厄立特里亞小伙的中國求學(xué)之路

莊夢園 龍超

白很力（Berhanetsegyohannes） 2016年經(jīng)厄立特里亞孔子學(xué)院介紹來到貴州留學(xué)，就讀于貴州師范大學(xué)的美術(shù)學(xué)專業(yè)，獲得本科學(xué)位，目前是該校一名研究生二年級(jí)學(xué)生。來華之前，他已是厄立特里亞小有名氣的畫家，他放棄在本國的榮譽(yù)來到中國重新開始，這一選擇令人敬佩。他是中厄文化的友好使者。

筆者是來自貴州財(cái)經(jīng)大學(xué)文學(xué)院的一名研究生，有幸采訪到白很力，比較深入地了解了他來華的求學(xué)之路。

Q1 記者：你是通過什么契機(jī)來貴州留學(xué)深造的？

白很力：我第一次來中國是在2015年，參加北京國際雙年展時(shí)被博大精深的中國藝術(shù)吸引。通過厄立特里亞孔院的推薦，我在2016年再次來到中國，在貴州師范大學(xué)開啟了我的藝術(shù)學(xué)習(xí)之路。我在貴陽生活了七年多，貴陽已成為我的“第二故鄉(xiāng)”。而且我有一對(duì)“中國父母”，我和他們感情很好，覺得很親，還在他們家里度過了春節(jié)，我很喜歡一家子團(tuán)聚時(shí)其樂融融的氛圍。

Q2 記者：你對(duì)貴州的第一印象是怎樣的？

白很力：我認(rèn)為貴州氣候宜人、冬暖夏涼，比北京、上海的溫度更令人愜意。我喜歡貴陽的雨，喜歡在雨中浸步，喜歡在雨天創(chuàng)作，喜歡自然的美，想要描繪大自然創(chuàng)造的一切事物。從飲食來說，貴州和厄立特里亞萊的口味部是偏辣的，很容易適應(yīng)，吃起來也很親切。尤其是“絲娃娃”等貴州名小吃，把所有不同的菜品包在一起，體現(xiàn)了中國的“中庸和諧”之道。從環(huán)境來說，貴州有美麗的山山水水，能帶給我很多創(chuàng)作的靈感。我?guī)缀跞ミ^貴州所有的名勝古跡，比如千戶苗寨、黃果樹瀑布、甲秀樓等。我認(rèn)為每一個(gè)景點(diǎn)部是獨(dú)一無二的存在，每個(gè)地方都有其獨(dú)具一格的美，就像藝術(shù)作品一樣，每一幅作品的背后都有一段故事。

Q3 記者：你喜歡和中國人交朋友嗎？在交朋友的過程中，除了語言障礙，還有其他障礙嗎？

白很力：我非常喜歡和中國人做朋友，且身邊基本上都是貴州本地朋友。因?yàn)榻慌笥芽梢曰ハ鄬W(xué)習(xí)，正是他們讓我擁有了開朗的性格和熟練的漢語口語表達(dá)能力。同時(shí)，他們也是我生活中的老師，教會(huì)我如何購物、點(diǎn)單，讓我的生活變得更加方便。當(dāng)然，我也可以教朋友們英語口語，大家共同進(jìn)步。我覺得和中國朋友在一起相處，幾乎沒有困難和障礙，他們對(duì)我十分友善。

