The China-Hunan Film Week opened in Nairobi this week, bringing together government officials, diplomats, scholars, artists and film audiences as part of a wider China-Kenya cultural exchange effort.
The event featured film-related activities alongside cultural performances, calligraphy, painting and photography exhibitions.
On paper, it is a film and cultural exchange event. But beneath that, it also speaks to China’s growing cultural presence across Africa.
For Kenya, the event creates room for exchange between Kenyan and Chinese creatives. It also places film within a wider diplomatic relationship between the two countries. But for African film industries, the larger question is not whether international collaboration is good or bad.
The question is whether African countries are entering these partnerships with a clear strategy.
China has already built strong influence across infrastructure, trade, technology and education in many African countries. Film and culture are a natural next step. Through events like this, China is not only exporting films. It is also exporting narratives, relationships and soft power.
That does not automatically make the exchange negative. African filmmakers need access, training, co-production opportunities and wider distribution networks. But those opportunities should not come at the cost of African agency.
The real test is whether these cultural partnerships lead to stronger African film industries or simply create new platforms for foreign influence.
Film weeks are rarely just about screenings. They are also about who gets to tell stories, who builds influence and who benefits from the exchange.
In this particular cultural exchange, who benefits the most?