沙龙回顾丨走出日常，共赴一场跨文化之旅！

第一个环节由浙江大学公共管理学院博士生、留下带路（APL）创始人、来自津巴布韦的米莱 （Tungamirai Eric Mupona）主讲。

米莱的分享以两段简短的视频开始，展示了他在中国非凡的旅程，为当晚的活动奠定了基调。米莱介绍了自己创办的非政府组织“留下带路APL（Abroad Path Leaders）” ，这是一个意在帮助外国人在中国尽快融入当地生活的平台，开展了一系列国际志愿服务和跨文化交流活动。“APL”意为在国外开辟道路的领导者，“带路”意为要做外籍人士在中国学习生活的“带路人”，展示了他致力于弥合中非文化差距的努力。

米莱的演讲结束后，与会者在问答环节提出了一些问题，涉及他如何在忙碌的留学期间做好时间管理、如何始终保持做志愿者的兴趣、以及寻找中非文化的共同点等话题。米莱谈到中非文化差异的同时，也提到了 “乌班图”（Ubuntu）——非洲式的世界观概念，其原意是“我在因我们在，我们在故我在”，是恩古尼人形容人性或美德的词汇，这种价值观强调个人与集体是一种共存关系。他认为这种和谐共同体的精神能够在中非合作中具象化体现。

罗克邀请四位嘉宾一起来到台上：来自喀麦隆的欧妮 （Odette）、来自赞比亚的罗姗 (Lomy） 、来自乌干达的米伟泽 (Innocent）和来自尼日利亚的繁荣 (Ini）。

在罗克的主持下，圆桌讨论演变成了一场活跃的思想和经验交流。首轮讨论关注嘉宾们的“中国生活经验”，随后主要围绕他们对非洲的理解展开。每位嘉宾都分享了个人故事，讲到了在中国求学期间遇到的挑战，以及自己受到的教育对于理解非洲和中国社会的影响。罗姗提到，同济大学拥有亚洲最好的工程专业，她相信这一学习经历有助于她未来更好地参与非洲发展项目。

在问答环节，观众们积极参与，进行了丰富而友好的讨论。观众对米莱提出了关于外国人如何在华经营公益组织的问题。米莱表示，在创立和发展的过程中，寻找中国合作伙伴非常重要，同时，在自己的母国也需要同步进行组织注册。随后，大家共同探讨了“非洲身份认同”的概念：非洲大陆有 50 多个国家，非洲人是否应当有一个统一的身份认同？一位嘉宾表示，在中国的非洲人之间有着超越国家和民族血统的团结感。非洲人之间有着独特的纽带，很容易融入彼此的圈子, 尤其是身处异乡。还有嘉宾认为，北非人和撒哈拉以南地区的非洲人之间确实在文化上存在明显的差异，但在面对种族刻板印象的挑战时，他认为非洲人有团结集体的需要。

最后，大家指出，目前对非洲人的刻板印象阻碍了许多有意义的互动。他们鼓励中国朋友走近非洲人群体，向他们提问，放下最初的预设，与他们进行对话。

致谢：特别感谢演讲者——米莱、欧妮、罗姗、米伟泽和繁荣分享了他们的宝贵经验和见解，也谢谢那些留到最后一刻的与会者～

From 欧妮

From 米莱

感谢欧妮和米莱分享他们的心声！

The event "Crossing Borders– African Narratives in Chinese Cities", held on December 29th, 2023, at Tongji University, was a success in fostering experience-sharing among African students and professionals. With a focus on knowledge exchange and collaboration, the event achieved its objectives, providing a platform for insightful discussions.

At the beginning of the event, Dr. Ying-Ying Tiffany Liu briefly introduced CASIN and the board members. Tiffany also expressed gratitude to the International School of Tongji University for providing the venue and supporting the event. She then introduced Rock as the host for the eventing. Rock, originally from Benin, has been in China for 7 years. He is currently a Master’s student in Urban Design at Tongji, and is the founder of the Shanghai African Community.

