STORY: Ethiopian girl excels at contest that depicts dreams via drawings, space
DATELINE: Sept. 14, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:46
LOCATION: Addis Ababa
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Abigail Berhanemeskel receiving the prize
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ABIGAIL BERHANEMESKEL, Second prize winner of the painting competition
3. various of Berhanemeskel receiving the prize
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SHEN QINMIN, Minister counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia

STORYLINE:

An artwork by Ethiopian teenager Abigail Berhanemeskel has won second prize in the "My Dream" painting competition, which aimed to promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in space exploration between China and Africa.

Her colorful art piece, titled "Her Hope," was one of 2,000 artworks created by African teenagers who expressed their dreams through their drawings.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ABIGAIL BERHANEMESKEL, Second prize winner of "My Dream" painting competition
"I found out about this painting competition, being about space, I really like it because one, I love painting, and two, I love space. So, it became the perfect combination for me. So, I was really happy to participate here."

As a 15-year-old student at Andnet International School in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, Berhanemeskel is the only winner among 100 Ethiopian young artists who submitted their artworks for the competition.

Explaining her painting, she said it portrays an Ethiopian girl who aspires to seize the opportunity, even though it is far away from her. She realized her dreams by making use of her untapped knowledge, skills, and talent.

The prestigious competition, co-hosted by the secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the China Manned Space Engineering Office, and the Chinese missions in Africa, saw the participation of 2,000 African youth from more than 40 countries. A total of 50 prizes -- comprising 10 first prizes, 15 second prizes, and 25 third prizes -- have been awarded in the first round of the competition.

The Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia awarded Berhanemeskel in recognition of her performance in the competition and to encourage her and other competitors to strive further.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SHEN QINMIN, Minister counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia
"The Chinese government tries to share our outer-space dream along with our African friends. That's in general. In particular, we want to inspire young talented students in Africa in general and in Ethiopia in particular to dream more and then to achieve more."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Addis Ababa.
(XHTV)