It’s great to see China’s positive investments in the continent of Africa. They people of Africa deserve it after hundreds of years of Western plundering. One can only hope the project is succesful and that the nations of Africa can flourish on their own without Western interference. ✊🏼
My PoliSci professor mentioned this as an example of “Soft Power” with China influencing African countries and making them more willing to, in layman’s terms, adopt Chinese values. He also said they’re being made to learn Chinese. Rest assured I don’t believe that’s what’s happening but I thought it’d be relevant to show what a university professor in Political Science believes.
“Made to learn?” Lol. Like how people all around the world are made to learn English because it’s effectively become a lingua franca? If learning Chinese opens up more opportunities to people in developing countries why is this a bad thing? And if Chinese ends up displacing or competing with English in importance as an international language then all the better. One more blow to the Anglo global cultural hegemony.
And afterwards, next on the chopping block to be toppled from its global cultural monopoly, Hollywood and the American film and tv industry. China has been making some impressive movies lately. Once enough people in the global south speak Chinese as a second language, for instance in business and science, they will also become open to cultural media exports from China that will subconsciously carry with them Chinese socialist values and not western liberal ones.
We’re made to take French classes here, up to high school level, but I don’t see people complaining about that. Also wouldn’t language lessons help with communicating with the workers?
Westerners are incapable of viewing relationships with South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia outside of the lens of colonialism and imperialism.
He also said they’re being made to learn Chinese.
This is news to me. I wasn’t aware I was being forced to learn Chinese. Maybe they’re doing it in my sleep.
Jokes aside, Chinese learning programs have been getting more common in my country and more people want to learn it to study or work there.
Chinese is such a widespread language it’s considered a huge asset. Learning it would open a world of opportunities, I’d love to learn it myself.
Yeah it’s definitely quite useful to know it. I’m planning on learning it in the future but I’m already busy with a few languages at the moment.