A Tanzanian Teacher's Journey with Chinese Language

"Sweet honey, your smile is so sweet, like flowers blooming in the spring breeze..."

In a packed classroom, a slightly shy Tanzanian girl, Imani Haji, stood on the podium singing her favorite song in fluent Chinese, earning warm applause from the students below. The sweet melody drifted through the windows and across the campus of the University of Dar es Salaam.

It would be hard to believe that the teacher speaking fluent Chinese on the podium was a 28-year-old Tanzanian girl if one hadn't seen it personally. "My Chinese colleagues say that you sound just like a Chinese native. It is almost impossible to tell the difference just by listening." Haji gave a confident smile.

Haji has a beautiful Chinese name, Han Ya. As a Chinese language teacher at the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam, she prefers to be addressed by her Chinese name in class or during leisure moments with her Chinese colleagues.

Born in Zanzibar, Haji loved sitting in front of the television as a child, watching Chinese programs. All the things like the melodious Chinese songs and diverse Chinese cuisine fascinated her. Each time her brother wanted to switch the channel, Haji would tightly hold onto the remote control. Her mother would jokingly ask, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" Haji would firmly reply, "I want to learn Chinese and go to China."

At her university, Haji took elective Chinese language courses offered by the Confucius Institute at her school and passed the HSK test. Inspired by her Chinese teachers, she decided to pursue further studies at Harbin Normal University in China after graduation.

"Harbin is very cold, but my Chinese classmates are very warm," said Haji with a smile. Accompanied by her Chinese friends, she fulfilled her childhood dream of tasting the Chinese cuisine she had always longed for. "My favorites are sweet and sour pork and Beijing roast duck." When talking about these dishes, Haji spoke with great familiarity.

In 2018, after completing her studies, Haji returned to Tanzania to work as a Chinese language teacher at the Confucius Institute at University of Dar es Salaam. For the first year and more, she voluntarily took up a teaching position at a middle school in Lindi, about 450 kilometers away from Dar es Salaam.

What comforted her was the students' high enthusiasm for learning Chinese. They often gathered around her, asking about various aspects of China, among which Chinese martial arts was their main concern. "Teacher, I want to study Chinese hard and study in China like you, and become a teacher when I grow up," said one child casually. This remark strengthened her determination to be an excellent Chinese language teacher.

Haji's efforts paid off. In her first year of teaching, all 20 students from her school took and passed the HSK test. In recognition of her contributions to Chinese language education and cultural exchanges between China and Tanzania, the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania awarded her the Chinese Ambassador Award in October 2020.

According to Liu Yan, the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam, when economic, trade, and cultural exchanges between China and Africa increase, a growing number of young Tanzanians are learning Chinese. The number of candidates taking the HSK test through the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam grew from 64 in 2014 to 1,408 in 2019, and the number of registered Chinese language learners reached 7,920 in 2020.

In Haji's view, such a trend reflects the enduring and profound friendship between Tanzania and China, with cultural exchange being the key to this special bond. It is cultural exchange that bridges the hearts of people separated by vast distances.

Haji hopes to see richer cultural exchanges between Tanzania and China, so that more Tanzanian young people could have the opportunity to experience the charm of the Chinese language, and the profound deposit of Chinese culture. She also looks forward to furthering her studies in international Chinese language education, which interests her greatly, and imparting knowledge to Tanzanian youth who love Chinese culture.