One speaks a lot, the other is rather quiet. The two opposite characters correspond to two roles in the traditional Chinese comic crosstalk known as xiangsheng. Rakotoarivony Mamisoa from Madagascar and Ike M. Kitili from Kenya used to be classmates at Tianjin Normal University. In 2019, only three years after their arrival in China, they fell in love with xiangsheng. Both were born in 1997, and that’s just about the only similarity between them: Mamisoa likes to go out and play with friends and chat, but Ike prefers meditating and watching movies. In the xiangsheng shows they perform, the leading character is in charge of making people laugh with clever remarks or amusing gestures, and the second one plays a supporting role. Mamisoa and Ike certainly appear to be the most complimentary on-stage actors.

Difficult to learn

Whether it was a coincidence or not, Mamisoa and Ike had a similar experience before travelling to Tianjin. They passed the HSK exam, a Chinese language test for foreigners, in 2016, following more than a year of Chinese language learning at the Confucius Institute in Madagascar and Kenya, respectively. They applied to Chinese colleges to continue their education and eventually realised their dream.

Tianjin is well known for its xiangsheng. The two Africans decided to learn the art in 2019 from an actor to prepare for a national xiangsheng competition. Mamisoa told ChinAfrica, “It is incredibly intriguing and enjoyable and quite challenging.” However, despite several barriers including words, gestures, facial expressions, and looks, they were enthusiastic. Their biggest challenge was the cultural gap, “especially the idioms,” Ike said.

They had to rely on the teacher’s assistance for every word and phrase. The instructor had to make sure they fully comprehended each term by introducing them to its cultural connotation. The rest depended on practice. They used most of their spare time each day to practice. The actor-teacher had five trainees initially, but three left after graduation. Despite the challenges, Mamisoa and Ike persisted. “Our love for funny banter drives us to persevere. It is the biggest motivating factor for us,” Ike told ChinAfrica.

Learning xiangsheng is time-consuming and demands a long-term commitment. “Despite being able to act a few pieces, we are still far from being experts,” the young Malagasy said. They put in as much practice as they could. They studied idioms on the weekends and in the evenings. Mamisoa also picked up the skill of chanting a rhythmic tale while playing a quick game of castanets made of bamboo. Their efforts have been fruitful. They received an award to commend their efforts of inheriting and carrying forward xiangsheng art at the Second Ma Ji Cup National Xiangsheng Show for College Students in 2019, a competition that encouraged them to study the art at the beginning, and the innovation prize at the third edition of the show in 2021. At the New Creation Competition of Beijing 2021 Xiangsheng Festival for the Youth, they also took home the third prize.

They don’t write plays; they only perform them. Creation is too challenging for them, said Mamisoa. Instead, students request spaces from their teacher or search online for imitation films. They occasionally alter words to include African elements, so it’s not a complete copy and paste. There is a conversation that asks, “Which nation has the most wood?” “The Philippines.” “Which nation possesses the most oil?” “Saudi Arabia.” Ike then asked which nation had the most lions. “Kenya!” They both said as they giggled.

Their performances are peppered with African characteristics, giving them a fresh perspective. They worked with their teacher to develop an African version of the classic drama Bao Caiming (introducing food names), which has names of roughly 30 dishes. Another novel technique involves Ike beating drum while Mamisoa playing the bamboo castanets, allowing two rhythms to coexist.

How about the favourite grandmasters? Ike admires Ma Ji. Besides him, Mamisoa also appreciates the performances of Ma Ji’s trainee Zhao Yan, and another grandmaster Ma Sanli. “Xiangsheng presents a lot of life wisdom in a comedic manner. These regional norms and practices are well reflected in traditional art. The finest approach to learning is in this way,” Mamisoa added.

Enriching cultural exchanges

They prefer to hang out around the Drum Tower, which is a landmark representing old Tianjin. According to them, nearly every local Tianjin citizen can play bamboo castanets there. However, since the start of the COVID-19, the two young Africans have rarely been to a venue to enjoy a xiangsheng performance. Fortunately, it’s easy to find videos on the Internet.

They frequently get the chance to perform for Chinese audiences both within and outside of the university. It’s a fantastic way to share cultures. Imagine two African students performing a traditional comedy on stage while speaking fluent Chinese and effectively using typical Chinese humour.

Ike enjoys traditional Chinese art and calligraphy as well as other Chinese customs. They noticed that more and more Africans are learning kungfu, calligraphy, Taiji, and traditional Chinese dance at the Confucius Institutes in their home countries. “Many hope to go to China to continue their studies after the pandemic and learn more about Chinese culture,” the young Kenyan said.

Both of them have studied in Tianjin Normal University for six years, including two years for a master’s degree. The Beijing Foreign Studies University hired Mamisoa this year to teach Malagasy, his native language, while Ike is pursuing his Ph.D. in governance and public policy at the same university in Tianjin. Despite being separated in the middle of this year, the two plan to sometimes reconnect after COVID-19 is under control. “I will continue to study xiangsheng, and perform with my partner in the future,” Ike said.