Uganda holds “Chinese Bridge” competitions for college, secondary students

Uganda on Sunday held the “Chinese Bridge” competitions aimed at testing college and secondary students’ proficiency in Mandarin in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

The event was held under the theme “One World, One Family” for both categories at Kawempe Muslim Secondary School. A total of 12 finalists from both categories showcased their Chinese language skills and understanding of Chinese culture through speeches, quizzes, and cultural performances.

Both Vianney Nsubuga of Luyanzi Confucius Class, who won the competition for the college category, and Sadik Wamala, who won in the secondary category, will represent Uganda in the global competitions.

Nsubuga was full of excitement as he hugged his fellow contestants after being announced as the winner. “I am so excited about this win. I didn’t expect it because it was a tough journey to beat all these contestants. But thank God I have made it, and I will be traveling to China and learn more about Chinese culture,” Nsubuga said.

Wamala said he will keep revising and make it a point to learn more about the Chinese language and culture.

Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong said the competitions have promoted cultural exchanges between the two countries, and become a platform for students to make friends.

“The Chinese language has become not only a golden key to understanding China, but also a golden bridge to strengthen our mutual support, solidarity, and bilateral cooperation in various fields, and continuously deepen the China-Uganda comprehensive cooperative partnership,” he said.

Grace Baguma, director of Uganda’s National Curriculum Development Center, said the partnership between Uganda and China has enabled many Ugandans to achieve more in terms of job creation and empowerment.

Baguma said last year over 98 percent of students who sat the ordinary level secondary school examinations for the Chinese language passed very well, attributing it to support from the government and Chinese embassy. She said more secondary school teachers have started learning and taking courses in the Chinese language in order to get jobs in schools and companies that have a niche in Chinese.