The Second Chinese Character Hero Contest, held in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, provided a platform for primary, high school, and university students to showcase their Chinese reading and comprehension skills. Organized by the Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe, the event aimed to encourage students to learn Chinese. Discent Jingo, who won the university category, said that preparing for the competition was challenging but rewarding. Rutendo Ndoma, the 17-year-old winner of the high school category for the second consecutive time, expressed that learning Chinese has been both enjoyable and motivating for her.
Fainos Mangena, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Zimbabwe, emphasized the importance of language learning in a globalized world, stating, “China’s growing global influence and its expanding trade relations with Zimbabwe make it essential to foster mutual understanding of each other’s language and culture.” Participants noted that learning Chinese has provided them with educational and job opportunities, highlighting the increasing interest in the language due to Zimbabwe-China cooperation.