Mariatu Kargbo, aka Maria, a Sierra Leonean artist based in China, has recently initiated ‘Chinese Vocabulary Projects’ in five schools in Sierra Leone.
The project is known as ‘Small-Small Chinese’.
According to Kargbo, the project is aimed at promoting Chinese language and culture in Sierra Leone.
She said that the project would enable pupils to communicate in simple Chinese and find their way successful in society, insisting that , “The course will enable them to speak with Chinese friends and have an advantage when they join formal Chinese lessons later in the Confucius institute or other schools.”
According to Emily Gogra, the Deputy Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, the initiative had been a good one, stating that, it would be very important if it could be added to school syllabuses.
“The Chinese language is one of the most spoken languages in the world. So it is good that our children are now learning the language which I believe that could be advantageous for them,” she emphasised.
Hu Zhangliang, the Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone described the project as an important channel of Chinese teaching for the five primary schools.
He appreciated Kargbo for her great efforts in promoting the friendship and mutual understanding between China and Sierra Leone, saying , “with a good command of the Chinese language, one would find it easier not only to appreciate China’s profound history, current development, and promising future, but also conduct all other kinds of exchanges with the Chinese people.”
By Ibrahim S. Bangura