A series of events will be held around China this year to promote African culture, China's Ministry of Culture (MOC) said Tuesday.

Performances, exhibitions and symposiums will be held from May to the end of this year in Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Changchun, and other major Chinese cities, as part of a project named "2012 African Culture Focus," according to the MOC.

Co-sponsored by the MOC, the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the project will kick off at the National Museum on May 25 with a series of exhibitions on African culture and China-Africa culture exchanges.

The forum for culture ministers from China and African countries under the framework of China-Africa Cooperation Forum will be held June 18-19 in Beijing. Culture ministers from 50 African countries, African diplomats in China and scholars will attend the forum, the MOC said.

In the meantime, culture organizations from Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Senegal and some other African countries will hold performances or symposiums in Beijing and Shanghai, the ministry said.