Q4 記者：從網(wǎng)上獲悉，你在中國還舉辦過個(gè)人畫展，而且辦得很成功，能和我們分享一下當(dāng)時(shí)的感受嗎？

白很力：讀本科就開個(gè)人畫展是令我非常自豪的事情。2021年5月，我在貴州師范大學(xué)舉辦了個(gè)人畫展，共展出39件作品，以人物肖像為主。當(dāng)時(shí)現(xiàn)場熱鬧非凡，很多人來看畫展。當(dāng)聽到贊嘆聲不斷時(shí)，我的內(nèi)心是無以言表的激動(dòng)。我不僅僅在貴州師范大學(xué)舉辦過個(gè)人畫展，我的作品還被送到貴州遵義進(jìn)行巡展。每當(dāng)有人詢問作品背后的故事時(shí)，我都會(huì)很開心地和他們分享。而且我目前研究的方向是文字與自然的關(guān)系，我的夢想就是把本國和中國的文字元素融入繪畫。目前，我已經(jīng)有一幅作品被中國美術(shù)館收藏，這幅作品融入了厄立特里亞的元素，畫中的項(xiàng)鏈形似厄立特里亞的獨(dú)特符號(hào)“U”，意為“開始、起始”，表示媽媽是第一個(gè)給予他生命的人，也是第一個(gè)教他的人。項(xiàng)鏈所代表的另外一個(gè)含義為perfect，也就是“完美”的意思，其實(shí)也是要表達(dá)對(duì)母愛的贊美。我希望通過創(chuàng)作藝術(shù)作品促進(jìn)兩國之間的文化交流。

Q5 記者：“三下鄉(xiāng)”是中國獨(dú)具特色的志愿者活動(dòng)，作為國際學(xué)生參加“三下鄉(xiāng)”活動(dòng)，你的感受是什么？

白很力：我在2021年暑假期間參加了“三下鄉(xiāng)”志愿者活動(dòng)，免費(fèi)指導(dǎo)小學(xué)生繪畫。此次活動(dòng)給我最大的感悟就是“教學(xué)相長”。通過分析小朋友的畫，我自己也收獲了不同的繪畫角度，以及不同的創(chuàng)作靈感。因?yàn)樾∨笥芽词澜绲慕嵌扰c成年人是不同的，可能更容易抓住每個(gè)事物的主要特征，進(jìn)行無限的放大。所以說，此次活動(dòng)也是互相學(xué)習(xí)的過程。

Q6 記者：來貴州已經(jīng)七年了，貴州留學(xué)給你帶來的最大收獲是什么？

白很力：貴州留學(xué)給我?guī)砹撕芏嗍斋@。我學(xué)習(xí)到了很多中國文化方面的知識(shí)，在繪畫過程中融合了更多的中國文化元素。同時(shí)，我也在中國結(jié)識(shí)了很多志同道臺(tái)的同學(xué)以及藝術(shù)家朋友，可以經(jīng)常交流創(chuàng)作體會(huì)。他們?cè)谖倚哪恐惺羌胰艘话愕拇嬖?。如果有機(jī)會(huì)的話，我想要在中國繼續(xù)攻讀博士學(xué)位。

結(jié)語

白很力作為一位厄立特里亞畫家來到中國求學(xué)，通過學(xué)習(xí)和生活，他具備了多元的文化思維，更包容和尊重不同種族和國家的文化。他創(chuàng)作的繪畫作品對(duì)加強(qiáng)中外文化交流、推動(dòng)中國文化走向世界起到了積極的作用。

STUDYING IN CHINA： THE ERITREAN BOY’S EXPERIENCE

Bai Henli （Berhanetsegyohannes） came toGuizhou in 2016 with the help of the Confucius Institutein Eritrea to study at the Arts Institute at GuizhouNormal University. After obtaining his bachelor’sdegree， he continued on with his postgraduate studyat the same school， now two years into the program.Before coming to China， he was already an establishedpainter back in his home country. To leave all that behindand start anew in a foreign country is impressiveenough. He is truly the friendship ambassador betweenthe two cultures.

The author， a postgraduate student from the Facultyof Arts， Guizhou University of Finance and Economics（GUFE）， has the honor to interview Bai Henli for adeep dive into his educational experience in China.

Reporter： Under which circumstance did you come to Guizhou？

Bai Henli：I first came to China in the year of 2015for the Beijing International Art Biennale. I was socharmed by the depth and diversity of Chinese arts. Byway of recommendation from the Confucius Institutein Eritrea， I came here again the next year and thistime I came to Guizhou Normal University to beginmy arts education. I have been living in Guiyang forover seven years now and it has become my secondhome. I have two Chinese “parents” with whom I havebuilt a solid and intimate relationship. I even spent theChinese New Year over at their place and reallyenjoyed the festive mood of family reunions.

