“The Swahili word safari means journey, it has nothing to do with animals, someone ‘on safari’ is just away and unobtainable and out of touch.”
― Paul Theroux, Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town
Hujambo! This means ‘How are you?’ in Swahili. Yes, you’ve read it right. It’s Swahili.
Swahili is a lingua franka of the African Great Lakes region and many other areas of the continent. The exact number of Swahili speakers remains unknown, but estimately there are 50 to 100 million speakers all across Africa.
Today, I’d like to use Swahili as a metaphor to discuss the true essence of learning.
So, why do I mention Swahili? Well, let me explain…
From the late 80s to the early 90s, my country, Japan, was considered the most dynamic economy in the global context, and its manufacturers the most dominant.
So, along with its GDP growth, Japanese giant companies have pledged their commitments to expand their investments and businesses in the global stage. To do so, they need those who know foreign languages.
Sony, for one, challenged candidates to write an essay ‘why do you want to work in Sony’ in a foreign language in its entrance exam. They were able to write the essay in any language they want. Someone wrote in English, while someone else wrote in Russian. And there was this guy who completed the essay with Swahili. I don’t know the exact background story of why he knew the mysterious African language, but he chose it. Did he join Sony? I don’t know…
But the point is this: if you’re somewhat captivated by African cultures, do you want to learn their languages, such as Swahili?
If you tell your friends that you’re learning Swahili, probably nine out of ten of them would ask you – why? Out of many other options you have, why did you choose the language? Wouldn’t it be better off spending your time learning something more financially beneficial? (I’m sorry Swahili speakers!! )
So, this leads to my main point: when we learn something new, do we always need a logical or financial reason to back up our motivations? This is a question I have since a long time ago.
Before diving into the journey to find the true essence of learning, let’s shift gears for a moment and take a close and hard look at Mandarin Chinese and the core idea of capitalism that leads us to take financially motivated actions despite its ethically dubious practices.
According to World Economic Forum, Mandarin ranks as the second most ‘powerful’ language after English. Their Power Language Index ranking is based on the following five core opportunities provided by language: Geography (The ability to travel), Economy (The ability to participate in an economy), Communication (The ability to engage in dialogue), Knowledge and media (The ability to consume knowledge and media) and Diplomacy (The ability to engage in international relations).
When we learn a language, for instance, a lot of us may consider the financial benefits we could get. Of these five opportunities provided by learning a language, the economy probably gives us a major reason to study it.
Two months ago, we were overwhelmed by the BBC’s financial report that China overtook US as EU’s top trading partner, especially due to the coronavirus pandemic. Trade between China and the EU was worth $709bn last year, compared with $671bn worth of imports and exports from the US.
Additionally, here is another report from BBC that Beijing is now home to more billionaires than any other city in the world, narrowly beating New York City.
Yes, you already know this. China is growing its influence in the world both economically and politically, and so is demand for learning Mandarin.
When you google “Mandarin Chinese”, they give you an array of suggestions why you should learn it. Along with the aforementioned five opportunities listed by World Economic Forum, the current world status gives you a perfect reason to learn Mandarin. Why not?
But do we really need to learn it just because China transformed itself from an impoverished third-world country to arguably the largest global economy? Do we consider what is happening within China, especially their iron fist crackdown on freedom of speech and basic human rights? Do we really know the ultimate goal of the CCP (The Chinese Communist Party)?
Here, let me ask you this question: Just because it makes sense, do we need to learn it? In a contrast to what I stated earlier in this essay, let’s briefly take a look at the dark side of China, where Mandarin is spoken as a mother language.
The U.S. Department of State’s 2020 human rights report stated China’s brutal crackdown in Xinjiang as “genocide and crimes against humanity” for the first time, as tensions between the two superpowers over Beijing’s treatment of the ethnic minority population continue to rise.
And what’s happening in Xinjiang is just the tip of the iceberg. Not only does China oppress its own people in the region, the country, led by CCP, caused Hong Kong’s democratic crisis with the notorious ‘National Security Law’ as well as worsened its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan.
Of course, Mandarin, itself, has nothing to do with what is happening in China, but by learning it and doing business with them, you’re indirectly contributing to their hegemony, aren’t you?
Can you imagine a world ruled by China? They deny freedom of speech, democracy, basic human rights, any forms of religious activities, and diversity. The world keeps telling us that China is going to be the next superpower. However, is that the world we really want? We would be only allowed to exist to make money without any ability to express our feelings and ideas publically. That’s so inhuman, isn’t it?
But don’t get me wrong. I’m not convincing you not to learn Mandarin. If your personal goal is financially motivated or you’re captivated by Chinese cultures, go ahead. I’m not even in a position to judge you.
