Kampala, Uganda - August 09, 2024

Storyline:
Amid the growing enthusiasm for Chinese language and culture in Uganda, the Confucius Institute at Makerere University has become a hub for students eager to explore new cultural interests and career opportunities.

Makerere University, one of Africa's oldest and largest universities, jointly established its Confucius Institute with Xiangtan University in central China's Hunan Province in 2014.

At the university's Confucius Institute, many students are enthusiastic fans of Chinese culture. Some not only speak Chinese fluently but also excel in practicing Chinese martial arts and tai chi.

One such student is a Ugandan who goes by the Chinese name Li Anjie. He has become a martial arts star at the institute. His passion and dedication to Chinese martial arts, supplemented by online videos and a few classes, have led him to achieve a remarkable level of proficiency.

Gilbert Gumoshabe, Ugandan director of the Confucius Institute, shared his insights about the growing passion among Ugandans to learn Chinese.

In 2022, Chinese became part of Uganda's national curriculum as a secondary school exam subject.

To promote localized Chinese education, the institute began training Ugandans to teach the Chinese language in 2018, marking a global first for Confucius Institutes.

By learning Chinese at the Confucius Institute, many Ugandan students gain life-changing opportunities -- better employment or even the chance to further their studies in China.

Shotlist:
Kampala, Uganda - Aug 9, 2024:
1. Various of signs of Confucius Institute at Makerere University;
2. Various of boards of Confucius Institute, Xiangtan University, certification;
3. Various of Ugandan student practicing martial arts;
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Anjie, Ugandan student:
"I'm a student of martial arts. I've been learning it for three years. I love Chinese culture the most. I want to go to China."
5. Various of Li practicing martial arts;
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Li Anjie, Ugandan student:
"I want to go to big tournaments, like the African championship, world championship, [and tournaments at] big schools or universities like Beijing Sports University, or Shanghai Sports University."
7. Various of photos of students, teachers of Confucius Institute;
8. Photos of cover of Chinese Language Syllabus;
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Gilbert Gumoshabe, Ugandan director, Confucius Institute:
"On the cultural aspect of it, the Chinese culture is humane in nature. It is not imposing. You only need to learn about the culture and know how to live with that culture."
10. Various of photos of students, teachers of Confucius Institute;
11. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Jiang Hua, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute.
"So far, we have trained 145 local Chinese-language teachers and are currently offering the fifth training stage. Currently, there are 106 Ugandan teachers teaching Chinese in some 90 secondary schools. Many students develop a greater interest in Chinese culture after learning the language, which further motivates them to study Chinese."
12. Various of students in class, taking notes;
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Gilbert Gumoshabe, Ugandan director, Confucius Institute (starting with shot 14/partially overlaid with shot 14):
"I have been here for some time, and I've seen what goes on. 60 percent of what is in the supermarkets is made in China. We also have those which are made in Uganda and a number of them are made by the Chinese companies. So they are contributing directly to the economic growth of Uganda. There are many career prospects if you do Chinese, because China has opened up to the world."
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14. Reporter listening;
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15. Various of teacher, students in class.

[Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]