AstudentataSwahililanguageclass,EastAfricaISTOCK
InaclassroomfortheSchoolofForeignLanguagesattheCommunicationUniversityofChina,asilver-hairedacademicinaredsweaterwasalessoninconcentrationashewroteastreamofSwahiliwordscarefullyontheblackboard.
AseniorSwahiliteacherattheuniversity,bothinageandskill,ChenYuanmeng,aged76,hastaughtthelanguageforover50years.Intheprocess,hehasseenmajorchangesintherelationshipbetweenChinaandAfricancountriesandhestressestheimportanceofpromotingcommunicationviathespokenwordsateveryopportunity.
“SwahiliisourgoldenkeytounderstandingAfrica,”saidChen.“Wecanonlybegintounderstandeachotherwhenwespeakthesamelanguage.”
Creatinghistory
SwahiliisoneofthemostwidelyspokenlanguagesinEastAfrica,usedincountrieslikeTanzania,Kenya,Zambia,RwandaandMozambique.However,inChina,peoplehadlittleunderstandingofthelanguageuntilthe1960s,whensomeselecteduniversitiesinChinaestablishedSwahiliasalanguagemajortopromoteexchangesandcooperationbetweenChinaandAfrica.
In1961,the19-year-oldChenbegantostudySwahiliinasmalltrainingclassatBeijingForeignStudiesUniversity.Aftergraduation,hewasdesignatedtoteachSwahiliattheCommunicationUniversityofChina,sixyearsafterthecoursewasestablishedattheuniversity.ItwasthefirstinitiativeofitskindinChina.
“Atthattime,wedidn’tevenhavetextbooks,”Chenrecalled.“Wecouldonlydependonradioandnewspapersaslearningmaterials.”Toimprovehisteaching,ChenaskedfriendsinTanzaniatorecordthelocalradioprogramsandthensendthetapesbacktohimsothatthestudentscouldhaveauthenticvoicematerialstolistento.
However,afterthefirstgroupofhisstudentsgraduated,thecoursewasstoppedbecauseofthe“culturalrevolution”(196676).Inthefollowing25years,ChentriedvaliantlytoresumetheSwahilicourse,buttonoavail.InDecember1986,outofsheerfrustration,hewroteonbehalfofhisdepartmenttotheMinistryofForeignAffairs,theMinistryofNationalDefenseandtheMinistryofForeignTradeandEconomicCooperation,amongothers,askingforassistance.Thankstohisunremittingefforts,in1990,thelanguagemajorcoursewasfinallyresumed.In2000,enrollmentwasfurtherexpandedtoallcollegeentranceexaminationcandidates.
Intheyearsduringwhichhiscoursewasdropped,ChenkeptbusybyeditingtextbookssuchasSwahiliAdvancedReadingandtranslatingseveralSwahilibooksintoChinese,includingAfricanChildren’sStories.
Recallingthetoughlearningconditionsbackatthattime,HuBo,aformerstudentofChenwhograduatedin2004,saidthatwhenheattendedschoolintheearly2000s,therewerelimitedcopiesoftheSwahili-Chinesedictionaryacrossthecountry.“Therewere24studentsinmyclass.ProfessorChenboughtadictionaryforeachoneofus.Thedictionarywasatreasureditemforusinthosedays,”saidHu.
Richlegacy
Fordecades,thegenerationsofstudentstaughtbyChenhaveallusedtheirSwahiliskillsinawiderangeofprofessionstostrengthenSino-Africanexchanges.Theseincludeforeignaffairs,media,teaching,medicineandeconomics.OneofChen’sstudents,LiKunruonan,hasfollowedinhisfootstepstobecomeateacherattheCommunicationUniversityofChinaaftergraduationin2005.
“IchosetobecomeaSwahiliteacherbecauseIthinktherearestillmanyChinesepeoplewhowanttoknowaboutAfrica,”saidLi.“IwanttohelpmorepeoplelearnabouttherealAfrica.”
Alsoworkingasatranslator,LihasbeentranslatingSwahilinovelsintoChinese.“IwanttohelpChinesepeopleinAfricalearnSwahiliandmoreabouttheAfricanculture,andalsohelpAfricanpeoplelearnsomeChineseandunderstandmoreaboutChina,”saidLi.
HanMei,agraduatefromtheearly1990s,hasbeenworkingasareporterattheWestAfricanCenterofChinaRadioInternational,tellingtheChinesestorytoAfricanpeople.
HanandherclassmateChenLianyingandotheralumnialsotranslatedABeautifulDaughter-in-LawEra,a36-episodelightcomedyaboutamodernChinesecouple,intoSwahili.TheTVseriesconveysuniversalthemesofloveandkindnessthatresonatewellwithAfricanaudiences.TheshowhasbeenabighitsinceitwasfirstintroducedtoTanzaniaandKenyain2011.
ChenYuanmengandhisstudentsZHOUKELIFosteringunderstanding
Likemanyofhisalumni,HuwenttoAfricaaftergraduation.AfterworkinginseveraldifferentAfricancountries,hebuilthisownfertilizerimportandexportbusinessinAfrica.
HubelievesthatwiththedeepeningdevelopmentofChina-Africaexchangesandcooperation,andtheincreasinglycloserexchanges,especiallyunderthestrategyoftheBeltandRoadInitiative,ChinesewhocanspeakSwahiliareurgentlyneeded.“OnlythroughbettercommunicationcanthefriendshipbondbetweenChinaandAfricabecomestrengthened,”hesaid.
ChensaidthatalthoughsomeChinesepeoplehavelessknowledgeaboutAfrica,inreality,thereismuchtobepositiveregardingthecontinent,andthroughlanguage,animportantwindowforstrengtheningmutualunderstandingisopened.
“Swahiliismylifelongcareer,”Chensaid,whiletalkingaboutthefuture.“Inthepast,thebridgeofChina-Africafriendshipwasbuiltandstrengthenedbymygeneration.Inthefuture,Ihopethatmoreyoungpeoplewillcontinuetocontribute[inthisarea].”HebelievesthatthosewithabilitytospeakSwahilicancontinuetoplayavitalroleincross-culturalcommunicationbetweenChinaandAfrica.
**Commentsto
IchosetobecomeaSwahiliteacherbecauseIthinktherearestillmanyChinesepeoplewhowanttoknowaboutAfrica,IwanttohelpmorepeoplelearnabouttherealAfrica.
LiKunruonanTeacherattheCommunicationUniversityofChina