Three young Chinese interpreters have expressed admiration for Nigeria, describing Nigerians as friendly and capable of contributing to the country’s development.
The interpreters, Faust Tugeluke, Kayon Wu Keyang and Mary Zlou, spoke to Voice of Nigeria’s correspondent, Qasim Akinreti, and Abass Bamalj of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Beijing during the recently concluded Seminar on Broadcast Convergence and Communication Capacity Building for Nigerian Media Professionals.
Tugeluke said Nigerians were special people who could draw from their experience in China to contribute to the development and prosperity of their country.
“Nigerians are special people who will utilise the experience of visiting China to make the country better and more prosperous,” he said.
Keyang said her interactions with Nigerian journalists and online research had given her a positive impression of the country’s media and entertainment industries.
“After my search online and communicating with Nigerian journalists, I found out that Nigeria is a great country with thriving entertainment, broadcasting, media and communication industries.
“It is a driven place. I look forward to coming to Nigeria,” she said.
Zlou also described Nigerians as kind and expressed interest in building friendships with them.
“Nigerian people are very kind. I think it is very nice to make friends with Nigerians,” she said.
The three interpreters also joined Nigerians in marking the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary on Oct. 1, 2026.
Twenty-six Nigerian media practitioners participated in the two-week capacity-building programme at the training base of the Research and Training Institute of the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) complex on Nanchen Road, Beijing.
The programme followed a series of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, its media agencies and parastatals, including Voice of Nigeria (VON), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), and Chinese media organisations, including China Media Group and Xinhua News Agency.
The programme also formed part of broader bilateral cultural and media engagements involving the Chinese Embassy in Abuja.
The two-week training featured classroom lectures, professional practice, media facility tours and cultural visits to notable sites in China, including the Great Wall of China, Temple of Heaven, Beijing Olympic Central Axis, Ice Cave, Taosi Museum and the Hukou Waterfall in Shanxi Province.
Classroom lectures
The lectures covered topics including Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought; radio and television development and international cooperation in China; Chinese modernisation and international communication; media convergence and poverty alleviation narratives; broadcasting and high-definition television technologies; Chinese national conditions from a cultural perspective; Chinese culture in the omnimedia era; and news reporting and communication practices in China.
Facilitators included officials and professionals from the National Radio and Television Administration, Xinhua News Agency, Communication University of China, the Academy of Radio and Television Sciences and the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Professional practice
The professional sessions exposed participants to practical applications of media convergence and emerging technologies.
The participants visited Beijing Zhongke Wenger AI Science and Technology Company Ltd, where they received hands-on exposure to artificial intelligence products and applications.
They also visited the Taosi Site Museum for converged-media filming practice, focusing on integrated television and audio-visual storytelling around historical and cultural themes.
At the Linfen Micro-Short Drama Base in Shanxi Province, participants explored new audio-visual formats, media convergence and approaches to global outreach through short videos and micro-short dramas.
Other practical sessions focused on local industries, ecological and cultural development, intangible cultural heritage, wine-grape cultivation and processing, and documentary production.
Participants also conducted field studies in Fengnanyuan, an underdeveloped area in Linfen City, and undertook filming exercises on the audio-visual presentation of ancient architectural heritage.
The practical sessions enabled the Nigerian media professionals to explore how documentary cinematography can showcase the distinctive features of ancient architecture and communicate cultural heritage through contemporary audio-visual formats.
The Voice of Nigeria participants included Dr Qasim Akinreti, Head of Digital Media; Ugoma Cokey, Head of Training Department; Engr. Ismail Imran, Head of Engineering Department; Muhammad Danbuama, Head of Legal Department; and Akafta Waziri of the Director-General’s Office, Public Affairs Unit.
