An art exhibition has opened in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, inviting spectators to explore both the storied past and the vibrant present of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), a lasting emblem of China-Africa friendship.

DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- An art exhibition has opened in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, inviting spectators to explore both the storied past and the vibrant present of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), a lasting emblem of China-Africa friendship.

Launched on Wednesday, the ongoing exhibition features 46 artworks -- 11 by Tanzanian artists and 35 by their Chinese counterparts -- rekindling memories for 73-year-old Solomon Mwakasanga.

Mwakasanga, who joined TAZARA in 1970 as a clerk and retired in 2005 as a senior station foreman, paused for a long moment before a portrait depicting workers hauling steel rails across rugged terrain.

"We built this railway together," he said. "It changed regional connectivity, and it changed our lives. I have benefited greatly from it."

The exhibition, titled "Shoulder to Shoulder on the Same Path," combines archival materials, oral histories, and contemporary artworks to commemorate the 50th anniversary of TAZARA's completion.

Running until Jan. 26, 2026, it is jointly presented by the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, the National Museum of Tanzania, the National Museum of China, and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

Mwakasanga recalled the close camaraderie between African and Chinese workers who lived simply, shared hardships, and built the railway across mountains and valleys.

At remote sites where languages collided, a hybrid "railway construction language," which was a blend of Kiswahili and Chinese, emerged to ease communication and reduce risks. "They chose to live with us in the villages, sleeping on simple beds, and eating whatever we had," he said.

Among the featured Tanzanian artists was 50-year-old Fred Halla, founder of Urithi Arts, a creative studio in Dar es Salaam. Halla grew up watching TAZARA trains pass through his hometown, and joining the exhibition allowed him to add his own artistic lens to the railway's story.

"For me, TAZARA is not just a railway," he said. "It is a symbol of partnership among Tanzania, Zambia, and China, and a symbol that has touched economic opportunity, education, health, and cultural exchange."

Halla described the TAZARA infrastructure as "a testament to human determination," honoring the generations who built and relied on the line despite the limited technology of their time. "It's amazing to see the sacrifice that made it possible to break barriers in the movement of people and goods."

The exhibition unfolds across four thematic sections, namely "Grand Vision, Glorious Past," "Carrying Forward Sincerity, Real Results, Amity and Good Faith," "Friends Across Generations," "Landscape along the Magnificent Tanzania-Zambia Railway," as well as "Wall of Voices."

Tanzanian Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Ashatu Kijaji described the exhibition as a "living classroom" that preserves the sacrifices and achievements of workers and engineers. She also emphasized TAZARA's role as a cherished legacy of Africa-China solidarity.

Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian highlighted the railway's historical and symbolic role, calling it both the "Freedom Railway," for its support of liberation movements in southern Africa, and the "Friendship Railway," representing deep and lasting ties between China and Africa.

"Despite limited resources, China dispatched more than 50,000 engineers and technicians and shipped over a million tons of materials," she added.