Story of Kenya's SGR to be published in three languages

Wu Zhiqiang (left), deputy director of the Xinhua News Agency's Africa bureau, and Yang Yunpeng, the director of Enjoy Culture & Media of the Changjiang Media and Publishing Co, attend a signing ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo / XINHUA

The step-by-step construction of Kenya's $3.8 billion Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), filmed by a Chinese-owned media company, will be published in book form.

The book version of the three-episode film, documented by Xinhua News Agency, will be published by Enjoy Culture & Media Co Ltd in three languages following a deal signed on Thursday between representatives of the two Chinese companies. The event was held at the Nairobi Terminus of the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR.

The book, which will be published in Chinese, English and French editions, will be largely based on the 90-minute eponymous documentary, My Railroad, My Story, which provides behind-the-scene stories from the perspective of ordinary Chinese and Kenyan builders of the SGR, the largest infrastructure project since Kenya's independence in 1963.

Wu Zhiqiang, deputy director-general of Xinhua Africa, hailed the book deal with Enjoy Culture as a good start for the two sides' cooperation in offering all-media services and strengthening strategic transformation and upgrade.

Yang Yunpeng, director of Enjoy Culture & Media, which launched its Kenya presence in July 2016, said the book will be released in early 2018. Yang pledged to work with Xinhua in producing more media products to enhance understanding between China and Kenya in particular and Africa in general.

The firm is a subsidiary of Changjiang Publishing & Media, headquartered in Wuhan, capital city of central Hubei province.

Yao Ming, counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya; David Muswii, deputy director of the Kenya National Library Service; and Chinese and Kenyan media representatives based in Nairobi also attended the event.

Yang Yi, one of the Xinhua documentary's directors, praised the professionalism and dedication of Chinese and Kenyan colleagues.

"Just like the SGR, My Railway, My Story is also a work of cooperation between Chinese and Kenyans," Yang said, adding that the book would further enhance the documentary's impact.

Peterson Gitonga, a duty manager at Nairobi Terminus, also spoke at the ceremony.

"The Standard Gauge Railway has transformed Kenya in the right direction, which has been accepted by many of its citizens," he said. "This will remain to be beneficial to the people and the generations to come."

"For sure the Standard Gauge Railway will remain to be my railway, my story," Gitonga added.

The film took the Xinhua team and its partners more than two years to conduct field interviews and post production.

lucymorangi@chinadaily.com.cn