Reporter： What was your firstimpression of Guizhou？

Bai Henli：I think Guizhou has a pleasant climate， withmild winters and cool summers， which is more enjoyablethan the temperatures in Beijing or Shanghai. Ilike the rain in Guiyang， strolling in the rain， creatingarts in rainy weather， and appreciating the beauty ofnature. I want to depict everything created by nature.In terms of food， both Guizhou and Eritrean cuisineshave a spicy taste， which is easy to adapt to and feelswelcoming. Especially there are dishes like “Siwawa”，a famous Guizhou snack， which wraps various ingredientstogether， embodying the Chinese concept of“moderation and harmony”. In terms of the environment，Guizhou has beautiful mountains and rivers，which provide me with a lot of inspiration for creation.I have visited almost all the famous scenic spots inGuizhou， such as Qianhu Miao Village， HuangguoshuWaterfall， and Jiaxiu Tower. I believe that each attractionis a unique existence， and every place has its owndistinctive beauty， just like artworks， each with its ownstory behind it.

Reporter： Do you like making friends with Chinese people？Besides language barriers， are there any other obstacles in making friends？

Bai Henli：I really enjoy making friends with Chinesepeople， and most of my friends are locals fromGuizhou. Making friends allows us to learn from eachother， and it is through them that I have developed anoutgoing personality and uent spoken Chinese. At thesame time， they are also my teachers in life， teachingme how to shop， order food， and making my life moreconvenient. Of course， I also teach my friends English，and we can progress together. I find that there arehardly any difficulties or obstacles in getting alongwith Chinese friends; they are very friendly to me.

Reporter： I learned from the Internet that you have held a personal art exhibition in China， and it was very successful. Could you share your feelings at that time？

Bai Henli：I am very proud to have held a personal art exhibitionwhile still an undergraduate student. In May 2021， I held a personalart exhibition at Guizhou Normal University， featuring 39 worksmainly focusing on portraits. The exhibition was lively， with manypeople coming to see it. I was incredibly excited and speechlesswhen I heard the continuous praises. Apart from this， my artworkshave also been exhibited in Zunyi， Guizhou. Whenever someoneasked about the stories behind my works， I was happy to sharethem. Currently， I am studying the relationship between text andnature， and my dream is to incorporate elements of both Eritreanand Chinese characters into my paintings. One of my works hasalready been collected by the National Art Museum of China（NAMOC）. This particular piece incorporates Eritrean elements，with a necklace-shaped symbol resembling the unique Eritreansymbol “U”， meaning “beginning” or “start”， representing that amother is the first person who gives life and teaches. The necklacealso symbolizes “perfect”， expressing praise for maternal love.through creating artworks， I hope to promote cultural exchangesbetween the two countries.

Reporter： “San Xia Xiang” （aninitiative that aims to advancescientific， cultural and sanitaryeducation in rural areas） isa unique volunteer projectin China. As an internationalstudent， how did you feelparticipating in this activity？

Bai Henli：During the summer vacation in2021， I participated in the “San Xia Xiang”volunteer activity， where I provided freeguidance to elementary school students in?painting. The biggest realization I had fromthis activity was the concept of “l(fā)earning fromteaching”. By analyzing the children’s drawings，it brought me different perspectives onpainting and inspired me with new creativeideas. Children have a different perspectiveon the world， and they may be more adept atcapturing the main features of each object andmagnifying them in nitely. therefore， this activitywas a process of mutual learning as well.

Reporter： It has been sevenyears since you came toGuizhou. What has beenthe greatest achievement ofstudying in Guizhou for you？

Bai Henli：Studying in Guizhou is a highly rewardingexperience. I have learned a lot about Chinese cultureand incorporated more Chinese cultural elements intomy artwork. Additionally， I have met many like-mindedclassmates and artist friends in China with whom Ican regularly exchange creative experiences. they arelike family to me. If given the opportunity， I would liketo continue to pursue a doctoral degree in China.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

As a young Eritrean painterwho came to China for education，Bai Henli has developed amulticultural mindset throughhis studies and life experiences.He is more inclusive and respectfultowards di erent racesand cultures from various countries.His artistic creations playa positive role in enhancingcross-cultural communicationand promoting the disseminationof Chinese culture to theworld.