WDK Watch: "To All Graduates, Remember That Africa Needs Us''

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Welcome to Wudaokou Watch, where we profile a different Beijing-based student from abroad each week to hear about their life in China's capital. The first Wudaokou Watch interview was published in October 2018, and we eventually aim to feature a student from every country in the world. You can read the whole series here:

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I'm Manuel Ndundu, I come from Angola. I am studying finance at the Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE). I chose this course because I want to learn and understand how financial markets work and in the future to enter the business world.

Angola has vast minerals and petroleum reserves, and its economy is among the fastest-growing in the world, especially since the end of the civil war. It's located in the southern region of the African continent, on the west coast, it is bathed by the Atlantic Ocean and has beautiful beaches. The country is also crossed by the Zaire River, which is the second-largest river in Africa (after the Nile River) and the seventh in the world, with a total length of 4,700km. Angola has one of Africa's most historic cities “Mbanza Kongo” which in 2016 was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Angola is also China's second-largest trading partner in Africa.

Like many other Africans, before I moved to Beijing, I had heard of the development and major transformations that had been taking place in the land of Mao Zedong, but I still had a perception that China was like in Jackie Chan movies, where everyone practiced kung fu on the street. Obviously, I was out of date and incredulous when I saw with my own eyes the great economic leap this country has made in the last 30 years.

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I want to contribute to the development of my country. Thus, although I really appreciate Chinese culture and the people in general, I am here to learn and later return home to make my contribution. This is the only way I will feel proud of myself.

There is no better place to live than in the homeland that birthed me. Angola, and Africa in general, needs me more than China or any other country does.

I appeal to all young Africans graduating here, ''Do not forget that Africa needs us.'

Everyone should try eating with chopsticks once in their life. My family and friends always admire seeing my videos of me eating rice using 筷子 kuàizi.

I greatly admire the way China preserves its culture despite globalization, which is something that Angola lost after the Europeanization. Africa in general needs to rescue and preserve its African identity because only then will we truly be ourselves.

On the other hand, I would like China to pay more attention to environmental issues like ocean pollution because only then will we be protecting planet Earth and ensuring the lives of future generations.

One Beijing mistake that I'll never make again is not having WeChat or Alipay connected with my bank account, and going to the Great Wall in summer.

If my house was on fire and I could only take three things with me, they would be my folder where I keep all my documents, my phone, and of course I won't forget the most important thing, my Bible.

In five years time, I want to graduate in finance and continue my studies but preferably in another country in order to gain more experience and specialization. I want to have a thorough fluency of the languages I already speak, namely: Portuguese, English, French, Mandarin, and Kikongo. And I want to create partnerships with other young Africans and work on projects that are related to the African continent.

If I could give my past self some advice about China, I'd say "Don't waste this opportunity because this is the country of the future."

Images courtesy of Manuel Ndundu

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