Green, Clean, Prosperous, Advanced, Friendly…, these are part of the first impressions of the Namibian local government officials of Nanjing. On May 11, a delegation of 9 Namibian local government officials came to Nanjing to experience its different faces by visiting a number of international communities, science parks, and cultural blocks.
Nanjing and Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, have been engaged in friendly contact since 2014, and established a sister-city relationship in 2015, conducting practical cooperation in such fields as arts, sports, and youth exchanges. The delegation started off in Nanjing International Sister Cities Exhibition Hall, where they learned that Nanjing has forged friendly ties with more than 100 cities on five continents. In the introduction zone of Windhoek, a tall young representative became very excited after seeing the photo of Nujoma, Namibia’s first President. He turned out to be President Nujoma’s grandson, a councilor of the City of Windhoek, named Shafiishuna Sam Nujoma. He said, “May 12 is my grandfather’s birthday. He used to study at the Nanjing Army Command Academy. I feel very honored to retrace his route in Nanjing.”
Somerset Youth Olympic Nanjing in Shuangzha Sub-District, Jianye District, is one of the first pilot communities for international community construction in Nanjing and is home to high-end technical talents from various countries and regions. Bilingual guidance boards are visible all over the community, and the community center has been built into a hub where richly diverse cultural exchange activities have resonance for residents of different nationalities. As Mother’s Day neared, the members of the delegation also experienced festival-themed activities such as making clay roses, writing fan calligraphy, and making bouquets with great interest. “It’s a very good community, and I hope Namibia can build such a youth community where young people have access to cultural exchanges and learn and develop skills,” said Samuel Oe-Amseb, President of the Association of Local Authorities in Namibia (ALAN). “Nanjing has so many international sister cities, and it attaches great importance to them. The world is a global village, and we can see that China is making friends with cities all over the world. ”
On the same day, the delegation visited the exhibition hall of Singapore Nanjing Eco-Hi-Tech Island and Jiangsu Future Urban Travel Technology Group in Jiangxinzhou, and experienced the driver-less minibus; they wandered through the Xiaoxihu Historical and Cultural Block, learning about urban renewal and traditional culture protection, and appreciating the ingenuity of Qinhuai lanterns. Ms. Hilda Magano Jesaja, ALAN Vice-President, said, “I am very impressed by modern technologies in Nanjing, especially the driverless buses. We still have a lot to learn from Nanjing, and we hope to build closer partnerships with Nanjing to empower the development of our country.”