The first session featured Tungamirai Eric Mupona from Zimbabwe, is a doctoral student in the School of Public Affairs at Zhejiang University and founder of APL (Abroad Path Leaders).

Starting with two short videos showcasing Eric’s extraordinary journey in China, this session aimed to set the tone for the evening. These videos introduced his NGO, Abroad Path Leaders, and illustrated his dedication to bridging cultural gaps between China and Africa.

Following Eric's presentation, a few questions were addressed during the Q&A session, covering topics such as time management, maintaining interest in volunteer work, and finding common ground between Chinese and African cultures. Eric acknowledged the cultural differences, still, he emphasized the concept of Ubuntu, highlighting fundamental commonalities that form the basis for collaboration.

Due to time constraints and the abundance of questions, the event seamlessly transitioned into the second session without taking a break.

Rock invited the other four speakers to join Eric on stage: Odette from Cameroon, Lomy from Zambia, Innocent from Uganda, and Ini from Nigeria.

Facilitated by Rock, the round table discussion was a dynamic exchange of ideas and experiences. The session featured two rounds of questions, focusing first on China-related experiences and subsequently on Africa-related contributions. Each speaker shared personal stories, emphasizing challenges encountered during their studies in China and the influence of their education on both African and Chinese communities. For instance, Lomy highlighted that her studies at Tongji, one of the top engineering programs in Asia, would empower her to contribute to a development project in Africa.

During the Q&A session, numerous audience members actively participated, initiating insightful discussion. The first inquiry was directed to Eric, asking about the challenges of running an NGO in China as a foreigner. Eric’s concise response highlighted the importance of finding a Chinese partner due to the complexities of NGO registration in China, along with the recommendation to register the organization or company back home.

Another question focused on Africa’s own development, inquiring whether Africa should follow China’s path? Each speaker agreed that while there are valuable lessons to be learned from China; yet, they emphasized the need for African countries to create their own strategies tailored to their unique contexts and come up with solutions to address their specific challenges.

The subsequent question explored the concept of "African identity" and whether a unified identity should exist for a continent with over 50 countries. This question sparked spirited debates among the speakers. One shared her experience, emphasizing the unity felt among Africans in China, transcending national origins. Another speaker noted the unique bond among Africans, easily blending into one another's circles in China. Yet another speaker acknowledged differences between North and Sub-Saharan Africans but highlighted a collective desire for unity while addressing the challenges of racial representation.

In essence, each speaker acknowledged the diversity among Africans from different countries but emphasized the common experiences shared, particularly while residing in China. They collectively concluded that there is no inherent conflict between their African identity and their national identity.

Another popular question centered on advice for Africans who are new to or considering coming to China. Each speaker provided valuable insights, with a common recommendation highlighting the importance of learning the Chinese language to foster better communication and appreciation from the local community. Another speaker advised newcomers to clearly define their goals in China, whether it be for education or business. He emphasized the power of personal stories to challenge stereotypes about Africa. He consistently anticipates how to change the conventional narratives of Africa, driven by the desire to share the complex and multifaceted stories of Africa. This commitment leads him to invest time and energy in expanding his social circle, attending events, and engaging with people to create opportunities for sharing his narratives.

The event concluded with insightful remarks from Rock. He posed questions to each speaker regarding advice for Chinese individuals aiming to foster cross-cultural understanding and collaboration with Africans. Speakers emphasized that the existing stereotypes about Africans are hindering meaningful interactions. They encouraged Chinese individuals to approach them, ask questions, and engage in dialogues rather than making assumptions based on preconceived notions.

Special appreciation was extended to the speakers—Eric, Lomy, Odette, Innocent, and Ini—for sharing their valuable experiences and insights. The organizers expressed gratitude to all attendees, especially those who stayed until the last minute.

A message from Odette

A post from Eric

Heartfelt gratitude to Odette and Eric for generously sharing their reflections on the event!