Sharing her love of language, culture

Mandarin helps Chinese teacher to build lasting bonds with people in Cameroon, Tanzania

It is said that Confucius, the great teacher had over 3,000 students in China, a remarkable achievement for those days. Hundreds of years later, the ancient sage is still proving to be the main inspiration for a Chinese teacher to teach Chinese language courses to over 3,000 students in Cameroon and Tanzania.

The 10 teaching centers affiliated to the Confucius Institute at the University of Yaounde II in Cameroon, offer courses ranging from elementary Chinese to language lessons for business purposes. Most of the students are from universities, though it is not uncommon to see middle and primary school students too at the center.

The center follows the "One Institute, Multiple Teaching Centers" model, pioneered by Zhang Xiaozhen, the former director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Yaounde II.

Zhang was recently recognized as one of the "People of the Year" for her efforts in dissemination of Chinese culture at "2013 Brilliance of China" event. Head of the Buddha's Light International Association Hsing Yun and renowned film star Jackie Chan were among the other recipients of the honor.

"I am happy to receive the honor on behalf of the over 10,000 teachers and volunteers teaching Chinese overseas." Zhang says. "Many of them are working just as diligently as I am."

Zhang says that teaching Chinese in Africa has been a tough experience. Her tryst with the continent began in 2007 when she was selected by her alma mater - Zhejiang Normal University - to be the Chinese director of the first Confucius Institute in Cameroon.

"We had to live in dirty houses covered with iron sheets, old beds and broken mattresses. There were also frequent power outages," Zhang says, adding that it was tough to stay calm and composed. "Though I was mentally prepared for the ordeal, I was almost ready to gave up after the first day," she says.

"Being an optimist by nature helped and soon I was able to adjust to the surroundings and live with the difficulties," she says.

Zhang had only one colleague and between them they were responsible for almost everything in the early days. "Besides preparing the instruction materials and syllabus, we also had to pass out flyers detailing the activities at the center, introduce ourselves to as many people on the street as possible and also make local friends.

She, however, says that the biggest challenge was on how to make the difficult Chinese language lessons interesting for African students.

"We realized that teaching vocabulary and grammar alone would not be enough to attract students," she says.

Since most of the Africans love music, Zhang decided to teach the language through Chinese songs, and various other cultural activities such as kung fu, folk arts and Chinese food.

That efforts seem to have more than paid off, gauging by the growing number of centers offering Chinese classes in Cameroon. Zhang says that one of the centers give students a Chinese language education degree from the University of Maroua in northern Cameroon, the first of its kind in Central Africa.

Many of Zhang's students have already graduated from college and are teaching Chinese in local schools, while others have come to China for higher education.

"One of my students, Romeo, even got married to a Chinese girl last year, and sent me their wedding photos. He has got a PhD degree from East China Normal University, " says Zhang with excitement on her face as she talks about the achievements of her students.

In 2010, Zhang finished her term in Cameroon, and returned to China. The Cameroon government gave her the "Presidential Knight Medal" in 2011 for her contribution to Cameroon-China cultural ties.

However when the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania was established in January 2013, no one expected Zhang to return to Africa to be the trailblazer for the newly born Confucius Institute for the second time.

This time, she even brought her husband along.

"I take back my complaints," says Cheng Anxin, Zhang's husband, "Her work is so meaningful and I am happy to support her."

With an amicable and helpful personality, Zhang has been able to easily blend in with the African students and make friends. Many African students regard her as their "Chinese mother".

"She has all the qualities of a mother," says Frederick Sumaye, the former Prime Minister of Tanzania. "She's caring, she really looks after them, and she's very friendly to the young people she's staying with."

However as a mother, Zhang feels guilty about her own daughter. "I have left my own daughter at home, and can see her only once a year. I always think that I owe her the most."

But, fortunately, her daughter has chosen to support her and plans to be a teacher after graduation.

"That's what prompted me to return to Africa for the second time," Zhang says.

At present, Zhang and her colleagues have organized 13 cultural activities of various kinds, such as the preliminaries of the "Chinese Bridge" Competition for College Students and "Chinese Day". The events have attracted over 20,000 participants and have been welcomed by the local community in Tanzania.

"Zhang is a very charming Chinese lady," says Asha-Rose Migiro, the former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and a native of Tanzania. "She can blend very easily with the people here, and teach us the Chinese language and various other aspects of Chinese culture."

Xing Yi contributed to this story.

(China Daily USA 02/06/2014 page4)