Mind the cultural gaps, says MP

Ensuring that people-to-people programs are effective will help boost Kenya's prosperity, he says

China-backed people-to-people programs in Kenya are a great idea, but they must be monitored and evaluated to ensure they are effective, says Shakeel Shabbir, member of Parliament for Kisumu East town in western Kenya.

Setting up such a system would promote continuity of the programs, he says.

"Heavy investments are continually made toward bridging cultural gaps between Kenyans and the Chinese people," Shabbir says. "We know where we are coming from and our destination. The journey in between is a little gray, and it needs more stakeholders to join in not only to produce good results but tangible ones."

The MP, speaking from his Nairobi residence, has been a representative in the national assembly since 2007, after serving as mayor of Kisumu for two years.

For five years, his constituency has played host to Chinese teachers who have exposed elementary and high school students to Chinese language and culture. The program put this group of youths ahead of others before the new syllabus bus, which includes optional Mandarin classes, was introduced in Kenyan schools.

The country's relations with China have become much stronger in recent years. China is a key source of tourists, and there is a campaign to attract at least 3 million Chinese visitors annually.

According to China's customs authorities, some 50 Chinese companies have been contracted for around 80 projects in Kenya with a value of about $3 billion. Bilateral trade rose 53 percent to a record of $5 billion in 2014, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa said in February. Liu also said Chinese projects worth $3.47 billion were under construction in Kenya.

Shabbir says Kisumu's youths will greatly benefit from learning the partner nation's language and culture. "China is the way to go," he says.

He came up with the exchange program seven years ago when an initiative by a former Chinese ambassador and some Chinese scholars was making only slow progress. They wanted to launch Chinese language programs in one of the public universities in western Kenya, he says, but this involved changes in the syllabus.

"I therefore pursued the possibilities of introducing this initiative in our lower schools to give the students an added advantage. It was not interfering with normal classes."

There are about 50 schools in his constituency, which covers 135.9 square kilometers with an estimated population of 150,124, according to the 2009 national census, the latest figures available.

Shabbir agreed to shoulder the foreign teachers' health, security and transport expenses. The program began in 2010 with two Chinese teachers spending about two weeks teaching language and culture in each school.

"But after doing an evaluation, we realized that the period was too short. This dictated a strategic shift from primary schools to secondary schools involving much older students and more time spent in class. The teachers were based in Kajulu and Kolwa East high schools for the better part of last year."

There have been tangible results. The students are able to speak basic Mandarin and most became more interested in martial arts.

At the same time, the foreign teachers have blended with the locals and also become interested in their culture. "The excellent relationship cultivated over time saw the locals assimilate the Chinese teachers into their midst," Shabbir says.

The experience debunked a lot of fallacies. "Previously rural people were unable to distinguish Chinese from people from other Asian countries. They feared them. But the perception has changed and they have a different attitude now. This is because they have had a positive encounter with the teachers," he says.

Furthermore, the locals now understand how rich Chinese culture is. "They understand that every society has its own limits, and this has accentuated the positive characteristics of both cultures."

Shabbir says many future jobs will require knowledge of China. "Understanding China will become key in business, networking and partnerships and our young people need to understand this."

He says that the youths have a better chance of securing employment after completing their schooling since they are more amiable to Chinese employers.

"Opportunities for further education in China are also opening up through this program," he says. Students who understand basic Chinese will find it easier to get into and benefit from Chinese universities.

He recalls that while still a student 30 years ago, he was given a chance to visit a rural town in China. Calling it a mind-changing experience, he says he witnessed the spirit of collective responsibility that is still sometimes missing in African cultures. Interaction with Chinese teachers may encourage such feelings in local youth, he adds.

"The Chinese people are also hardworking and this is the foundation of the country's rapid economic development," he says.

Shabbir says he is happy that his program was a precursor to the recent announcement by the Ministry of Education including optional Chinese lessons in the syllabus starting in 2017.

"This will definitely boost Sino-Kenya relations," he says. However, he adds that several challenges may slow the number and quality of future cultural programs between the two countries, he says.

First, there is no support system for members of Parliament to get help when it comes to people-to-people exchange programs with China. Shabbir says such leaders have the funds and the mandate to work closely with China, depending on identified needs in their area of jurisdiction, but they do not know how to go about it independent of the national government.

"I know for a fact most industries in rural area, such as in agriculture, could get a boost from the little Chinese tractors that are handy and affordable. Repair of this machinery requires close engagement. There should be somewhere a leader could go to understand these partnerships."

Besides Kisumu East constituency, there are no recorded partnerships between constituencies in Kenya and China. There are, however, ongoing collaborations between newly created county governments and Chinese provinces. Kenya has 47 counties and 290 constituencies.

First, he says, leaders are not being encouraged to personally initiate such programs like his education program, independent of the national government.

Information should be readily available, he says, and clear guidelines communicated on what a personally initiated program entails.

"Many leaders think it is costly, and this discourages them. But the benefits far outweigh the costs, which in my opinion are minimal."

Personally initiated programs are mostly independent of the national government. Shabbir says the initiator may share some costs with Chinese partners.

Secondly, because no monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are spelt out when programs are being formulated, either by governments or individual parties, experience and lessons learned are easily lost. This interferes with the program's continuity, particularly when there is a change in the guard and new officials design fresh programs.

"You will find that new officeholders will send a delegation to China for a fact-finding mission similar to what their predecessors undertook during their terms in office. This is a clear waste of resources."

The situation allows for duplication of activities and sometimes waste. "For example, women's exchange programs have borne very few results for the communities they claim to represent as there have been few or no projects initiated on the ground to reflect their experience while in China. This can be addressed when the public office sends them accounts for the role each delegate plays and follows up on the projects initiated afterwards."

Evaluation of the gains made also helps with strategic decisions such as formulation of supportive policies at the National Assembly by the members of Parliament. This would give policymakers impetus to initiate development programs with China in their constituencies.

From his experience as a mayor, he says several agreements have been drawn between the national and local governments of the two countries. But few have been realized, or sometimes they are in the implementation stage when a change in administration occurs. This leads to revision of plans, making the program a costly affair.

"The move by China to align its programs with those of African governments announced during the last Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is a strategic one. This will ensure continuity of initiated programs.

"Some well-meaning programs have stalled because they are not relevant. But with continued assessment and close cooperation with local governments, Chinese projects will be informed by the needs of the people. Transfer of skills will also lessen the reliance on Chinese manpower as locals take up maintenance of these projects. There will be increased ownership by the locals."

Shabbir says people-to-people exchanges should be structured just like trade between the two countries. "Trade barriers still exist but they are quickly being smoothed out. This should also apply to cultural exchanges."

He says protocols for exchange programs need to be shortened to give the needed impetus for learning from each other. "It takes time for barriers to be broken. A lot is happening between the two countries, but I think more is needed in terms of policies to support the exchange."

He says he also looks forward to hosting a Chinese circus in his constituency. "I enjoyed one in Britain a long time ago. But I want the local people to experience it. We have never seen any in this country and this will be a first."

lucymorangi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/01/2015 page32)