two years, 100 Sister Schools Initiative art exbitions were held to promote cultural exchanges.

“In the previous sessions, we collect drawings or photographic works. Among the over 500 pieces of work from 15 countries, many works from Pakistan were selected as outstanding ones. This time, we expand the forms from graphic arts to videos”, she said.