NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 15– The sound of a Chinese instrument with more than 3,000 years of history filled the Kenya National Theatre on Saturday, as at least 300 people gathered for a concert that brought ancient musical traditions and African melodies together.
Among the instruments showcased was the guqin, a seven-stringed Chinese zither whose history stretches back more than three millennia and whose music was traditionally associated with scholars, intellectuals and China’s classical artistic heritage.
Its appearance in Nairobi offered audiences an opportunity to encounter a musical tradition that has been preserved across generations, with performers using melodies inspired by nature, history and human emotion to introduce China’s cultural heritage to an African audience.
The 70-minute concert, presented by the China Performing Arts Agency (CPAA), featured the Beijing Golden Bell Star Chinese Chamber Orchestra and the African Women’s Orchestra in a programme combining traditional Chinese compositions with music familiar to East African audiences.
One of the defining performances was Flowing Water, an ancient guqin composition performed by Zhao Xiaoxia. The piece draws from the traditional story of two friends, Boya and Zhong Ziqi, whose bond was built around their shared appreciation of music.
According to the story, Zhong could understand the images and emotions Boya expressed through his instrument, whether depicting towering mountains or flowing rivers.
