Tanzanian troupe stages Chang'e play in Kiswahili at Dar es Salaam cultural centre

A Tanzanian troupe has staged the Chinese moon-goddess story of Chang'e in Kiswahili at the China Cultural Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's commercial hub, as part of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, Xinhua reported on 14 October 2026.

The one-hour play, "Chang'e: Flying to the Moon", was staged by African Film Arts and Social Revolution (AFASR), a Tanzanian non-profit, which developed the production with the China Cultural Center in Tanzania, according to Xinhua. Traditional Tanzanian instruments, including drums and marimba, accompanied the performance. The centre also provided support for production materials and costumes.

Xinhua said diplomats, film industry stakeholders and other guests watched the play and applauded it.

Danifrida Ngonyani played Chang'e. She has been a member of AFASR for about four years, Xinhua reported. "Being given the role of Chang'e made me very proud and excited," she said, as quoted by Xinhua.

In one version of the legend, as Xinhua tells it, Chang'e drinks an elixir of immortality, rises to the moon and leaves her husband, Hou Yi, on Earth. The story is tied to the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, when families reunite, gaze at the full moon and share mooncakes.

A total of 14 artists took part, including stage performers and those responsible for music and visual elements, Xinhua reported. According to AFASR's founder and director, Nyakwesi Silas Mujaya, the production took about one month of continuous preparation. AFASR was founded in 2012 and uses drama, theatre, music and dance to support women, children and young people, Xinhua said.

For Mujaya, the legend carries themes familiar to Tanzanian audiences, including sacrifice, responsibility, protecting others and the struggle between good and evil, the agency reported. "Although the story comes from China, some of its values are similar to ours," Mujaya said, as quoted by Xinhua.

Xinhua quoted Ngonyani as saying she likes Chinese culture and would like to learn more if she gets the chance to visit China. Mujaya hopes cooperation with the cultural centre will eventually allow AFASR artists to perform in China, the agency reported.

"I want to visit China not only to see the country, but also to learn about its culture," Mujaya said, as quoted by Xinhua. "At the same time, I want Chinese people to learn about Tanzanian culture."