2012 年5 月，布隆迪大學(xué)孔子學(xué)院正式成立，由中國渤海大學(xué)與布隆迪共和國布隆迪大學(xué)合辦，為班超和其他布隆迪青年打開了一扇通往中國語言、文化的大門。

The Confucius Inst itute at theUniversity of Burundi was founded in May2012， jointly operated by China’s BohaiUniversity and the University of Burundi.This opened doors to Chinese languageand culture for Bankuwiha Etienne， amongother young people in Burundi.

當(dāng)時(shí)，班超還是布隆迪大學(xué)數(shù)學(xué)系的一名二年級(jí)本科生，對(duì)中國充滿了好奇和向往。一聽到孔院開課的消息，他毫不猶豫地報(bào)了名。從那一刻起，他的生活便與中國緊密相聯(lián)。

At the t ime， B ankuwiha， a s asecond-year mathematics student at theUniversity of Burundi， was full of curiosityand had a deep fascination with China;when he heard about the new courses atthe Confucius Institute， he enrolled immediately.From this moment on， Chineseculture became intertwined with his life.

2013年，班超作為該孔院的第一批學(xué)員，和其他7位同學(xué)一起來到中國，開始了他們?cè)谥袊臐h語語言、文化之旅。班超特別喜歡中國東北的風(fēng)土人情，在沈陽師范大學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)期間，他自稱是一個(gè)“東北人”。如今，如果有人問他來自哪里，他會(huì)毫不猶豫地回答：“我是東北人！”這段在中國的經(jīng)歷不僅豐富了班超的人生閱歷，還讓他成了中非文化交流的使者。

In 2013， Bankuwiha was among the first group ofstudents from the Confucius Institute to visit China，embarking on a journey of Chinese language andculture. He studied at Shenyang Normal University，where he embraced the local identity to such anextent that he identified as a “Northeasterner.” Today，when asked about his heritage， he proudly says， “I ama Northeasterner！” His time in China has not onlybroadened his horizons， but has also made him aconduit for Sino-African cultural exchange.

回到布隆迪后，班超決定將自己的所學(xué)傳授給更多的同胞。于是，他繼續(xù)努力學(xué)習(xí)中文，于2017年再次獲得孔院獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金，隨后前往渤海大學(xué)攻讀漢語國際教育專業(yè)碩士學(xué)位。2019年畢業(yè)后，他成為布隆迪大學(xué)孔子學(xué)院的本土中文教師。在課堂上，他不僅教學(xué)生們學(xué)習(xí)中文，同時(shí)也以自己的親身經(jīng)歷和所見所聞，向?qū)W生們傳播中國文化和中國精神。

On returning to Burundi， Bankuwiha was determinedto share his knowledge widely. He diligentlypursued his Chinese language studies， receiving ascholarship in 2017 to pursue a Master’s degree inteaching Chinese to speakers of other languages at BohaiUniversity. After graduating in 2019， he returnedto teach at the Confucius Institute at the University ofBurundi. In his classes， Bankuwiha does not simplyteach the Chinese language， he also imparts Chineseculture and spirit， enriching his students’ learningthrough his personal stories and insights.

除了教書，班超還積極投身于中非文化交流事業(yè)。他與其他從中國留學(xué)歸國的布隆迪“中國通”一起，在中資企業(yè)擔(dān)任翻譯和顧問，為中資企業(yè)在非洲的投資項(xiàng)目提供語言支持和文化咨詢。為了深化中非之間的文化交流與合作，他們創(chuàng)立了“布隆迪中文翻譯者協(xié)會(huì)”，并于2018年在布隆迪內(nèi)政部的非營(yíng)利協(xié)會(huì)管理部門正式注冊(cè)。自此，這個(gè)年輕的團(tuán)隊(duì)積極參與了很多項(xiàng)目，如布隆迪總統(tǒng)府的建設(shè)和國家廣播電視臺(tái)的數(shù)字化業(yè)務(wù)轉(zhuǎn)讓項(xiàng)目等，成為中國與當(dāng)?shù)卣捌髽I(yè)之間至關(guān)重要的紐帶。他們還為周邊國家提供很多服務(wù)，如在坦桑尼亞，他們?yōu)橹匈Y中小企業(yè)提供翻譯服務(wù)；在肯尼亞，他們通過精準(zhǔn)的翻譯，助力中國人在當(dāng)?shù)仨樌亻_展業(yè)務(wù)；在烏干達(dá)，他們服務(wù)于彩票行業(yè)的中資企業(yè)；在南蘇丹，他們擔(dān)任中資企業(yè)的文化顧問；在盧旺達(dá)，他們?yōu)橹匈Y企業(yè)在采礦和彩票投資領(lǐng)域提供咨詢。他們的服務(wù)還延伸至中西非，如在剛果（金），他們?yōu)橹匈Y企業(yè)在礦業(yè)領(lǐng)域的投資提供支持；在加蓬，他們服務(wù)于在森林行業(yè)投資的中資企業(yè)；在科特迪瓦，他們參與了中資企業(yè)為當(dāng)?shù)匦藿ǖ缆返捻?xiàng)目等等。在非洲各國工作期間，這些才華橫溢的布隆迪青年不僅為中資企業(yè)大大減少了語言和文化障礙，更助力于中資企業(yè)與各國的相關(guān)部門及機(jī)構(gòu)建立穩(wěn)固的合作關(guān)系。

