口ByZhengYang
ChancemeetingswithkindChinesestrangersturnTanzanianintoSino-Africanenvoy
Understandinghasacriticalroleinmitigatingconflictandchallenges.SoChineseandTanzaniansneedtoinvesttimetogettoknoweachotheraswellaseachother’svaluesandcustoms.
JosephKahama,SecretaryGeneral,Tanzania-ChinaFriendshipPromotionAssociation
Oneevening,asthesunwassettinginan
orangesky,JosephKahamametthefirstChineseinhislife.
ThesmallgroupoffivetosevenpeoplespoketotheTanzanianboyandhisfriendsinperfectSwahili,sayingtheywantedtojoininthegameoffootballtheyoungsterswereplayingand,asKahamarecalled,letthemwinonpurpose.
ThosevisitorsinDodoma,Tanzania,alsogavetheboysWhiteRabbitcandiesaswellastoothbrushesandtoothpastetubes,remindingthemtobrushtheirteethbeforegoingtobed.
“AsIthinkback,thatwastheperfectstrategytowintheheartsofchildrenandalsoteachthemabout[oral]health,”saidKahama.HelaterfoundoutthatthemenwereyoungChinesedoctorswhohadvolunteeredtogotoAfricancountriestooffermedicalservices.“Thatscenehasstayedinmymindeventoday,”hesmiled.
Kahama,aChristian,believesinthesayingthatatsomestageinone’slifethereopensadoorwhichsetsthetonefortherestofone’slife.
Ithasprovedtrueinhiscase.Thechildhoodmemoryfromthemid-1970shasguidedhimthroughafriendshipofover40yearswithChinesepeopletomakehimwhatheistoday-SecretaryGeneraloftheTanzania-ChinaFriendshipPromotionAssociation.
FindingChineseparents
In1984,Kahama’sfatherwasappointedTanzania’sAmbassadortoChina.Duringhisfather’stenureinBeijing,KahamaflewbackandforthfrequentlybetweenChinaandEngland,wherehewasstudying,andthisofferedhimanopportunitytolearnmoreaboutChinafirst-handandtoknowmoreChinese.
WhenhisparentsreturnedtoTanzania,KahamadidnotcometoChinafor15years.However,hisinteractionswiththeChineseneverstopped,especiallywithonememorableChinesecouple.
“IcalledthemPapaLiandMamaHan.FormorethanhalfofmylifeIhaveregardedthemasmyChineseparents,”KahamatoldChinAfrica.
TheywereLiSongshanandhiswifeHanRong.ThefirstgenerationofChineseworkinginAfrica,thecouplewassenttoTanzaniabytheChineseGovernmentinthe1970s.That’swhenKahamagottoknowthemasa15-year-old.
ThecouplewasfascinatedbyTanzania’slocalart.TheyquittheirpromisinggovernmentjobsandmovedtoTanzaniatostudyitfurther.
BythistimeKahamawasayoungman.Theylivedclosetohisofficeandwheneverhefelttired,Kahamawouldheadtowardtheirhouseforsomerelaxingconversation.Theywerealsohisadvisors,especiallyinfamily,business,andsocialmatters,andtheprimeinspirationfortheyoungTanzaniantodevotehimselftopromotingcommunicationbetweenChinaandTanzania.
“I’mwhereIaminChina-Africarelationsbecauseofthem,”heremarked.
Fordecades,LiandHancollectedAfricanart,eventuallybuildinganAfrica-themedmuseumandanAfricanculturalvillageinBeijing.FortheirdevotiontoTanzanianartandcontributiontopopularizingitabroad,theNationalArtsCouncilofTanzaniagavethemthehonorifictitle“DoctorofAfricanCultureandArt.”
“Friendshipdoesn’thavetobespelledout;itcanbenurturedthroughart,”Kahamasaid.“Throughartwecanlearnaboutpeople’straditions,hopesandfearsandmakefriends.ThatiswhattheydidandIhappenedtobepartofit.”
BeforeLipassedawayinDecember2015,hemadeKahamapromisetomakesurethattheAfricanculturalvillageprojectgoeson.
“PapaLiwasthebackboneoftheproject,”Kahamasaid.“He’snolongerthere[inflesh]buthisspiritis.”
HanandheareworkingtoachievewhatLihadalwaysdreamtof–turningtheculturalvillageandmuseumintoacenterofAfricanartwherescholarscanstudytheartsofChinaandAfricaaswellasSinoAfricanrelations.
“Iknowtherearegoodapplesandbadappleseverywhere,”Kahamasaid.“Butsofar,IhavenothadonesinglebadexperiencemeetingaChinese,andItendtobelieveI’mnotanisolatedcase.”
Arolemodel
KahamareturnedtoChinaoncemorein2006,whenhewenttoHainan,China’ssouthernmostprovince,withLitoattendthefirstBoaoForumforAsiasession.Hewasamazedbytheskyscrapersandthegreatchangessincehischildhooddays.
HebeganreturningtoChinafourtosixtimesayear,andeachtimehecame,moredevelopmenthadtakenplace.“I’vebeeninmanypartsoftheworldbutIhavenotseensuchafastandconcretedevelopmentpaceasIhaveinChina,”hesaid.
ThesecrettoChina’ssuccess,heobserved,wasdiscipline:“Peopleworkdayandnightjusttokeeppacewithdevelopment.Withoutsuchdiscipline,nocountrywillbeabletocatchupwithChina.”
“ChinacannotprescribeamodelorpathforAfricabutcanbeamodelforAfricatofollow,”hesaid.
Promotingunderstanding
Today,asSecretaryGeneraloftheTanzania-ChinaFriendshipPromotionAssociation,Kahamafeelsaspecialresponsibilitytomaintainthefriendshipbuiltbythepreviousgenerationsofbothcountries.
“Allrelationshipsneedmaintenancebecausecon-ditionsandsituationschange,”hepointedout.
BusinessexchangesbetweenChinaandTanzaniahavegrownrapidly,bringingchallengesintheirwake.Kahamabelievesitishisandhisassociation’sjob,aswellasanyoneelse’swhocaresaboutChina-Africafriendship,tobridgethegapsinbilateralunderstanding.
InMarch,theChineseGovernmentinvitedhimtovisitChina’sruralareas.OncebackinTanzania,hebeganhelpingtheChineseEmbassyandChineseMinistryofForeignAffairsbuildmodelvillagesinTanzania’sunder-developedruralareas.HeisalsoreadytohelpanyChinesecompanythatisfacingproblemsinTanzaniaduetolackofunderstandingoflocallawsandculture.
“Understandinghasacriticalroleinmitigatingconflictandchallenges,”hesaid,“SoChineseandTanzaniansneedtoinvesttimetogettoknoweachotheraswellaseachother’svaluesandcustoms.”
KahamadesiresmoreforeigndirectinvestmentintoTanzaniafromChina,especiallyinthetextile,vehicle,tourismandinformationtechnologyindustries,insteadofassistance.HeishopingChinesecompanieswillbringexpertswithknow-howandexperiencetoworkwithTanzaniansandtrainthem.
“AfricahasalottolearnfromChina,”hesaid,referringtoChina’sdevelopmentinthepastthreedecades.“IfChinacandoit,there’snoreasonAfricacannot.”CA