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CHINESE FOOD EXTRAVAGANZA

02

Dec 2023

Chinese food extravaganza

This was the first ever chinese food extravaganza to celebrate 60 years of Kenya-China relations

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Location:

Panari hotel, Nairobi

02

Dec 2023

The Chairman's speech

Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests and members of the Kenya Alumni Association, With great pleasure and pride, I stand before you today to celebrate a momentous occasion - the inaugural Chinese Food Extravaganza organized by the Chinese Language Teachers Association in Kenya. This event is a testament to the bridge we are building between our cultures, symbolizing the beautiful harmony that arises when diverse communities come together. The significance of this event goes beyond the culinary delights we'll savor today. It embodies the essence of cultural exchange, fostering understanding and promoting unity between Kenyans and our Chinese counterparts. Communicating in Mandarin and understanding each other's languages is a powerful tool that dismantles barriers and nurtures friendship. It's not merely about words but building connections and fostering mutual respect. As the great Wangari Maathai once said, "In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness." Learning the Chinese language marks our shift towards a deeper understanding of each other, transcending borders and enriching our lives through shared experiences. The revered Chinua Achebe reminded us, "Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter." Our interactions might be one-sided until we embrace each other's languages and cultures. Learning Chinese empowers us to become historians of our shared narrative, ensuring a balanced and inclusive dialogue between our nations. As we experience today, food holds a special place in cultural exchange. It's a universal language that transcends boundaries, inviting us to partake in each other's traditions, flavors, and stories. Just as a meal brings people together around a table, the exchange of languages brings communities together in the grand banquet of shared knowledge and understanding. As we celebrate 60 years of friendship between Kenya and China this year, we as the alumni stand to be counted first as ambassadors of Kenya to China and China to Kenya with our actions and shared respect for both cultures; in the book Things, Fall Apart Chinua Achebe beautifully encapsulates the essence of our association's unity. "When we gather under the moonlight village ground, it's not merely to gaze at the same moon, for we can admire its glow from our compounds. No, the call of kinship, the magnetic pull of camaraderie, brings us together. It's the recognition that standing together comes to storm or Fairweather, So let us carry forward this team spirit, reveling in the joys of togetherness. Let our unity continue to be the cornerstone of our endeavors, illuminating our path toward greater cultural exchange, understanding, and success. Peng you men, let us cherish this moment, celebrate our diversity, and embrace the opportunities that learning the Chinese language offers. May this inaugural Chinese Food Extravaganza begin a profound cultural journey where our shared love for food and language paves the way for lasting friendships and meaningful collaborations between Kenya and China. Thank you.

02

Dec 2023

CLTAK Media brief

The Chinese language Teachers Association of Kenya was formally registered under Societies Act on the 19th of July 2018. The association had however existed before. Currently the Association has over 200 teachers springing across the different levels of learning: Primary school teachers, High school and Tertiary school teachers and lecturers. There has been a monumental increase in the number of Chinese leaners in Kenya over the past 20 years with over 1500 students having studied Chinese language in China and even in Kenya to date and people going as high as PHD level in Chinese language. The Association’s main objective is to Foster learning of Chinese language and culture by motivating learners in Kenya to learn the language, encouraging cultural exchanges, enhancing collaborations among schools and other stakeholders and building capacity among our teachers. We endeavor to improve the professionalism of the Chinese language teacher by first ensuring that the right and trained teachers penetrate our Kenyan schools. Chinese language and culture is currently being taught in Schools in Nairobi and its environs, although as an association we intend to sensitive schools across the different counties to embrace the language and begin to teach it. This will ensure that larger populations become aware of the language and culture. The Association has so far managed to Visit different schools teaching Chinese language and donated audio-visual materials in enhancing the teachers teaching capacity. The Association through collaborations with various stakeholders has been able to hold various successful activities such as the Chinese language Spelling Bee (up to 4th Edition), Chinese Bridge, Chinese language teachers training, Chinese Cuisine cook-outs, Chinese calligraphy, martial arts and many more. In conclusion, as the Association continues to grow we aim at encouraging various stakeholder collaborations such as the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, The Ministry of Education, The Teachers Service Commission, The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, The Different Confucius Institutes in Kenya, all schools in Kenya as well as the General Public. Through these meaningful collaborations and partnerships, the language will be passed across all the counties in Kenya and the Kenyan community will get to have a better understanding of the Chinese people and their culture.

