Africans In China

Increased exchange has made Africans much more aware of the Chinese language. There’s a Chinese craze coming, from Egypt in the north right down to South Africa.

The Nairobi Confucius Institute opened last year, in the Kenyan capital. Sponsored jointly by both countries, it’s the first dedicated Chinese language school in Africa. The instructors came in, from Tianjin University.

Deputy Director of Nairobi Confucius Institute Song Lixian said:”As teachers of Chinese, we shoulder great responsibility. We’ve got a sense of mission. Through our efforts, we hope to promote cultural exchange between China and Africa.”

Chinese is not just the rage in Kenya, but in many African countries. The Chinese Cultural Center in Cairo set up a three-month course in 2003, to teach the basics.

And away from the cultural center, Egyptian colleges are setting up Chinese departments. Al-Azhar, Ain Shams, and Cairo universities, together, have more than 700 students learning the language.

At Ain Shams, the Chinese Language Department was actually launched back in 1958.

Professor of Ain Shams University Ain Ibrahim said:”Why do people here need to learn Chinese? There are two answers. First, China has a huge population. So, they should know something about the country. Second, though China is far away from Egypt, we both have ancient and honorable histories. We have a lot in common. That’s why we must learn Chinese.”

Statistics show more than 8,000 African students now learning Chinese. And the number is rapidly on the rise.

(http://www.chinesetime.cn)

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