Zulu language firms bond of two nations

Huang Lizhi returned to Beijing early last year after five years studying Zulu — the most widely spoken language in South Africa — at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Huang, a lecturer in the School of African Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that she is on a mission to pass on the language and African culture to Chinese students.

Five years of interactions with her professors, classmates and a wide cross-section of South African people have instilled a strong belief in Huang that languages serve as a bridge to cultural exchanges and create a real bond between people.

"I hope to play a part in promoting understanding between the Chinese and South African peoples," Huang told China Daily.

About two weeks ago, Huang and seven of her students were invited by Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele, the South African ambassador to China, to visit the embassy in Beijing. They spoke to the ambassador in Zulu, which greatly impressed him.

After watching a short video of the students learning Zulu as well as performing African songs and dances, Cwele praised their contributions to promoting cultural exchanges and friendship between the two countries.

The ambassador said he was truly proud of Huang and her students' efforts to learn Zulu and appreciate Zulu culture.

"We need to understand each other's culture, so that we know for sure where we come from and where we are going," the ambassador told Huang and her students.

Yu Jingyun and Wei Yimei, two of Huang's students, are enthusiastic about learning Zulu and were eager to show their African dance moves to the ambassador, who was excited to dance with them.

Cwele told the students that he is studying Chinese language and culture while on his diplomatic mission. China boasts a long history and a deep culture, he said, and both China and South Africa share a reverence for historical figures.

As part of its efforts to promote cultural exchanges with the rest of the world, Huang's university aims to expand its "language basket" to include the languages of all countries that have diplomatic ties with China.

Five years ago, the university set up a Zulu language program. This move allowed an indigenous language to be treated as an academic language.

The establishment of the program was one of the reasons why Huang was sent to Johannesburg to study Zulu, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa and spoken by around 11 million people in the country.

"Seeing a Chinese national learn one of our important languages and cultures, not just to trade with us but to possibly teach generations of students the Zulu language, is very humbling," Sithembiso Nhlapho, one of Huang's South African friends, told China Daily.

Nhlapho, who graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand and now works as a project manager in KwaZulu-Natal province, said that the passion of Huang and other Chinese nationals for studying Zulu and their efforts to bridge cultural divides through education have the potential to strengthen the bond between South Africa and China.

"This cultural exchange not only enriches both nations linguistically and culturally, but also paves the way for more comprehensive and cooperative relationships built on mutual respect and understanding," Nhlapho said.

As China expands cooperation with African countries, the Chinese government attaches great importance to promoting cultural and people-to-people exchanges in order to solidify the traditional friendship.

President Xi Jinping, who is in South Africa on a state visit and to attend the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, said that China and South Africa need to leverage the all-around, multitiered and institutionalized mechanisms for people-to-people exchanges.

"We must keep the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation as alive and strong as ever across the vast lands of China and Africa," he wrote in an article published by South African media on Monday.

In recent years, South Africa has begun offering foreign languages in public and private schools. In 2015, the country's Department of Basic Education approved Chinese as part of the school curriculum, giving pupils the opportunity of learning it as an official school subject. Chinese is offered from grades 4 to 12 as a second-language option.

caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn