Many Chinese dramas and films that are translated into various languages are becoming more and more popular and gaining many fans in various platforms around the world. This indicates that the industry of entertainment The international community is no longer dominated by western culture alone.
Source: UGC
Since 2014, more and more Chinese dramas have been shown on international platforms such as YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, and have now reached televisions in African countries including Tanzania and Kenya.
Due to the increased investment and budget in the Chinese entertainment industry, the international audience watching Chinese content continues to grow, due to the quality and high-quality production of these films, as well as the diverse cultural appeal seen in these dramas. Many Chinese dramas that performed well and were successful have been translated into different languages including Kiswahili
The airing of Chinese dramas translated into Kiswahili on the televisions of these East African countries, has expanded the scope of the Chinese film market in Africa and now China has even decided to record some of these films in Tanzania.
Recently a new Chinese drama called “Welcome to the Eternal Village” was launched in Tanzania by the Minister of Culture, Arts and Sports Hon. Dr. Damas Ndumbaro in Dar Es Salaam. Originally this drama was recorded in Tanzania, it was shown in China and received a very good response, where many of the viewers expressed their desire to visit Tanzania to see for themselves Mount Kilimanjaro and other interesting landscapes shown in the drama such as zoos and clean beaches the islands of Zanzibar.
This drama explains how a team of medical doctors from China came to Tanzania to provide the service and tells the story of those workers who save lives and build deep friendships with their natives in Africa. Before making the journey to help treat the people of Africa, doctors and health workers are trained in this wonderful language of Kiswahili so that when they arrive in Tanzania, where in this drama she was named Sanah, they will not have much trouble in communicating.
In the launch held on August 23, 2024 Hon. Minister Ndumbaro accompanied the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Hon. Chen Mingjian where he asked him to cooperate with Tanzania to prepare a special film that will show how those countries cooperated in the liberation movement.
The most interesting thing about this drama “Karibu Kijiji cha Milele” which is aired on Azam Television and has a total of 35 episodes, is that the teacher who teaches the Chinese Kiswahili is also Chinese. This gives the impression that China has its own Kiswahili teachers who learned this language and also proves that Kiswahili teachers who are Chinese are experts in this language.
It has become the norm for China to send groups or teams of doctors to Africa to help provide medical services, and successfully treat various diseases, where until today the inhabitants of those countries are grateful and will not forget China for its help to those people.
It is very rare to see Chinese dramas using African languages, ie before being translated into foreign languages. It is often common to see these plays using English or other European languages. This is the first time that many Kiswahili words are used in a Chinese drama, which shows that now China is really determined to be together and cooperate with its African colleagues.
“China has risen to become an important producer of dramas and films in the international market,” says Zhu Xinmei, director of the International Communication Research Institute of the Development Research Center at the National Department of Radio and Television.
Despite challenges such as the cultural differences between China and African countries, and the need to increase distribution networks abroad, it seems that there is great hope in the Chinese television drama scene, where these dramas and films will be seen more in the international film market in the future.
In recent years, a new trend has emerged in Chinese dramas and films. Some of the films were prepared with great skill that aims to show the success of China as a great power in the world, or to remember specific historical moments, or to highlight the friendship of many decades between China and foreign countries and to show its international contribution in foreign countries such as drama This one of “Karibu Kijiji cha Milele” which has gained fame in foreign markets, despite the fact that this type of film is always challenging in bringing good results in foreign countries.
Inspired by the real-life stories of more than 30 Chinese medical teams sent to African countries, the drama has garnered more than 2 million views overseas. Also “Karibu Kijiji cha Milele” received an award highlighting the friendship between China and Tanzania from the president of Tanzania, Samia Solution Hassanat the end of August in 2023.
As one of the most famous examples, a Chinese film translated into Kiswahili known as “My African Bride” has been watched more on the networks especially on YouTube and also shown in East African countries including Tanzania.
This romantic film shows the real life of an African-Chinese marriage. At first, it was difficult for this woman from Africa to be accepted in the life of the Chinese, but after living with her and getting to know in detail the habits of Africans, they finally slowly began to love their son-in-law and brother-in-law from Africa.
Many viewers on YouTube gave many comments and praised the production of this film saying that its story is beautiful, exciting and touching, while others explained that they couldn't bring themselves to tears.
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Another film called “Journey to the South” will also attract the attention of African audiences, especially Tanzania. This film tells the story of a middle-aged man Zeng Fu who is suffering from professional and family problems. Relatives and friends borrowed money from him but did not pay him back, and they also tricked you. So he had to close his company and sell his car to pay the debts. He also had a big dispute with the teacher and his wife about his child's education. After seeing that the world had turned its back on him while he had no one to complain to about his problems, he decided to travel to Xizang where he met various people.
These excellent TV dramas embody various Chinese values, show the spirit of dedication of the Chinese people, provide a new range of choices for international viewers, and open new doors for Chinese dramas to reach international audiences.
While this year China and Tanzania are celebrating 60 years of relationship of the embassy, the slogan being “The Year of Culture and Tourism”, is the expectation of every stakeholder and viewer of Chinese dramas translated into Kiswahili, that apart from this work of China to bring entertainment and provide education about Chinese culture and values, there will also be more activities to promote the Tanzanian film industry in China, including translating Kiswahili plays and films into Chinese.
CRI report
Source: TUKO.co.ke
