On October 30, Edmund Mukalla, Director of Africa Department of UNESCO World Heritage Center, was hired as Senior Advisor of Confucius Institute Teacher Training Center at Beijing Language and Culture University Conference Center.

Edmund Mukalla first thanked the Chinese government for giving him a valuable opportunity to study in China. In 1987, he came to study in BLCU and could not speak a single word of Chinese. He thanked BLCU’s teachers for their careful guidance and care. After six months of study, he deeply felt in love with Chinese and aspired to become a bridge between Chinese and African languages and cultures. In China, his harvest is not only in Chinese, but also in English. When working in the United Nations, he is often considered to have studied English in the United States or Britain. Edmund Mukalla said that learning in BLCU, where multi-cultures coexist, makes him realize the importance of language and culture for a nation. Everyone is the representative of his own nation. He thanked BLCU, a “Mini United Nations”, for its careful training and hopes to contribute his strength to his alma mater through his work experience at the real United Nations.