The Chinese that made Africa an institution in China
By Ikenna Emewu
For most of the years he has been on this self-imposed task, Africa never really knew about this man’s efforts to give the continent a dignified face in China.
But he insisted without even asking if Africa, the continent he toils for its image in China, is aware of his task.
This has been on for almost 20 years, and Prof. Liu Hongwu has not taken back the hat he threw into the ring to etch African image in honour in China’s academic circles.
I was pleasantly surprised to listen to Prof. Liu tell the story of his wars for Africa in his office in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province.
He made the creation of the first Institute of African Studies in any university in China possible. When he started 20 years back, his task was a mission impossible. Nobody in his country’s academic and intellectual circles contemplated that, and those that heard him didn’t imagine he has set himself on a meaningful journey. Yet, he didn’t stop pushing his idea until he made a success of proselytizing many into his school of thought.
The way to assess his success is simple. From the zero position of any such institute in China, Liu’s trailblazing idea and tenacity has spawned 19 similar institutes. He didn’t create those other 19, but the seed he sowed in Institute of African Studies of Zhejiang Normal University (IASZNU) with this novel institute gave impetus to the germination of others after.
Ironically, this university don doesn’t adorn the garb of a fighter. But he is one.
I asked him if he had obstacles at the beginning. He chuckled, shook his head slightly and said “It wasn’t just challenges. There were loads of challenges that came in torrents. I don’t even think they have ceased to come, but it is quite easier now.”
He had to sort through his memory to pick out the ones to list as the most impeding, and he said “we didn’t have funds. Funding was really tasking. Because of the economic levels of many African countries, which doesn’t apply to all, funding was impossible to come from that end. Much of the challenges we faced came right from inside Africa because the conflicts within the continent didn’t help our case to convince people to identify with the project and travel to study in places known for crises and conflicts.”
The few young scholars he relied on to drive research inside Africa were quite cold about going there. The Africa of the media and documentaries that only show hardship, hunger, insecurity scared them stiff. But when they started going, they discovered an Africa different from the one they see in the media. Those that braved it came back with stories that excited others who also wanted to go. That is how Liu’s winning cards started turning in.
Since he was stuck in his own project, he had to find a way around the execution. That involved packaging the deal in very nice and attractive wraps to convince even private supporter companies and groups that their alignment would be worth the efforts.
That push is what gave rise to the creation of a replica of African traditional setting at the institute – the museums, architectural motifs, fabrics, etc. They were intended to excite people he talked to buy into this gamble after visiting the institute and seeing what Africa holds. The scholars who needed to go should have their intentions excited here in China to make them quite willing to take on the journey. That can only happen when they have something about Africa around them, Liu reasoned. That worked in provoking love and longing for Africa and with financing and the human capital – the people to handle the research. It has turned out so well that even students of the university from other departments and institutes are very willing to go to Africa for research unlike at the beginning.
When he started the project after his years studying in Nigeria and Tanzania, the typical Zhejiang company would ask him for any investment promise in Africa as impetus to support his project. This was also difficult to come by.
Subsequently, Zhejiang Provincial government, the university and private companies in the province have been quite supportive in these projects. In reward, Zhejiang has become like another Africa in China since the integration created a bond that makes African scholars planning to attend university in China to think of Zhejiang first.
Today, ZJNU has the largest cluster of African students among all universities in China. Jinhua as a city also proves to be a nesting place and preferred destination for Africans for habitation and business. In the city, it is common to see Africans everywhere. The entire Zhejiang, one of the economic hotbeds of China takes pride today as the right, brotherly and friendly place for Africans.
It is a source of pride Liu and his team worked hard to etch. The reputation of IASZNU and its closeness with Africans has also made the Chinese government adopt it as a model on how to use studies in the academic world to improve practical lives and peaceful co-habitation of people as it applies in Jinhua and Zhejiang through the works of IASZNU.
These past 20 years, the tenacious academic has steadily advanced the original course, management and teaching models developing them in ways with most impact on the society and especially pertaining to China-Africa relations to the extent that the Chinese government uses it as a model for other places and relationships. Today, IASZNU is among the eight universities or institutions on African studies that recruit and assess PhD candidates in the entire China on African studies with Prof. Liu himself serving as the secretary general of the national body where he sits on the State Council for the degree review committee.
This assignment has garnered 32 partner universities, research institutions and NGOs in 20 African countries. The credit goes to Liu’s steadfast fire.
