Historically, chiefs have been regarded as "natural rulers", and chiefdoms have been largely hereditary. When today's Chinese spirit permeates the African land, it also shakes the traditional hereditary system of chiefs.
So far, Kong Tao has become the fourth Chinese "chief" in Nigeria to stand out from the China-Turkey Group.
What has Kong Tao done in Nigeria in the past nine years? Why did you get such an honor?
Dating back to 2010, Kong Tao graduated from Beijing Jiaotong University with a master's degree and was successfully hired by China Railway Construction Zhongtu Group.
Soon after joining the group, he was stationed by the company with eight university students of different schools and different majors to the Akka Railway Project and the Abuja Metropolitan Railway Project. Although there are graduating college students stationed every year, Kong Tao is the only one who has persevered to the end in the two projects, and is also the only Chinese engaged in all professional construction and management positions in the railway system.
Such a spirit of perseverance, being awarded the title of chief, will only be a kind of deserved. Whoever perseveres to the end, fate will give him the fairest reward.
Why only Kong Tao can survive these nine years, everyone knows that living in Nigeria, which is close to the equator, is really a disaster movie.
One or two days of experience, just fresh, nine years of trekking, can be described as a full range of tastes. Come to Nigeria, the local people are likely to invite you to eat roast bats, roast rats, fried African ants, a most common egg fried rice can be sold for 60 yuan, diet first come to Ma Wei.
Nigeria's climatic conditions are relatively harsh, and the local medical level is very backward, which has made the blow worse, resulting in the prevalence of local diseases, the first of which is malaria.
Regarding malaria, there is a saying in the Chinese circles working in Africa that says: If you have come to Africa and have not swung (commonly known as malaria), it means that you have come to a fake Africa.
Playing the pendulum is hot and cold, even the bones are painful, spitting up and turning the river and the sea, can make you vomit out the stomach acid. Under such harsh conditions, Kong Tao gritted his teeth and insisted for nine years.
There is a shortage of doctors in the area, and many people have to practice their own techniques for injecting themselves. Not giving an injection is fatal, and it is dangerous to prick a nerve.
In the dry season of Nigeria, the equatorial sky, ultraviolet intensity is high, radiation is also large, outdoor work must be tested by the hot sun at any time, and it is easy for the skin to be exposed to the skin.
The local water quality in Nigeria is also not good, so there are many people who suffer from stones.
Environmental harshness and health hazards or secondary, the most worrying, is the safety of safety.
Nigeria's territory is close to one-tenth of China's, the total population of 200 million, and the domestic economic development is unbalanced, the gap between rich and poor is large, coupled with poor security, frequent theft and kidnapping, in the world security evaluation, Nigeria is listed as an international danger area. Therefore, every time they go out to work, Kong Tao and his colleagues must bring armed police or soldiers with guns and live ammunition.
Many of the expatriates had to withdraw from Africa after being tortured by the Nepalese community, not to mention the concerns of their parents, wives and children.
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Although standing among the Nigerian people, his figure was as graceful as a bolt of lightning, and he even looked very thin.
In this regard, Kong Tao joked that he was born with a big heart, in fact, all this stemmed from the comedic talent in his bones. Persevering in the harsh environment, although walking on the tip of the needle, Kong Tao is still the young man who speaks cross-talk in his heart and is full of vitality.
Looking at his circle of friends, everywhere is pleasure in suffering.
In the first few years of coming to Nigeria, there was no camp, they lived in the activity board house every day, and their gray heads and dirty faces were miserable, but nine years have passed, and Kong Tao, who has been staying here, has led the big guys to establish the warmest home for Chinese foreign-related personnel.
In front of the building, he dug an artificial lake, built a stadium, hatched a duck, raised a peacock, in the eyes of everyone, he is not only a big thing, but also a particularly interesting life, in this barren and backward land, deducing the most extreme life.
The Nigerian capital's power grid was not good, affecting the progress of the project, so they all equipped generators to complete the work. The camp's most comfortable "lake view room" called by Kong Tao, in order to save electricity, there is a period of time when the power is generally forced at 11 o'clock at night.
Kong Tao told everyone in the camp that this was a special benefit of no overtime for the big family.
Not only is he optimistic and free in the face of adversity, but the meticulous Kong Tao can also feel the desire of Nigerian children. In the villages surrounding the Aka Railway Project, there is a Pai Pei Village Primary School, where Kong Tao is the "Principal Kong".