In addition to his teaching work， Bankuwihahas been deeply involved in Sino-African culturalexchange initiatives. Along with other Burundian“China experts” who have returned from studyingin China， he has acted as a translator and consultantfor Chinese-funded businesses， providing essentiallanguage input and cultural advice to support theirinvestment projects in Africa. To enhance thesecultural exchanges and cooperation， they haveestablished the Association of Chinese Translatorsof Burundi， officially registering it in 2018 with thenon-profit Association Management Departmentof Burundi’s Ministry of Interior， CommunityDevelopment， and Public Security. This vibrant teamhas since played a pivotal role in numerous projects，establishing themselves as key facilitators betweenChina， local governments， and businesses. Theirefforts include contributing to the construction of theBurundian Presidential Palace， digitizing the nationalbroadcasting and television station. They also haveextended their services to neighboring countries. In Tanzania they offer translation services forChinese-funded small and medium-sized enterprises，in Kenya they help Chinese nationals to navigate localbusiness environments， in Uganda they support Chinesecompanies in the lottery industry， in South Sudanthey provide cultural consultancy， and in Rwanda theyadvise on mining and lottery investments. Their workhas extended across the Central and West Africa， likethe mining sector of the Democratic Republic of Congo，the forestry in Gabon， and the road constructionprojects in C?te d’Ivoire. Throughout their time inthese countries， these talented young Burundians havesignificantly eased the language and cultural barriersfor Chinese businesses， fostering stable cooperationwith local entities.

與此同時(shí)，班超和布隆迪“中國通”們積極撰寫了眾多涉及中非關(guān)系的學(xué)術(shù)論文，貢獻(xiàn)了寶貴的思想資源。其中，班超撰寫的《布隆迪中資企業(yè)發(fā)展及其影響》《中國的脫貧奇跡》等文章引起了廣泛的關(guān)注和討論。

Meanwhile， Bankuwiha and other Burundian“China experts” have been prolific in their academiccontributions on Chinese-African relations， providingvaluable intellectual insights. Bankuwiha’s papers，including “The Development of Chinese Enterprisesin Burundi and Their Impact” and “China’s PovertyAlleviation Miracle，” have generated considerableinterest and impact.

2021年，班超在中國教育部中外語言交流合作中心“孔子新漢學(xué)計(jì)劃”博士生獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金的資助下，獲得去南京大學(xué)深造的機(jī)會(huì)，開展中非比較文學(xué)和跨文化研究。2023年，北京語言大學(xué)世界漢學(xué)中心和青島日?qǐng)?bào)報(bào)業(yè)集團(tuán)共同授予班超“青島海外傳播官”的榮譽(yù)，以表彰他在中外文化交流中作出的杰出貢獻(xiàn)。

In 2021， with the support of theConfucius China Study Plan （CCSP）PhD Scholarship from the Center forLanguage Education and Cooperation ofChina’s Ministry of Education， Bankuwihagained the opportunity to continue hisstudies at Nanjing University， focusing oncomparative literature and interculturalstudies between China and Africa. In2023， he was awarded the title of “OverseasCommunication Officer” by the WorldSinology Center at Beijing Language and CultureUniversity and the Qingdao Daily Newspaper Groupin recognition of his significant contributions tointernational cultural exchanges.

班超和這群布隆迪青年用自己的經(jīng)歷告訴我們，中文教育不僅是了解中國文化的橋梁，更是促進(jìn)不同國家和地區(qū)之間文化交流與商貿(mào)合作的重要紐帶。這群布隆迪青年的故事將激勵(lì)更多的中非青年投身于文化交流事業(yè)，為中非友誼注入了新的活力。

Bankuwiha and his peers demonstrate howChinese language education serves both as a gatewayto understanding Chinese culture and as a cruciallink in promoting cultural exchanges and businesscooperation between different countries and regions.Their inspiring stories are encouraging more youngpeople from both China and Africa to participatein cultural exchanges， injecting new energy into thefriendship between these two countries.