A ceremony has been held to inaugurate the Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Coast. The inauguration of the centre is the second of such facility to be set up in the country after one at the University of Ghana, Legon. The Confucius Institute programme was founded in 2004 with the central purpose to promote Chinese language and culture worldwide to promote what is referred to as the Chinese soft power. Such centres are always located within an academic environment and are always set up as joint ventures between a Chinese university and a host university. In this instance, it is between the University of Cape Coast and Hunan City University. Welcoming guests to the programme, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. D. D. Kuupole said the institute has come to enlarge and enrich the arena of intellectual debate. Explaining further, he said the Institute would become beneficial to Ghanaians if it was seen as an agent of engagement with our own culture, even as we engage with the Chinese. “The lesson I am trying to point out here is that, the Confucius Institute at UCC is a positive addition to our stock, an enriching overture in the congenial dialogue among cultures”, said. According to Prof. Kuupole, the Institute has come as China’s gift to Ghana as an invitation to strengthen relations with Africa’s biggest trading partner. “It offers us the opportunity of seeing a new way to build cultural capital in consonance with our traditions and aspirations’, he added. The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Su Baohong expressed gratitude to all stakeholders who contributed in diverse ways to make the Confucius institute on UCC campus a reality. She revealed that Chinese values are measured in Confucianism and it was passed on from generation to generation. “The Chinese people have always been peace-loving, “We have a culture of peace and harmony which is at the core of Confucianism”, she explained. Her Excellency Su Baohong, said the path chosen by the Chinese people was different from the colonial expansion rather, it was a win-win cooperation with the rest of the world.She pledged her country’s continued support for the centre to blossom into one of the vibrant Institutes across the world. Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, in her speech, mentioned that since the re-alignment of the ministry in 2013 their strategy has been to brand the country with its rich and diverse culture. It was for that reason that the ministry has launched the “Explore Ghana” initiative with the aim to promote Ghana to indigenes as well as international tourists. Mrs. Ofosu-Agyare said the role that Confucius played in the development of China is a testimony for all who were familiar with that country’s history, and therefore the establishment of the centre on campus would serve as a bridge for linguistic and cultural exchanges as well as cooperation in many fields between China and the rest of the world. Prof. D D. Kuupole and Prof. Li Jian Qi signed an implementation agreement between UCC and Hunan City University on behalf of their respective institutions. Later, Ambassador Su Baohong and Prof. D. D. Kuupole unveiled a plaque to officially inaugurate the Confucius Institute at University of Cape Coast.