In 2012, Pai Pei Village Primary School was in tatters, and three school buildings became dangerous houses, and children had to stay away from them. In order to let these children have school and books to read, Kong Tao led people to rebuild the school in time, and now, the sound of reading aloud is heard from the Pai Pei Village Primary School.
In Nigeria, Kong Tao is certainly the "Chinese dad" with the most black children.
In the eyes of the children, Principal Kong is full of humor and witty words, not only understands their language, but also teaches them to speak Chinese, and meeting Kong Tao is really the luck of these Nigerian children.
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After Kong Tao was awarded the title of chief, many colleagues and friends sent congratulations. Someone jokingly asked Kong Tao, when he became a chieftain in Nigeria, did he have three wives and four concubines, a manor, a servant and a bodyguard? After all, in Nigeria, nearly half of the population is Muslim, and it is common for Muslims to marry four wives.
In Kong Tao's heart, there will always be only one little fairy, since she came to this world, she has been held up by Kong Tao on the tip of her heart, and she will never empathize with her love again.
At 15:40 on July 7, 2015, Kong Tao's daughter was born, and he felt the excitement and excitement of fatherhood for the first time. Every day to change his daughter's diapers, hiccups, breastfeeding, coaxing, daughter has just been a full moon, only a month of vacation, and in a hurry with countless reluctance to return to Nigeria.
The second time I returned home, my daughter was already half a year old. She learned to sit on the climbing mat, drooling and stuffing something into her mouth, and the cute little look made Kong Tao's eyes wet.
The third time I met my daughter, she was already walking steadily, and she could learn to call out to her parents.
The fourth time she sees the little one, the daughter has begun to recognize the birth, and when she sees a strange "uncle" coming to the house, she will hide behind her mother, and only when no one is there, she will accept her father's friendship.
Returning to China for the fifth time, in order to improve his image in his daughter's mind, Kong Tao gave most of his time to his daughter. Tirelessly accompanied her daughter. The old people who didn't know him all praised him as a good father, but Kong Tao's heart was apologetic.
The sixth time I stepped into the house, it was already time for my daughter to rest at night. Kong Taosheng was afraid of disturbing his daughter's sleep, so he crept and opened the computer to arrange work. But I heard my daughter say to the adults in the house: Shhh, don't argue, Daddy is at work. It turned out that the little guy had been hiding in the bed, waiting for his father to come home.
The seventh time I saw my daughter, she was three years old and it was time to go to kindergarten. She asked Daddy why are you so dark, didn't you wash your face? Kong Tao told her daughter that the project that her father was responsible for was completed and opened to traffic, and she would tell her friends over and over again: The railway built by my father can run trains!
By the eighth and ninth times, the daughter already knew that as soon as he took the trolley box, she would say goodbye to Kong Tao very sensibly, not cry or make trouble, turn around and run back to the bedroom. Kong Tao knew in his heart that his daughter was reluctant to do so
In four years, nine of the few times he returned home, he spent more than a hundred days with his family. This was the brightest warmth kong Tao could remember, and it was like nine spikes, stuck deep in his heart.
Long time away, unable to accompany them, Nigeria sunrise and sunset, every day after the completion of the work, he has a deep bone marrow of the thought. In Beijing, which is 11,000 kilometers away from Abuja, the daughter should also be in the arms of her mother, thinking of her father.
This era needs heroes to lead and carry the burden forward for Silk Road China. And the person who lives as a hero also has his family behind him to carry the weight for him. How hard are Chinese families abroad? For 3,200 days of perseverance and waiting, he never flicked a tear in front of people.
On May 3, 2019, Chinese time, after the conclusion of the Belt and Road Summit Forum, Kong Tao hurriedly boarded a flight back to Nigeria with the delegation. In Abuja, he will continue his next mission, and the villagers and children of the tribe are waiting for him to return.
The next time I see my wife, daughter and family, I am afraid that I will have to wait until the end of the year.
Every departure is full of apologies and reluctance, and the love of his family will always be a light that illuminates his heart and supports him to persevere in Nigeria.
He will also continue to walk on the equator and become the most maverick Chinese landscape. I only hope that he will return triumphantly in armor and return to his parents, wives and daughters as soon as possible.