With the opening of the African Carnival, the exploration of Africa in all grades has been carried out in an orderly manner in order to make the students feel the African culture and customs more personally. On November 15th, Anna’s father from Class 3E invited Zhou Yi, the vice dean of the School of International Exchange of Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Meihimid Sidi from Mauritania, and Ding Xiang from Morocco as the “hosts” of West Africa. They led the children to embark on a cultural journey to appreciate the local customs and general customs of West Africa.
“Do you know how long it takes to fly from China to Mauritania?” Sidi asked. “’10 hours,’ ‘one day,’ ‘two days’…” the children guessed, and Sidi told them the flight would cost about a day. Although the distance between the two countries is far, the hearts of each other are very close. Later, Sidi introduced the Mauritanian language, population, size, religion, and currency in both Chinese and English. Another place featured was Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania; it is the largest city in the country and the home of Sidi.
Each country has its own unique traditional clothing. Sidi and his wife, Ding Xiang, demonstrated how to wear it. Because it is located in the desert, long sleeves are used to keep out the wind and sand, and there is a big pocket in front, which is convenient to hold a lot of things!
Sidi also brought food from Mauritania – fish and rice pilaf, traditional couscous, and roasted meat – which surprised the students and caused their mouths’ to water.
At the event, Sidi interacted warmly with the children, asking and answering questions constantly. He expressed his sincere gratitude for the trade cooperation between China and Mauritania and China’s assistance to Mauritania during the pandemic. Children also learned that no matter how far apart they are, communication can bring us closer. This is also the human significance of intercontinental carnival. I believe that through this cultural trip, students will be able to explore West Africa more deeply and understand the world on a larger scale.