MZUZU, Malawi, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Confucius Institute at the University of Malawi (CI-UNIMA) has held an event to mark the launch of Chinese Cultural Month in the Chinese calendar.
The launch on Friday at Mzuzu University (MZUNI), some 380 km north of Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, was marked by a number of performances, including dances, talent shows, poetry recitation, Kungfu, music and speeches.
Additionally, CI-UNIMA is expected to hold similar events at three universities across the country where Chinese studies, including the Chinese language, are taught, said Chinese Co-Director of CI-UNIMA Zu Lijun.
"Today is the start of the Chinese Cultural Month, and we are happy to hold similar events in Lilongwe, Blantyre, and Zomba," said Zu in an interview with Xinhua during the event.
Since the establishment of CI-UNIMA in 2016, Chinese studies have been offered at four centers in Malawi: CI-UNIMA in the capital, Lilongwe; the University of Malawi in Zomba; Malawi University of Science and Technology in Thyolo; and MZUNI in Mzuzu.
Precious Madula, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at MZUNI, hailed the introduction of Chinese studies at his institution while urging students to embrace the opportunity, which he said would open doors to the world for them.
"We would like to encourage you to take the Chinese studies seriously. So, you could get an opportunity to land international jobs, besides an opportunity to work with the Chinese investors in the country in translation services," said Madula.
According to Zu, Chinese courses will be offered in Malawi for a long time to support cooperation in various areas, including education and agriculture. "We hope to see more young people in Malawi speaking Chinese to help Chinese companies in Malawi in translation, among other opportunities," said Zu. ■
