The relationship between Asia and Africa is a longstanding one, historically, and has been growing exponentially in recent years though increased investment and trade. Chinese porcelaine from the 9th century has been found in the archaeological site of Great Zimbabwe and the cotton trade from India to Africa dates back to the time of Herodotus in the 5th century BCE. I had the pleasure of organizing a presentation at UBC on May 29th by Dr. Renu Modi of the University of Mumbai on the manufacturing of textiles – mainly kanga and vitenge (the plural of kitenge) in India for the growing African market. China is also highly involved in the manufacturing of this cloth used primarily for the garment industry. Dr. Modi presented her documentary film, Common Threads, which was featured recently in the Zanzibar International Film Festival. Approximately 40 people were in attendance. Thank you Renu!