WINDHOEK- “I’m sorry, English not good. My daughter is English very nice (I’m sorry, I don’t speak English very well. My daughter speaks English very well)”. These were the words of Qing Ping Chen, a Chinese national who has become a permanent resident of Namibia.
The warm-hearted Qing, who is also a businessman, welcomes me into his family home – into their lounge to be specific.
Namibian and Chinese flags displayed side-by-side on the table as well on the glass and wooden cabinet in the lounge are hard to ignore.
But, before I utter any words, Qing makes sure I am comfortable as he asks me to sit on the black leather seat covered with animal skin seat covers.
Qing, his wife Angela and their only daughter Nancy have been living in Namibia for 18 years.
He refers to Namibia as his home and says he only goes to China to visit friends or when he has meetings with the Chinese government on mainland China.
He describes his first visit to Namibia in 1997 as “love at first sight” and says he knew immediately then that this is where he wanted to expand his horizon, namely in the business sector.
“My first visit to Namibia was brief and when I went back to China I bought things to set up my business in Oshikango,” he explains.
Qing adds that he was the first Chinese person to open a factory in Oshikango, in 1997. And, today, he is the proud owner of two shopping centres in Oshikango, among many other business endeavours.
“In China, there are many, many people. I don’t like too many people,” he says. He adds that family houses in China are just about 100 or 200 square metres.
“I don’t like that,” says Qing, adding that he loves a big house that is spacious and has a garden, which is the case.
After I explain to him that the interview is to primarily find out how a typical Chinese family lives in Namibia, instead, Qing insists that that he shares his general views about what he thinks of Namibia as a country.
Qing says when he initially came to Namibia, he could not speak English or any of the languages here. “In Namibia many of my friends are black people. The Oshiwambo people, they are my brothers and sisters,” he chuckles.
Asked if he can speak Oshiwambo, Quing says he does not speak the language as well as his wife. “My wife speaks Oshiwambo nice. Walalapo nawa (good morning)?” a jovial Qing says. He explains that his wife speaks Oshiwambo better than him because she spends more time at Oshikango, managing the family businesses there.
“I like mahangu, lamb, beef and sea food. It’s very, very good,” he says, when asked if he has generally adopted to the Namibian environment.
Qing, who speaks fondly of his daughter, explains that Nancy went to school at St Paul’s College and went to Australia to pursue further studies. Nancy, who came to Namibia as a pre-teenager, is now an auditor.
She does not seem very keen to be interviewed though. In fact, she answers the questions firmly and at times, sarcastically.
“I don’t remember how its (China) different because I was here when I was quite small. So, as kids you adapt quickly in whatever environment you are brought to. You don’t have a choice,” she replies when asked if she has any fond memories of China when she was a child.
“Oh, I wasn’t treated differently but I could see that they saw me differently. Well, after all this place is rather a closed-minded place,” Nancy adds, when asked if her school mates treated her differently because she is Chinese.
Angela, Qing’s wife appears friendly and speaks little because she does not speak English very well.
“I love the sunshine and the air,” she says, when asked what she loves about Namibia. Unlike her husband, she says she does not really like Namibian food.
“I like Chinese food,” she says.
Asked, how she adapted when she first came to Namibia, she says “the people there are very innocent and they were nice towards me”.
Angela, who speaks through an interpreter, adds that she attends her employees’ weddings, funerals and makes donations to schools in her community. “Government should give the poor jobs and subsidies to the underprivileged people so that they don’t have to go and steal,” says Angela when asked what she makes of the fact Chinese are often targets of criminals.
But, Quing has a different view. “Every country is like that. Even in America, it’s like this. It’s not only in Namibia,” Qing says.
Furthermore, Quing feels Namibians should adopt a culture of hardwork.
“I think Namibians are very good. It’s just the working time. The Chinese work all the time, they don’t have rest even on Sundays. They work all the time, that’s why the Chinese have money, money,” remarks Qing.
He adds that Africa is developing at a rather slow pace.
“I think, Chinese and Namibians together can develop this country very fast,” Quing opines. “The Chinese welcome people from all countries and, as a result, the economy develops quickly,” he says.