In a Kansas schoolyard in 1979, alone in a crowd of children at play, Theodore Jonas Akonga made a discovery that would determine the course of his adult life.

Newly arrived in the United States, the 7-year-old from what was then Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was isolated from the other children by barriers of language and culture.

In that lonely place, Akonga found his voice and his calling.

He spoke to his playmates not in the tongue of his African homeland, but in the scratchy whisper of pencil on paper, in the language of lines and shading.

"I took a pencil, and I drew what I wanted to say," Akonga remembers. "This is how I started using art to communicate with people."

It is a skill the now Beijing-based 41-year-old still uses.

"I did the same thing when I moved to China in 2003," he says.

Paints and brushes have become Akonga's communication tools, along with English and Mandarin. Using art to transcend language and culture has become his profession, as well as his passion.

In November, his work was shown as part of a multi-artist exhibition in Beijing that documented through paintings, drawings and photographs the experiences of Africans living in China.

Akonga and the exhibition's organizer, Ajike "Saint Jerry" Njoku, believe strongly that art is a way for both China and Africa to see the other from different perspectives, to find common ground, and to discover and relish differences.

"I use my paintings to make people think," Akonga says. "We can help the cultures understand each other better."

Akonga came to China after receiving a scholarship to study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He is close to completing a PhD, and his studio space at CAFA is a riot of color and shapes - a clutter of canvases that range from nude models from his life-drawing classes to portraits of Congolese leaders to intriguing blends of Chinese and African symbolism.

"I draw on inspiration from Chinese characters," he says.

In one piece, he infused the Chinese character for "door" (men) with a layer of meaning from Africa.

"In my country we have an expression - to do things the right way, you have to get in or out the door, not the window."

Among the other paintings that clutter his workspace is a self-portrait, featuring the Great Wall both on his shirt and in the background. It is an exploration of retaining a sense of self and cultural identity while immersed in a foreign country.

It is one of two paintings in the room that are not for sale.

The other is his personal favorite, a red and gold dominated abstract titled Conviction. Unlike his other works, which have evolved over long periods of creation, that painting came together in a sudden, frenzy of inspiration - at a time when he was mired in self-doubt about his future as an artist.

"It dispelled all of my weariness and I felt like I could start a new life," he says.

"For most of my paintings, I can tell you the story behind them," he adds with a slow smile. "For this one, I tell you frankly, I have no idea what it means."

Beijing artist Xie Fei, who has worked with Akonga in the past, loves the African painter's use of bold colors, which lend a strong African flavor, and his tendency to infuse different cultural elements in his work.

"It makes the finished product modern and international," Xie says.

Akonga is contemplating a return to his African homeland when his studies are complete next year. Having brought something of Africa to China, he now hopes to bring a new understanding of China back to Africa.

"Sometimes the most helpful people are people like us," says his friend Njoku. "We are a product of both cultures."

Akonga picks up a pen and begins to doodle on a notepad. He draws the Chinese character men that has featured so prominently in his work.

It looks like an open door. It looks both African and Chinese. It looks like a way into the future.

Mike Peters contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at josephcatanzaro@chinadaily.com.cn and chenyingqun@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily USA 01/02/2014 page9)