STORY: Cape Town Carnival showcases Chinese cultural highlights
SHOOTING TIME: March 16, 2024
DATELINE: March 18, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:06
LOCATION: Cape Town
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Cape Town Carnival
2. various of the Chinese performing group at the Cape Town Carnival
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): VAL ANDRIES, Local resident
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): NICOLAS JOHNSON, Local resident
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): VAL ANDRIES, Local resident
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): RACHEL JAFTA, Chairperson of Cape Town Carnival
7. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): DONG GANG, Head of Chinese performing group

STORYLINE:

The annual Cape Town Carnival kicked off in the legislative capital of South Africa on Saturday evening with Chinese elements featured at the event.

Under the theme of "Lekker" -- an Afrikaans word that means nice, pleasant or enjoyable -- this year's carnival saw over 1,000 performers from various communities across the city taking part in a parade to celebrate diversity, creativity and cultural understanding.
   
The event featured massive floats, colorful costumes, and vibrant choreographed dance routines, attracting tens of thousands of locals and visitors.
   
The Chinese performing group was the star of the evening. The dancing dragons, lions and pandas attracted strong applause and cheers from the audience wherever they went.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): VAL ANDRIES, Local resident
"China's performance was amazing!"

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): NICOLAS JOHNSON, Local resident
"Yeah, the lights and the colors, and the dragon... all those are amazing. Very good."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): VAL ANDRIES, Local resident
"I especially enjoyed all the lights. The costumes are amazing, the performers are doing a great job, and it was just awesome."

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): RACHEL JAFTA, Chairperson of Cape Town Carnival
"The Chinese contribution to the Cape Town Carnival has been really central from the beginning. It brings an incredible skill and flaring beauty to the carnival. The Chinese groups dance with the dragon and the fire... it is always very popular. You just see the spectators' faces light up and the little kids get very excited when the dragon comes. So we're very proud to have the Chinese community as part of the Cape Town Carnival. And in the pandemic, for example, the Chinese community was very instrumental in helping the other groups that are members of the Cape Town Carnival. That, to us, we are very grateful for that."

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): DONG GANG, Head of Chinese performing group
"This year is our sixth time taking part in the Cape Town Carnival. As a major festival in the local cultural life of South Africa, the Cape Town Carnival provides us with a large platform to showcase our excellent traditional Chinese culture. Especially since this year is the Year of the Dragon, we brought our 50-meter-long dragon to celebrate our culture with a confident feeling. At the same time, we can also feel that we have added our own colors to the local multiculturalism."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cape Town.
(XHTV)