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Ni hao, Chinese for 鈥渉ello,鈥� or ting bu dong, meaning 鈥淚 hear you, but I don鈥檛 understand,鈥� are two expressions one often overhears today in Zimbabwe鈥檚 capital. It is one of the results of tenacious efforts by governments, private companies and individuals across Africa, but in Zimbabwe particularly, to learn the Chinese language and understand China鈥檚 culture.

Learning Chinese as a second or third language has been a global trend in the last few years. In Africa, the rapid increase of Chinese investments and trade (China is currently the continent鈥檚 biggest trading partner) has spurred the trend.

Zimbabwe鈥檚 government has been very deliberate in enhancing its bilateral relationship with China. It launched the Look East Policyin 2003 to give priority to investors from China, Japan, Singapore and other countries from that region.As a result, trade between China and Zimbabwe has been growing exponentially 鈥� China is now the biggest buyer of Zimbabwe鈥檚 tobacco.

Although learning Chinese dates back to Zimbabwe鈥檚 liberation struggle in the late 1960s and 1970s when freedom fighters went to China for military training, the trend has now accelerated significantly, and for different reasons.

Confucius Institute

To spread the Chinese language and culture, the government of China is utilizing a concept called Confucianism. Confucius was a great Chinese philosopher and educator born in 551 BC. The Chinese believe that his thoughts have tremendously influenced Chinese culture and even had an impact other cultures. Chinese people refer to Confucius as 鈥渁 greater teacher.鈥�

Zimbabwe leads the rest of the continent in the training of local teachers of Chinese, having integrated the Confucius Institute into the University of Zimbabwe鈥檚 academic structures in 2007, as part of an expanding network of about 400 Confucius Institutes worldwide. The programme has largely been successful, and the university is poised to export surplus teachers of Chinese to other countries as well.

Professor Pedzisai Mashiri, the inaugural director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe, says that one of the institute鈥檚 goals is to promote the Chinese language and culture in Zimbabwe.

Because the government is yet to integrate Chinese into the national curriculum for primary and secondary schools, schools that host Confucius classes offer the Chinese language as an extra-curricular activity. More than a thousand students have received such language training through the institute since 2009. A few others are completing studies in China and will join the university soon.

A skill that pays

Observers say there has been a rising demand from organizations and individuals seeking to learn Chinese. Clarence Makoni, the founder of the Cendel Language Bridge, a private company that provides translations, interpretation and foreign language instruction, told Africa Renewal that there are huge benefits in learning foreign languages. Chinese, he says, is by far the most sought after.

鈥淚f you look at the rate at which the Chinese are coming into this country,鈥� says Mr. Makoni, 鈥測ou do not need to be a prophet to tell who is going to be the most significant employer in a few years to come. . . . All the people we train are snapped up by companies as soon as they finish their courses, and they are paid very handsomely.鈥�

He adds that the ability to speak another major language besides English is a great selling point in the marketplace. A Chinese-speaking interpreter can rake in a monthly salary of Z$5,000, while a bilingual secretary with the same capabilities can claim up to Z$3,000 鈥� earnings deemed at the top range in Zimbabwe.

Laston Mukaro, a language consultant and lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe鈥檚 linguistics department, says that although his job grading has not yet changed, he is now earning much more after learning Chinese.

鈥淚t makes sense to learn Chinese now other than for the reason necessitated by the government鈥檚 Look East Policy,鈥� he says. 鈥淐hinese is one of the United Nation鈥檚 official languages and if you look at the way China is expanding into the world, you can do better if you speak their language.鈥�

Mr. Mukaro also earns a lot of money from exchange programmes between China and Zimbabwe. In addition, he frequently consults for the local Confucius Institute. Other benefits include his current work on a handbook for translating between Chinese and Shona, one of Zimbabwe鈥檚 main indigenous languages. 鈥淔or those who travel to and do business with China a lot, and are privileged to tap its diverse tourism, then learning Chinese is practically obligatory and has immense benefits,鈥� he says with enthusiasm.

More expansion ahead

Professor Mashiri says there are plans to open at least five more Chinese teaching points in other parts of the country, and to construct a Confucius Institute building at the University of Zimbabwe. The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe has also promised to build a cultural centre to strengthen cultural cooperation between the two countries.

The world is now a global village, requiring people to understand each other鈥檚 culture and languages, says Levi Nyagura, the University of Zimbabwe鈥檚 vice-chancellor. 鈥淲e want to see Zimbabwean students get jobs in China. We will continue to work hard to institutionalize the Chinese language, as we have done with the other major world languages.鈥�

There are also suggestions for introducing Chinese into the national curriculum. 鈥淭he net effect,鈥� argues Professor Mashiri, 鈥渋s to have the teaching and learning of Chinese cascade from university to secondary and primary schools.鈥