With its long, painted facade evoking sunset on the Serengeti, the 26,000 sq m (31,096 sq yd) Joint Africa Pavilion was the largest overseas pavilion of them all, where forty-two African countries and the African Union showcased their culture. The "Great Ballad of Africa" theme overcame preconceptions about this oft-typecast continent by showcasing its lifestyles, ethnical diversity, solidarity and future prospects.

The Joint-Africa Pavilion was definitely one of the most lively and colorful. Visitors could enjoy a huge program of live performances from some of Africa's best dancers and musicians. Included on the list were Ugandan royal dances, traditional Sudanese wedding ceremonies, Djiboutian sword dances and Togolese mask dances. The program also included Burundi drum shows, an opera from the Seychelles as well as performances from the Republic of Congo and Nigerian fashion shows.

Arrayed from north to south, national areas were organized to facilitate a top-to-bottom visit simulating a tour of the continent.

There were plenty of displays of African craftsmanship, textiles, consumer products, fashion and more as well as plenty about Africa's role as the cradle of civilization and importance as home to countless global biodiversity hot spots. Besides the areas for individual countries, a lively market sold craft items from around the continent.

The Symbol Zone, situated in the center of the pavilion, hosted displays of replica 160,000-year-old Hero people skulls discovered in Ethiopia in 1997, while a Kenyan exhibit focused on human evolution dating back 25 million years. Even more ancient was "Lucy," a 3.5 million year-old fossil of a female hominid. A replica of Lucy now resides in the temporary Commemorative Exhibition of Expo 2010 Shanghai until the opening of the Expo Museum in 2015.

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