Seeing China Differently

　　In the eyes of Nigerian movie-goer Saminu Alhassan Usman， Chinese movies are all about kungfu，with simple plots and dazzling stunts and action sequences.

　　However， he was curious about the life of theaverage person in the world’s most populous country，especially since only topics relating to politics and theeconomy in China get exposure in his local media.

　　Before coming to Beijing， around 10，000 km fromhis home， Usman， 35， worked for Freedom Radio as apolitical and social reporter in Jigawa State in north Nigeria.

　　Under an exchange agreement between the twocountries， Usman has worked at the Hausa Departmentof China Radio International (CRI) since September 2012.Besides Nigerian official language English， Usmanalso speaks Hausa when he is at home in Kano， thecountry’s second largest city and the business hub ofnorth Nigeria. Currently， some 50 million people speakHausa， one of the most widely spoken languages inWest Africa， Central Africa， and northwest Sudan.

　　Debut of the voice actor

　　For Usman， his job in Beijing is similar to his previous oneback home： He conducts interviews， records audio andwrites reports. He also proofreads stories in Hausa for hisChinese colleagues.

　　“Doing some voice acting for Beijing Love Story， thefirst Chinese domestic TV drama in Hausa， was the mostinteresting and challenging part of my job，” Usman toldChinAfrica.

　　In 2011， the first Swahili-dubbed Chinesedomestic TV series A Beautiful Daughter-in-LawEra was aired in Tanzania starting November 23，attracting a large audience and positive reviews.As a result， the State Administration of Radio，Film and Television - now known as theState General Administration of Press， Publication，Radio， Film and Television - launcheda Chinese TV drama export project targetingAfrican audiences at the end of 2012. CRI，which broadcasts in 61 languages worldwide，was tasked with producing the translations.

　　The 39-episode Beijing Love Story， shotin 2010 and aired across China in 2012， depicts youngpeople struggling to balance their work and life， friendsand lovers in the big city. The preparation for the Hausaversion started at the beginning of 2013.

　　CRI held auditions for leading voice actors on March20-21 in Abuja， attracting 20 local professionals acrossNigeria. Finally， six were chosen to come to Beijing， joiningthe Hausa department staff for the work in mid-April.

　　This is the first time that a Sino-Nigerian cultural exchangehas invited Hausa-speaking actors and actressesto China to dub Chinese TV series.

　　“A romantic plot and ordinary people’s life storieswere very different from what we had seen in theChinese kungfu movies we were used to. My fellowcountrymen would love it，” Usman commented.

　　The most challenging part was making thetranslated scripts match up with the video. Thedialogues in Chinese were shorter and faster thanin Hausa； sometimes with a lot of idioms orpuns. “I had to figure out the original meaningsand then cut down the words used，” heexplained.

　　Fortunately， his hard work paid off. Usman’svoice acting for Andy， a handsomecynicist from a rich family with a fragileheart， received high praise from his colleagues.

　　His work went on to get him pickedby the director for a role voicing a supportactor in A Beautiful Daughter-in-Law Era.

　　“A shift from the martial arts world to social life onthe ground allows me to see China from a differentangle，” Usman noted. “I’m looking forward to moreChinese TV series， especially comedy that can reachAfrican audiences.”

　　Cultural localization

　　Usman’s voice spread across the country when theHausa version of Beijing Love Story premiered on theNigerian Television Authority station on September 18.“It is easier for local audiences to understand thanforeign TV dramas with English subtitles，” Usman said.“I’m proud to do voice acting work， and my family isproud of me too.”

　　According to Usman， culture is one of the mostsignificant factors in global development. The role ofculture in a nation’s development can easily be seen inall social and economic ramifications. “Take for instancethe role of culture in promoting regional development，which we see in motion here in China， it is obviously oneof the factors that lead to increased attractiveness ofthe nation for tourism activities and international investment，”he said. “Clearly， this alone should be a greatmotivation for taking cultural exchange and promotionwith all seriousness.”

　　China is one of the most earnest nations in preservingand promoting its culture globally. It is worth mentioningthat when it comes to all levels of internationalrelations， full understanding of cultural diversity plays amajor role in attaining success.

　　It is also an avenue for development based onknowledge， creativity and tolerance， he said.“Moreover， if we consider culture as one of the necessaryfoundations of building a wise and sophisticatedsociety， it is clearly possible to say that investments inculture and promoting it is a duty worth supporting，” headded.

　　Living in Beijing for more than a year， Usman hasadapted himself to the local life， where social values andcultural dynamics are similar to his home country， butthe history， politics and economy are totally different.

　　“China has been in the limelight since 2000. I thinkthe Chinese Government is working hard to achievedevelopment for the country and create good livingconditions for the people. I really respect that，” Usmansaid.

　　“People here who came from the one-child policymight not be as easy-going as my peers from biggerfamilies，” said Usman， whose family included 14 siblings.“But the love we have for our families is the same.”

　　According to the agreement between the twocountries， the Nigeria Cultural Center was built in Beijingin May 2012， becoming the first African culture centerin China. The first Nigerian Cultural Week kicked off inBeijing in December 2012. The equivalent China CulturalCenter in Nigeria was opened in Abuja on September18 in 2013.

　　Usman participated in the second Nigerian CulturalWeek in Nanjing， east China’s Jiangsu Province， onOctober 14-18. In addition to indigenous dances， theWestern African country also showcased its handicraftsand local delicacies.

　　“We started to get to know about China throughthe China Cultural Center and the Confucius Institute.Similarly， I hope that the Nigeria Cultural Center and NigeriaCultural Week will help more Chinese people knowabout my country，” Usman said. “For Chinese people，visiting Nigeria is like an adventure. We have more than500 dialects and various cultural events all year round.I believe that continuous interpersonal exchanges candefinitely benefit both countries.”

　　“Taking China as a role model， one can easily seehow cultural promotion helps in preserving its nationalidentity， promoting cooperation and human communication，paving ways of realizing policies that supportgender equality and social solidarity， as well as reducingdisproportions of personal development of citizens，” hesaid.

　　“It is hoped that activities related to dissemination ofculture through films， dramas and other means shouldbe reciprocal， that is to say African nations laggingbehind in this regard should also sit up and developa keener sense of urgency in this regard， so that theywill be able to take up their seat at the table of dignityalongside other nations of the world as equals，” Usmannoted.