An increasing number of young students in Tanzania are learning the Chinese language in hopes of enhancing their competitiveness in the expanding job market brought by China's increasing economic influence on the African country.
On April 20 each year, the United Nations marks Chinese Language Day, a celebration of multilingualism, cultural diversity, and promotion of the Chinese language.
In Tanzanian schools, the sight of students learning Chinese is becoming more commonplace. The Confucius Institute, which offers various Chinese language programs and scholarships, said more Tanzanians are keen to learn Mandarin.
The Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam, established in 2013, aims to be a leading Chinese language training and testing center in Africa, promoting cultural and academic exchange between China and Tanzania.
"Before we had only 30 to 40 for each session. But now we have at least 80 students for the evening courses," said Zhang Xiaozhen, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam.
According to the Chinese embassy in Dar es Salaam, approximately 20,000 students are currently enrolled in Chinese language courses across various institutions in Tanzania.
The Tanzanian government said proficiency in the language is a gateway to opportunities for its young people, including greater employment prospects within the expanding network of Chinese companies operating in the country.
"Learning one's language is part of understanding one's culture, and you'll see a lot of Chinese in Tanzania, at least all of them speak Kiswahili, and that means they are able to communicate to Tanzanians who don't even speak Chinese. They are able to understand their daily activities, they're able to understand our culture," said Omari Mjenga, president and chief executive officer of the Center for International Policy in Africa.
However, expanding the use of the language in Tanzania has come with challenges.
"The teachers, Chinese teachers, are not so qualified. Some of them just changed from being Swahili or English teachers and they don't have a solid knowledge of Chinese, so this will affect the learning of the students," said Zhang.
Officials at the Confucius Institute are confident that the number of Chinese learners will only keep rising. They hope that in the long run, this will lead to increased benefits for Tanzanians.
Tanzanians show increased interest in learning Chinese language
