The Confucius Institute (CI) at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has marked the 15th United Nations Chinese Language Day celebration to expand inter-civilisational dialogue/exchanges and mutual learning.
It was celebrated on the theme: “Building a bridge of mutual learning among civilisations through girl-child empowerment.” The celebration, in collaboration with the Central Regional Coordinating Council, aimed to promote the Chinese culture and pay attention to girls’ education.
As part of the celebration, the Chinese Embassy and the Ghana Overseas Chinese Federation donated Chinese books to some local schools.
It was attended by dignitaries including the Central Regional Minister Justina Marigold Assan, the Regional Director of Education Emmanuel Essuman, the President of Ghana Overseas Chinese Federation, Mr Tang Hong, China and Ghana directors of the Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Coast and teachers and students of the Holy Child School.
Contributions
Mr Hong encouraged students to learn Chinese and to make greater contributions to local economic and cultural development. He expressed the hope that the two countries would work together to promote economic globalisation.
To build a bridge between cultures and civilisations, Mr Hong said there was a need to respect one another and treat one another as equals. He said that would deepen the understanding of the difference between one’s civilisation and work to promote interaction, dialogue and harmony among civilisations.
Mr Hong also highlighted the need to stay open and inclusive, as well as draw on one another’s strengths, saying ‘’we need to be broad-minded and strive to remove all barriers to cultural exchanges. “
He said over the years, China had collaborated with African countries to create a network of exchanges and cooperation between think tanks, explore new models of cooperation and deliver more solid outcomes.
The Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Ou Yamei encouraged the students to study Chinese at the institute and experience the profound Chinese culture.
He said the celebration was an opportunity for students to learn the Chinese language and develop an interest of the pupils in the language.
Commendation
Mrs Assan commended the institute for actively carrying out Chinese teaching and spreading Chinese culture in the region. She expressed the hope that more schools in the region would have the opportunity to offer Chinese courses in the future.
In 2010, the UN Department of Public Information established the day, with the aim “to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity, as well as to promote equal use of all six of its official working languages throughout the organisation”.
April 20 was chosen as the date to pay tribute to Cangjie, a mythical figure who is presumed to have invented Chinese characters about 5,000 years ago.
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