7/30/09

I’m excited at the progress that the students have made in their skits. If they can just keep their head composed during the presentation, their pronunciation is pretty much spot on, although they do sound like they are trying a bit too hard when speaking.

I have 13 days left, and these final days will be my attempt to publicize the Chinese learning that is going on at the Woodcarvers school. I am hoping that if the woodcarvers’ learning is well received, the Chinese embassy and perhaps other organizations around the world will see that a Chinese learning program is feasible in Tanzania and that there are many students ready to take advantage of such a program. Perhaps more importantly, I hope to validate the learning of the woodcarving students. They are already very motivated, but still, I feel sometimes the rigor of daily life may prevent them from studying as enthusiastically as usual. Though their interactions with the Chinese customers is validation to some degree, it compares nothing to the certificates and ceremonies that western institutions put on at a graduation or so. To them learning is something valuable in itself, but even so, I would like to somehow show that I, and I think many people in Tanzania will, appreciate their efforts.

I talked to my professor, who taught at Princeton for two years, but will now be returning to the University of Dar es Salaam to work full time. He has recently become head of the Kiswahili program there, so fortunately for me, he has a couple of useful connections. He has contacted the Dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and the Dean there was very happy to hear about my program and wanted to interview me on radio and TV! Hopefully, I can convince the dean to attend one of our classes, as that would be the best situation, but an interview is a good start. I want this to be more about the woodcarvers rather than my own journey, but I’m not sure how the questions are going to twist it, so I need to prepare myself, haha.

I am also writing letters to some major media outlets as well as the Chinese Embassy and Business center. Here is a default example:

Dear Media Member,

We would like to invite all members of the media to attend a Chinese presentation put together by the Chinese language students of the Tanzania Carvers’ Association (Chawasawata) on Saturday, August 8th 7 p.m., at the Chawasawata school, located right behind the Woodcarvers‘ market in Mwenge. The students will be presenting a few short skits to show the Chinese language that they have acquired over the past two months. In addition, Chawasata will be bidding fairwell to their Chinese teacher, Mr. King, who is returning to America, and welcoming their new teacher Ms. Wu, who will continue to teach every Saturday at the Chawasawata school.

We are very proud of the progress that these dedicated students have been able to make, and would greatly appreciate it if the media outlets in Dar Es Salaam could also come out to see just how much they have learned in just these few months. Your presence at this event would not only encourage the students at the Chawasawata school to encourage learning, but also set a precedent to show Tanzanians that the Chinese people are not only seeking a business relationship, but a relationship that fosters the exchange of culture and knowledge. We hope to invite other members of the Chinese community, local newspapers, and television stations to publicize this event and show Tanzanians how much China-Tanzania relations have progressed.

We understand that the media has many projects to pursue, but hope that they do find our cause valuable enough to make time for. If you are planning to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so that we may plan out the number of drinks needed. If there are any questions about the event or how to arrive at the Chawasawata school, please contact Jeffrey King, Chinese teacher at the Chawasawata school at 0755330574 or Focus, chairman of the Tanzania Carvers Association, at 0754623873, prior to August 12th. Finally, if you cannot attend this particular day, but would still like to cover this developing story, please let us know as well, and we will do our best to arrange another day in which you can observe the classroom.

Thank you for your time,

Chawasawata (Chama cha Wasanii Wachongaji Tanzania
Tanzania Carvers Association