I, however, would urge you to rethink the stark result of financially motivated actions, more specifically the side effects of capitalism.
“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are at the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!”
Greta Thunberg’s speech at The U.N. Climate Action Summit.
Including herself, the young taking to the streets for the climate strike are doing the right thing. Their life is stolen by those who harvest the fruits of capitalism. So, as she warned us, let’s discuss what capitalism is.
At the heart of capitalism is a scarcely-examined assumption: you are eligible to as great a share of the world’s resources as your money can buy. You can purchase as much land, as much atmospheric space, like many minerals, as much meat and fish as you can afford.
If you can pay for them, you can even own entire mountain ranges and fertile plains. You can burn as much fuel as you like. Every yen, yuan, euro, or dollar secures a certain right over the world’s natural wealth.
It has been like that at least for the past three centuries ever since the beginning of the industrial revolution.
Now take a look at our world today. Our oceans and Grate Lakes are heavily polluted with marine debris, ranging from tiny microplastics, smaller than 5 mm, to derelict fishing gear and abandoned vessels. And they have a devastating impact on the oceanic ecosystem.
What about our air? Most air pollution is caused by energy use and production. Burning fossil fuels releases gases and chemicals into the air, and carbon dioxide and methane dramatically raise our planet’s temperature.
Along with the fact that we created a monster country like China because of investments by the West and Japan without knowing CCP’s ultimate goal and intentions, the environmental destructions our generations face are the stark result of our financially motivated actions over the course of time.
Over the most part of this essay, I wrote ill of learning Mandarin, and downsides of financially motivated actions that lead to the current ecological destructions we face today.
I’m afraid I may have gone off too far. From here, let’s shift the gears back and discuss the true meaning of learning. I began this essay with a mention of Swahili. Swahili surely didn’t make the top 10 of my aforementioned World Economic Forum’s power language index ranking.
Why did I mention Swahili? Well, consider the language as a metaphor. This crazy world bends over backwards to make you feel apologetic when your actions don’t make sense, especially financially. As I mentioned earlier, when you tell the world you’re learning Swahili, they might ask you – why? Why don’t you spend your time learning something that financially beneficial?
They may ask you so because almost all businesses and organizations in our world are revolving around fairy tales of eternal economic growth. Once we do things that go against the social norms, they cast dubious eyes at us because it doesn’t make sense.
But do our actions always have to make sense? You want to learn Swahili because you love it. It doesn’t have to be Swahili. Wanna learn how to play the piano? Amazing! Wanna learn how to make pottery? Lovely! Wanna learn how to paint? Go ahead!
Why do we listen to the world? This world is revolving around those who harvest the fruits of capitalism. They make every effort to make our world less diverse in terms of occupations, business models, and ethics. Maybe they tell you to learn Mandarin because they need Mandarin speakers to do business with China despite all of those ethically wrong actions taken by CCP.
Considering my mention of financially motivated actions, our self-worth might be strongly tied to what the world thinks of us. Maybe we feel a need to learn Mandarin because we want to get approved by the rich who do want to make themselves even richer by doing business with Chinese investors and business owners. Maybe we want to be rich because we want to get the monetary power to buy whatever we want regardless of who might be deprived. But is that really what we want?
When we tell the world we learn Swahili, they judge us based on a pool of influences in their own lives that have absolutely nothing to do with us, including their biases and looking-glass selves.
Maybe we must stop putting ourselves at the mercy of their unreliable perspectives. When we act according to what the world demands and base our happiness and self-worth on their opinions, we might lose the core of who we actually are and even get deprived of the notion to tell what’s ethically right and wrong.
Not only does constant approval-seeking from this crazy world that leans over backwards to make us behave like everyone else make us look miserable, but it also forces us to miss out on the very beauty of who we are. If we are all led through our lives only doing and being what we’ve come to believe is expected of us, then, we cease to live. We only exist.
So, this leads to my core question. when we learn something new, do we always need a logical or financial reason to back up our motivations? My personal answer to this question is: No. That guy who completed Sony’s entrance exam essay with Swahili, for example, mastered Swahili because he loved it. That is enough!
No matter what they say, be who you are and find what you want to learn. Start listening to your own inner voice. If you keep ignoring it, you might end up being deaf to it. There are a lot of people who became deaf to their inner voice. Don’t be one of them. As long as your ideas don’t hurt others, be true to yourself and give yourself enough room to follow your intuition.
Always find your own Swahili.
Find what you believe is the right thing to do. The world out there is waiting for you to be discovered. Be diverse. Be cool. Be free. And be kind.
So, let’s close this essay with goodbye in Swahili.
Kwa heri!
Those are shots I photographed end edited in September 2011.
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