Cultivating Wisdom: The Dynamic Knowledge Exchange Between Confucius Institutes in Africa
This year, directors of Confucius Institutes from across Africa gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for their annual conference. Each year, this conference is hosted in a different country, and this was the first one held post-COVID-19, proving to be nothing short of amazing. Professor Patrice Mwepu, Director of the Confucius Institute at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网, praised the event, saying, “This was a well-organised conference, and the people were well-prepared and friendly.”
The conference took place from 29 May to 1 June 2024, and was attended by delegates from Confucius Institutes and Classrooms across Africa. Organized by the Chinese International Education Foundation, the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of Nairobi, and the Confucius Institute at the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of Nairobi, the conference focused on the theme: Localisation, Development, Collaboration, and Innovation of African Confucius Institutes. The purpose of the conference was to share knowledge and exchange experiences on the management of each institute; it provided an opportunity for Confucius Institutes to learn from each other, fostering collaboration and development to enhance and promote themselves while creating an inclusive space for diverse individuals to immerse themselves in Chinese
culture and language.
Professor Liu Dexue, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网, emphasised the importance of such conferences, stating, “It is important to host such conferences because they enable the sharing of experiences, and institutes get to share their achievements to help motivate others.” Directors from the Confucius Institute at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 presented on the topic of “Characterisation and Branding of Confucius Institutes in African Countries.” Their presentation highlighted the branding strategies employed by their institute to attract more students to Chinese Studies. Professor Mwepu shared that their institute maintains an activewebsite with regular updates about events through written articles. Additionally, their directors and representatives attend events hosted by other Confucius Institutes to build collaborative relationships.
The presentations and discussions allowed the institutes to learn from one another. Professor Mwepu noted, “We learned that other institutes allow community members to study Chinese without having to register as students, whereas our institution only allows registered students to study Chinese as part of their curriculum to obtain a degree.” Professor Liu added, “More work needs to be done to include locals by designing suitable programmes for them, so we can serve the community and not limit knowledge of Chinese culture and language only to registered students.”
By Zindzi Nkunzi
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