‘New Perspectives’ – That was the theme for the fifth edition of the Nairobi Instagram tour, a cultural exchange initiative aimed at bringing to the fore a renewed understanding of the immense depth in diverse cultural backgrounds that Nairobi has to offer.
The tour, organised by Turn Up Travel, a Kenyan tour operator and travel agency, brought together local content creators and expats living in Nairobi to capture the diverse, immersive experiences of everyday life in the city through their lenses.
According to a local publication, The East African, in 2018, Kenya exported goods amounting to $111 million to China and imported goods worth $3.7 billion. But it’s not just in business where the Chinese have taken a keen interest in Africa, there has been an influx of Chinese coming into the country. According to the China Africa Research Initiative, Direct airline flights between Africa and China have jumped over 600% in the past decade.
With the increased number of Chinese in Kenya, Turn Up Travel saw a need for integration and an opportunity to combat stereotypes of the Chinese culture among Kenyans.
Having graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology at Oregon State University in the US, Brian Gatimu, decided that the only way to truly enact change was to go back home to Kenya and develop his passion in photography by changing perceptions about Kenya and Africa using film.
As the host and creative director of Turn Up Travel, he hoped that this 5th edition of the Nairobi IG tour would present an opportunity for Kenyans and expats alike to explore the many Chinese experiences that Nairobi has to offer.
“We are exploring Nairobi’s new perspectives in terms of food, culture, music and things that people haven’t really experienced while they are living in this city,” he said.
“Nairobi has a lot of culture so we are trying to see how other people see Nairobi and also show them how we see Nairobi.”
The tour started with a view of the sunrise from the newest tallest building in East Africa, the Global Trade Centre (GTC). It is East Africa’s first ultra-premium city complex, consisting of four major elements including the 184-metre landmark Office Tower, a luxury 5-star hotel JW Marriott, 116 metre GTC Executive Residence and a boutique mall.
Once complete, the GTC will provide Nairobi’s elite population with a premium, high quality, convenient and safe one-stop working and living platform. Its all-in-one concept is expected to influence and change the lifestyle of the city’s elites while setting new building height records and redefining the city’s skyline.
Next, the tour moved to the YuanZhiYuan Chinese restaurant where breakfast was served in a traditional Chinese style known as dim sum. A meal made up of small plates of dumplings and other snack dishes.
To top it off, participants got the chance to watch a traditional tea making ceremony, usually reserved for special events such as weddings and in other occasions as a sign of respect for guests who may be visiting.
Lunch was served at yet another Chinese restaurant located in Nairobi’s Gigiri area, Pan Asia Yao, described as ‘The must-taste fusion philosophy of South-East Asia in Nairobi’. The restaurant offers a wide array of modern Asian cuisine that one can choose from including either the bento tray menu or the hot pot menu.
The afternoon eased into a session of learning Tai Chi Chuan by Li Mingliang, a therapeutic exercise that combines martial arts and qigong (deep breathing exercise) followed by a lesson on Yao Calligraphy by one of the organisers of the tour, April Long.
Long is a Chinese lifestyle blogger who was been living in Nairobi for the past 4 years and says she is always fascinated about how diverse Nairobi is.
“Someone can actually live in Nairobi, and at the same time enjoy their lifestyle back from home. For example, do you know there are actually very many authentic Chinese restaurants? My Singaporean friend can be craving for a hot pot experience she had in Nairobi when she is back to Singapore. Can you imagine?” she says
Long says that she has been able to learn a lot about the Kenyan culture during her stay in Nairobi and hopes that through her blog, Kenyans can also learn more about her Chinese culture.
“I am running a Chinese blog to promote local cuisine, sites, market and events. My goal is to provide as much information about the local environment as possible to ensure the Chinese community living in Kenya does not feel excluded, to make them feeling part of the country, and vise versa”
“I’m also trying to promote the Chinese lifestyles to locals so that people take benefit of the diversity of Nairobi and to get the best thing from it,” she adds.
By the end of the day, the tour presented an opportunity to co-create and connect people across the board and demonstrated that Nairobi is definitely a cultural melting pot.
Beatrice Muendo, a Kenyan inventory manager, who attended the tour left with a lasting impression of China’s cultural footprint in Nairobi.
“Getting to know and understand the Chinese culture and the different foods was amazing, I tasted a something different away from the regular ugali,” she said.
