How's Kong Tao's Life as an African Chieftain?

How's Kong Tao's Life as an African Chieftain?

在非洲意外当上酋长的河南小伙，现在咋样了？

 

What is your impression of an African chieftain?

你印象中的非洲酋长是什么样的？

 

A chieftain is always imagined to have colorful feathers on his head, dressed in gorgeous and stylish animal skins, surrounded by "beauties" and protected by warriors with spears.

头插五颜六色的羽毛，身披华丽而不失格调的兽皮，“后宫佳丽”围绕身边，身后是手持长矛的武士.....

 

Chieftains, it seems, only exist in movies and TV plays or overseas news and far away from our life. However, Kong Tao, born in the 1980s in Qingfeng county of Puyang city, Henan province, became a chieftain in Africa in 2019.

他们，好像只存在于影视剧或海外逸闻中，离我们的生活很远。然而，很多人不知道的是，一位来自中国的“80后”小伙孔涛曾在2019年意外成为一位非洲酋长。

In 2019, Kong Tao was made a tribal chieftain in Nigeria. Dressed in a white robe and holding a colorful scepter, he posed for photos with his Nigerian friends. To his surprise, the photos became a hit on Chinese social media platforms a few days later.

2019年，孔涛在尼日利亚受封为部落酋长，并获得酋长封号。他身披白袍，拿着五彩斑斓的权杖，和尼日利亚的朋友们合影。令孔涛没有想到的是，几天后，这些照片在国内社交平台引发了广大网友的关注。

Kong Tao (right). [Photo/Xinhua Daily Telegraph]

It sounds unbelievable that a young man from Henan province has become an African chieftain.

河南小伙成为非洲酋长，这件事听起来近乎天方夜谭。

 

Some netizens humorously commented: "As an African chieftain, did you get a promotion, enjoy polygamy and reach the top of your life?"

网友们纷纷调侃道：“出任非洲酋长，是不是可以升职加薪，迎娶多个老婆，走上人生巅峰了？”

 

Now, two years have passed, has Kong Tao already reached the top of his life?

如今，两年多时间过去了，孔涛真的走上“人生巅峰”了吗？

Kong Tao (left). [Photo/Xinhua Daily Telegraph]

Kong Tao was born in Qingfeng county in 1985. After obtaining a master's degree at Beijing Jiaotong University in 2010, Kong Tao got a job at China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

1985年，孔涛出生在河南省濮阳市清丰县，他从小自律又十分勤奋努力，学习成绩一直名列前茅。2010年，孔涛获得了北京交通大学硕士学位并进入中国土木工程集团有限公司工作。

 

At that time, Nigeria's railway construction was on the fast track. Therefore, at the end of 2010, Kong Tao was sent to Nigeria because of work needs. Up to now, he has been working there for over a decade.

当时，正值尼日利亚国家铁路大发展，孔涛在当年底被公司派往当地参与铁路项目，这一干就是十年多。

 

In Nigeria, Kong Tao and his partners created many jobs for local people by providing training classes for them so that they could improve their lives by themselves.

在尼日利亚，孔涛和他的同事们组织知识和技术培训，为当地的工人和农民提供就业机会，让他们能够参与到铁路建设项目中，用自己的劳动改善生活。

 

In a village nearby, he built three new school buildings for a local primary school. Since then, full of gratitude, the locals have began to call him "Headmaster Kong".

除此以外，孔涛还带人为当地的一所小学修建了三间全新的校舍，确保村里的孩子们能在更好的环境中上学读书，当地人感动地称他为“孔校长”。

 

Over the past years, many works had been done by Kong Tao and his partners, such as building roads and football fields. They created many touching Chinese stories in the remote African land and won the respect of the local people with their sincerity. Improvements in education and economy have made what was once a wasteland brimming with energy and vitality.

修路、填坑、建足球场……在非洲的日子里，孔涛和他的同事们所到之处都是故事，他们用真心换来了村民们的尊重。教育和经济状况的改善，让昔日的“荒芜之地”如今处处洋溢着活力与干劲。

 

"For us, it is a regular project, but for them, it is a hope of changing their lives," said Kong Tao.

孔涛说：“对我们来说，这可能就是一个力所能及的项目，但是对他们来说，则是看到了改变命运的希望。”

Kong Tao (right). [Photo/Xinhua Daily Telegraph]

Becoming an African chieftain "was an accident," said Kong Tao.

对于当上酋长这件事，孔涛说“这是个意外”。

 

In September 2018, Kong Tao visited a Nigerian "king" (the top ruler of a local community under Nigeria's traditional power system), who decided to give him a special "gift" -- a chieftain title.

2018年9月，孔涛到尼日利亚“土皇”家里做客，对方提出要送给他一个“礼物”，而这个“礼物”就是酋长的头衔。

 

In Nigeria, only foreigners who have made outstanding contribution to local economic or social development and people's lives improvement can be granted the chief title.

要知道，在尼日利亚的外国人中，只有为当地经济或社会发展、民众生活改善等作出突出贡献才能被授予酋长头衔。

 

On April 21, 2019, the certificate and scepter symbolizing the chieftain's power were granted to Kong Tao who became a chieftain with the title of "WAKILINAYYUKA", a local honorary title that translates as "engineering chief".

2019年4月21日，孔涛被正式授予“酋长证书”和“酋长权杖”。尼日利亚首都阿布贾吉瓦地区的土皇穆萨亲自授予了孔涛“WAKILIN AYYUKA”酋长封号，这个封号意思是“工程领袖”。

 

Chieftains enjoy fiefs and, according to Nigerian custom, polygamy and even can pass the title to the next generation.

酋长享有封地，按照尼日利亚的风俗，适用一夫多妻制，甚至可以将封号传给下一代，国内有不少网友都很关注孔涛的“待遇”。

 

But, Kong Tao's title is just an honor. As a Chinese staff, he do not participate in local affairs.

不过，孔涛这次被授予的酋长封号主要是一种荣誉的象征，作为中国企业员工，并不参与当地具体事务管理。

 

For Kong Tao, such an honor is not for him alone. "It seems that they gave the title to me, but actually they wanted to express their thanks to the Chinese enterprise and China."

孔涛觉得，这个荣誉并不是他一个人的。“表面上看来这个封号是表彰了我，但实际上，他们想感谢的是我背后的中国企业，更是我背后的祖国。”

 

A friend once asked him jokingly, "What is your feeling with polygamy as a typical  African chieftain?"

曾有朋友调侃地问孔涛“孔酋长，妻妾成群的感觉怎么样？”

 

Kong Tao answered that he is Chinese and of course he should abide by monogamy. In fact, he got married in China in 2014 and has a lovely daughter. In fact, Kong Tao is not the first Chinese who has been named a chieftain in Africa. His company alone has four. For their contributions to Africa, they were granted such a title symbolizing China-Africa friendship.

孔涛却扬起嘴角幸福地表示，自己是中国人，当然要遵守一夫一妻制。其实早在2014年他就在中国结婚了，还有一个可爱的女儿。其实，孔涛不是第一个在非洲受封酋长的中国人，仅他所在的公司就有4个“酋长”。他们都因为在非洲做出了贡献而获得了当地人的敬重，这也正是中非友谊的体现。（中文来源/新华每日电讯 编译/赵汉青 海报/王君艺 审校/李文竞）

Find us on Twitter at @Henan Amazing @HenanWonderful