02

Dec 2023

Ms. Faith Mworia's speech

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, Esteemed guests and Friends and members of the Chinese Language Teachers Association of Kenya. I am super delighted and grateful for this opportunity to stand before you all and talk about the Chinese language teachers. This to me is a topic that I talk with great enthusiasm as first and foremost I am a Practicing teacher of Chinese language and culture with 13 years teacher experience. Looking at all the Chinese language teachers represented here, I am moved knowing that their everyday work to our students in school is not in vain. They shall surely be rewarded by God. (Request all the teachers to stand and wave at the crowd) I begin by celebrating these teachers because they are the reason we are here. Secondly, a lot has already been highlighted about what the Association is all about and what we do. I would however, like to add that the Association would not be as it is without the various collaborations we have had with various stakeholders. These stake holders stem from various institutions beginning with the Chinese Embassy, the various Confucius Institutes and particularly the Confucius institute at the University of Nairobi through the leadership of Prof. Wang, that has been instrumental in not only enhancing the capacity of our teachers but also in encouraging our students to learn the language by offering scholarships. I cannot forget to mention The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development through Ms. Faith Nyaboki serving under the Chinese department who has also played an important role especially in encouraging the teachers to adapt the changes in teaching and evaluation based on the new Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) Various training institutes as well as International schools have also been very pivotal in the growth of this association and for this I send my appreciation and hope we can have more future collaborations. Going forward Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s worth noting that this Chinese language and learning endeavor is just at its inception. The Journey has just begun and we have a lot to do going forward. As an association we agree to the fact that we have a lot to do in continued capacity building of our teachers as well as language and cultural sensitization to the greater public on the benefits of the learning the language. Nicholas A. Ferroni said and I quote “Educators are the only people who lose sleep over other People’s kids” This has become our definitive role. As a result, we hope to see our teachers been able to mitigate the challenges that they encounter daily as they teach the language. One of the challenges being inadequate teaching and learning resources (books and audio-visual learning materials and localized content) that will make teaching and learning more effective. We can’t fail however to recognize that we have some of our teachers who have published some texts, and others have their publications waiting approval. I encourage teachers of all levels to publish localized content that will ensure the students better the language and I implore KICD to support our teachers in ensuring their publications are speedily evaluated and published. Meanwhile teachers, I encourage you to continue to use innovative ways in teaching by using localized materials available at home, environs and the internet to make your teaching experience better as CBC requires the same. In conclusion, we believe in and anticipate future collaborations, we hope that our teachers will be easily absorbed by the Teachers Service Commission. In the past we have had situations of teachers who have done their Masters in teaching Chinese language but because their undergraduate was not a pedagogical course they have had struggles getting recognized. In this and many more registration challenges, we would like to request a platform with the TSC so that we can discuss ways of mitigating these challenges and equipping our teachers. I wish to encourage the public to support the learning of the language, I encourage companies to join us through CSR activities in enabling us take Chinese to the mashinani as echoed by Ms. Nicole. We anticipate through the Chinese Embassy and various Confucius Institutes, Training institutes, Chinese companies and many more to have both short term and long-term scholarships that will enable cultural understanding. We believe through hardwork from the teachers in addition to collaborations we shall equip ourselves for the future eventualities leading to expansion of Chinese language and culture. With these remarks, Ladies and Gentlemen, I once again appreciate each and every one of you for taking time to listen to me. Thank you! Ms. Faith Mworia Chairperson Chinese Language Teachers Association of Kenya