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Inspired by a Chinese television series aired in Africa, Omar Ahmed is among a group of actors dubbing a series of Chinese shows for the continent

When the 36-part comedy A Beautiful Daughter-in-Law Era, about the relationship between a modern Chinese couple and their families, was broadcast across several East African countries in 2011, dubbed in Swahili, Omar Ahmed, like many others, became a fan.

"When we walk down the street and see a poster for the television series we can recollect the names of the characters immediately, such as Mao Doudou, the daughter-in-law. It's really popular in my home," says the 29-year-old Tanzanian television presenter.

A year after that show began, he never imagined he would be working on dubbing a Chinese drama himself, called The Happy Life of Jin Tailang, which tells everyday stories about ordinary Chinese people.

"I studied Chinese at college, which helped me get the job," he says. "Though I have never done dubbing before, I enjoy the Chinese television series and I can easily put myself into the character. It's crossing the cultural divide.

"You get to create characters you wouldn't be able to create in any other medium. It's a new and exciting experience for me."

Together with 29 other actors from Africa, Ahmed is busy dubbing 10 Chinese television series and 52 movies under a project organized by China Radio International

According to Wang Gangjian, director of the Film and Television Dubbing Center at China Radio International, the Center is in charge of all post-production, including translation and dubbing.

Two years ago, when Wang visited Tanzania, where Swahili is widely spoken, the cultural counselor of the Chinese embassy in Tanzania invited Wang to recommend a Chinese television series dubbed in Swahili to Tanzanian audiences.

The initial plan was to dub and broadcast Chinese television series Ke Wang, or Yearning, which was popular in China in 1991.

"Ke Wang reflects ordinary Chinese people's lives more than 20 years ago, which is totally different from today's lives. So we decided to do another television series, which is close to today's Chinese people," says Wang. "That's when A Beautiful Daughter-in-Law Era swept China."

The success of that series in Africa has prompted the decision to dub other Chinese shows in English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Kiswahili and Hausa, for broadcast in Africa later this year. Starting from January this year, the entire project is planned to finish by the end of June.

Wang says that all the television dramas currently being dubbed - mainly light-hearted comedies reflecting on modern Chinese family life - have been well received in China.

Among them are: Go Lala Go, which focuses on a career woman's attempts to balance work and relationships; and The Happy Life of Jin Tailang.

"The funny and interesting plots lead overseas audiences to look into Chinese people's everyday life," she says. "If the television series aired only with English subtitles, it wouldn't touch the hearts of audiences as much as dubbing in their local languages."

Mohamedi Omari Kaboba, an artist from Tanzania, who has performed in dramas and dubbed advertisements, applied for the job because he also liked watching A Beautiful Daughter-in-Law Era.

"People in my hometown are happy to see Mao Doudou. Family relationships are an issue for people anywhere in the world. For us, it also helped us understand today's China better," he says.

Thirty-four-year-old Nigerian Nastru Sani joined the dubbing project in March, playing the part of Wu Di, a leading role in the drama Beijing Love Stories, which revolves around three pairs of lovers.

"I watched many Chinese kungfu movies before I came to China. I thought Chinese people could all do kungfu. When I watched the television series, I saw a different China and the young people's love stories are just like mine," he says.

Sani describes himself as loyal and emotional like Wu Di, whose heart is broken by a girl.

"My girlfriend went away with a rich guy like Wu Di's girlfriend, so I can feel the same sadness as the character," he says.

Though all the voice actors from Africa have experience in television, theater and movies, most of them have never dubbed before.

"Before we got started, I gave them dubbing training and helped them understand the characters," says Wang Xiaoyan, a renowned voice actress who did the voice for Ikkyu san in Japanese animation Smart Ikkyu san, which was hugely popular in China from 1983 to 1988.

One of the most challenging aspects of the job is matching the words with the emotions of the character.

"Before the formal dubbing, we practiced word by word. We have translators to adjust the lines on site and the voice actors also help find the most accurate words and emotions to express the characters," says Wang.

"Like embroidery, although it takes a long time to finish, it comes out beautifully. Those television series and movies come from China and I hope they can be presented well to African audiences."

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 05/31/2013 page28)