She may have forged a successful career in international business but Zimbabwean Pamela Chigwida had no qualms about taking on a new challenge — learning Chinese at the newly opened Confucius Institute in Harare.
”There are lots of business opportunities in China but you can’t do much if you can’t speak their language,” said the 29-year-old.
Chigwada is one of around 50 students who have enrolled in the new Chinese language and culture institute which opened its doors at the University of Zimbabwe this week in a reflection of Beijing’s growing influence in Africa.
Apart from learning Mandarin, students will also get a chance to learn about Chinese history, art and even acupuncture, according to Wu Jiahua, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Harare.
Students are being offered the chance to not only study in the daytime, but businessmen and women who cannot afford to take time off can attend classes in the evening.
The government in Beijing, which played host late last year to an unprecedented gathering of African leaders, has stumped up $100 000 to fund the institute at a time when Zimbabwe is experiencing economic meltdown, largely as a result of a 1 600% annual rate of inflation.
The institute is ”a very important way of developing our cultural ties with Zimbabwe and Africa,” said Wu.
”We have excellent bilateral relations with Zimbabwe and have lots of ideas for the course, to make those relations grow.
”We will facilitate cultural exchanges as well as visits by lawyers from China to familiarise the students who want to go to China on business with our laws.”
On a recent swing through Africa, Chinese President Hu Jintao insisted that Beijing did not just want to milk the continent for its bountiful natural resources but develop a two-way relationship which could benefit both sides.
The funding of the institute is being held up as a proof that such talk is being translated into action.
After her first Mandarin lesson, Chigwada said she had been inspired to sign up to lessons after encountering obstacles on several trips to China where she purchased both clothing and electronic equipment to sell back home.
”I have been to China several times on business, and communication was a real impediment … I had to use sign language to negotiate prices,” she said.
”It [the lesson] was fun, exciting and hopefully it will help me when I go back to China on business.”
Isolated by Western governments over the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe has looked to foster new relations with Asian countries such as China as part of the ”Look East” policy.
China has supplied planes and military equipment either for free or at knockdown prices. However not everyone is so happy at the growing Chinese presence, with the flood of cheap Chinese goods in retail outlets said to have forced thousands of workers out of jobs.
Although it was not accorded the honour of a visit from Hu, the Zimbabwe government is convinced that it can foster a special relationship with Beijing.
”We have excellent political, diplomatic and economic co-operation with China,” Higher Education Minister Stan Mudenge said at the signing of the agreement last year to start the Chinese school.
”To strengthen this warm friendship, we need to deepen our cultural co-operation through language and other educational studies.”
Wu also painted a picture of a blossoming relationship, saying that plans were already under way to double the number of classes from the current two when more teachers are deployed from China.
But not everyone is as enthusiastic about the opening of the institute at a time when a cash crunch has prompted the authorities at the University of Zimbabwe to shut down dilapidated halls of residence at the main campus.
A local students union has derided the new institute as a waste of money and a ploy to gloss over the problems bedeviling the university, including a shortage of textbooks.
”Who needs to learn Chinese when things are as tight as they are at the moment?,” queried local student activist Benjamin Nyandoro.
”Chinese is hardly spoken in this part of the world. We are more concerned about trying to raise money for courses that will really benefit us all in the long term.”
Beloved Chiweshe, secretary-general of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (Zinasu), said there was no guarantee Beijing would continue funding the new centre after the initial start-up.
”Our query is will the Chinese sustain their funding for the institute because the university is already struggling to maintaining existing structures.” – AFP
