List of theaters built by China as aid

The construction of theaters, opera houses, and other cultural facilities by China as gifts to foreign countries is a part of China's foreign aid program.^[1] In a white paper published by China in 2009 on its aid projects in the area of civil construction, the building of cultural facilities is one of the types identified among a total of 2,025 projects stated as built by a Chinese grant or no-interest loan to the recipient country.^[1]

Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre in Sri Lanka

•  Algeria
  • A national opera house in Algiers is under construction as a US$40 million gift by China to Algeria.^[2] The foundation stone for the 1400 seat venue was laid in a ceremony in November 2012.^[2]
•  Cameroon
  • The Palais des Congrès de Yaoundé was built by China and opened in 1982. The venue is a 1,500 seat multipurpose performance hall with "an ultra-modern stage boasting the country's best sound and lighting equipment."^[3]
•  Ghana
  • The National Theatre in Accra was opened in January 1993 after construction by China.^[4] The theatre is a gift as the loan from China funding the construction would later be cancelled in 2007. China granted a further US$2 million to refurbish the theatre for Ghana's golden jubilee celebrations.
  • The Drama Studio at the University of Ghana at Legon was built under the program as the original work on the National Theatre.^[4]
•  Mauritius
  • The Plaza Theatre in Rose Hill was renovated in 2008 using funds provided by China in the form of a non-interest loan.^[5]
•  Senegal
  • The Grand Theatre in Dakar was constructed from 2008-2011 by Complant as a gift.^[3] The six storey, 1800 seat theatre was built at a cost of 16 billion CFA francs, of which China paid 14 billion CFA francs and Senegal contributed the rest.^[3]
  • Construction on a Museum of Black Civilization located in Dakar began in 2011, funded by a grant of $US30 million from China.^[6] The contractor for the project is the Shanghai Construction Group.
•  Somalia
  • National Theatre of Somalia was built by China as a gift to Somalia in 1967.^[7]
•  Sri Lanka
  • Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre is theatre in Colombo built in 2011 by China as gift to enhance ties with Sri Lanka.^[8] Construction of the 1288 seat venue was handled by the Yanjian Group.^[8]
•  Trinidad and Tobago
  • National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain

References

1. "China's Foreign Aid". Xinhua. 2011-04-21.
2. "China hopes to hit the right note with Algeria opera house". The Guardian. April 29, 2013.
3. Rubin, Don (1997). The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Africa. Taylor & Francis. p. 87.
4. Barnham, Martin (2004). A History of Theatre in Africa. Cambridge University Press. p. 167.
5. "Interest-free loan for Plaza Theatre". AidData.
6. "Senegal's president lays foundation stone for Black Civilization Museum". Xinhua. December 21, 2011.
7. "Somalia national theatre reopens after 20 years". The Telegraph. 20 March 2012.
8. "Artistic talent to flower with Chinese generosity". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). December 11, 2011.