China Africa relations are most often narrated through the lens of infrastructure financing, trade balances, and geopolitical competition. This framing, while important, leaves out a critical layer of the relationship: the lived, human, and cultural exchanges happening at the grassroots level. The link between arts, diplomacy and grassroots engagement is often underestimated, yet it’s often one of the most effective pathways for building trust and sustainable partnerships.

This webinar brings together research, lived experience, and artistic practice to examine how culture — specifically dance and music— functions as both a diplomatic tool and a genuine site of grassroots relationship-building in the midst of racial tensions.