Tanzania celebrated its National Pavilion Day yesterday with traditional singing and dancing at Expo Center.
Tanzania and China have strong bond of friendly ties and the Tanzanian people are always friendly to Chinese people, said Mary M. Nagu, Minister For Industry, Trade And Marketing of the United Republic of Tanzania, said during the celebration ceremony.
World Expos were stages to exhibit new ideals, new technology and new innovations and the Expo 2010 theme "Better City, Better Life" is essential for Tanzania, she added.
Among its 40 million residents, 30 percent live in urban areas and its urbanization has been growing rapidly. Besides, the country is making innovation and progress in areas such as environmental protection, improving sanitation levels and upgrading urban community infrastructure, she said.
Tanzania has beautiful natural scenery as well as potential resources for tourism and she invited Chinese travelers to visit the country.
Zhang Ming, director-general with the General Office of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the two countries have a long history of traditional friendship and recently experienced further development.
Expo 2010 will let the two countries and two people know more about each other and offer new chances of cooperation, he added.
Tanzania's exhibition is unique to make visitors feel like in the scrolls integrating urban life, art and civilization, he said.
The pavilion has a modern outfit combining ancient thatched roofs showing harmony of human and nature, he added.
The color, handcraft items and films featuring Tanzanian scenery will make visitors have a taste of local things, he said.
He said he hoped that the exhibition will make Tanzania Pavilion a highlight in the 184-day event.
Shamsa Mwangunga, Honorable Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism and Zhen Jianguo, China's vice commissioner general to Expo 2010 also attended the ceremony.
During the ceremony, a set of traditional singing and dancing were staged.
Tanzania Pavlion stands inside Joint-Africa Pavilion at Zone C, whose theme is "Urbanization for Sustainable Development" and showcases two cities, Dar-Es-Salaam and Zanzibar. The pavilion exterior is ebony black, suggesting the country's famous ebony forests, the shape is modern and the roof appears to be thatched - symbolizing harmony between man and nature in the process of urbanization.
The pavilion contains a central open area for performances and two semi-enclosed areas on each side for exhibitions of urban, social and cultural development. It also features national parks, the country's famous wildlife and a film of Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
