By Foday Moriba Conteh
The Confucius Institute Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone has on Saturday 3rd June, 2023 held its 1st Chinese Cultural Activity at the Pinkang Dental University on Freetown Road in Freetown which happens to be one of the Confucius Institute Chinese teaching sites.
The ceremony was graced by the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute, Prof. Jing Man, the Founder of Pinkang Dental University, Liu Jim Jun, Lecturers, Students and the Media.
Addressing the gathering, the Founder of Pinkang Dental University, Liu Jim Jun expressed appreciation to the Confucius Institute for holding the 1st Chinese Cultural Activity at the Pinkang Dental University, which he described as very important towards cultural sharing between China and Sierra Leone.
He said that they will also follow the steps of the Confucius Institute, learn more about Chinese culture, understand China, learn China’s advanced education and training system, and introduce China’s advanced education system so that more Sierra Leoneans can learn Chinese.
He said for students learning Chinese after they graduate, his institution will arrange for them to study in China, so that they will adapt quickly to China and learn more advanced Chinese technology and cultural concepts which he said will also better improve their cultural knowledge, adding that they must seize the opportunity and work hard to learn Chinese in order to lay a solid foundation for better performance in China in the future.
He said that he came to Sierra Leone in 1999 and he learnt that there were only three Sierra Leonean dentists registered with the Dental Association, and the rest were foreigners and it was against that he made up his mind to lead the Sierra Leonean dentists to Pinkang Dental University which he said will be a development path for dentists in the country.
He said that the establishment of Pingkang University of Stomatology has filled the situation that Sierra Leone has never had a professional school of dentistry and that the birth of Pingkang Dental University means that dental issues will be taken to a higher level from now on.
He stated that Pinkang Dental University of Stomatology is also responsible for the formulation of the strategy for the development of dental research in Sierra Leone and they will intensify research and development efforts in dental materials and technology research with plans for the dental level to reach the standards of advanced countries in 10 years, and surpass them in 10-15 years.
A Local Chinese Lecturer at the Confucius Institute, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Gibrilla Sesay said that the Confucius Institute have produced fruits and successes since its establishment in 2012, adding that the Confucius Institute has constantly improved the conditions of teaching and is striving to improve the level of Chinese education in their sites across the country including Universities, secondary and primary schools and other institutions adding that thousands of people learn Chinese every year, using Chinese to light up the belt and it has become an important force for China and Sierra Leone in occasional cooperation and cultural exchanges.
Gibrilla Sesay said that the Chinese Cultural Activities at the Pinkang Dental University is part of their efforts towards enhancing inter-cultural exchange between Sierra Leone and China, adding that during the event students at the Pinkang Dental University had the opportunity to learn different Chinese cultural activities.
He maintained that the event also provides the opportunity to students who have been studying Chinese at the Pinkang Dental University to put into practice what they have learnt, stating that the event will also serve as a motivation to them in knowing the significance of learning the Chinese language.
The Local Lecturer concluded by encouraging students to make good use of the opportunity by learning Chinese which he said has greater opportunities now and years to come in and out of the country.
Students who benefited from the Chinese Cultural Activities also commended Confucius Institute for the activity and the Pinkang Dental University for providing them the opportunity to have a first-hand experience of the Chinese culture.
The event was climaxed with the demonstration of cultural activities during which all present had the opportunity to learn how to make Chinese tea , painting, Chinese paper cutting etc.
