Eventful programme for Global Confucius Day

On 22 September 2018, an eventful programme celebrating the Global Confucius Day gathered a great number of visitors in the city of Banja Luka.

Prof. Radoslav Gajanin, PhD, Rector of the University of Banja Luka, addressing the audience at the ‘Banski dvor’ cultural centre, said that the Confucius Institute, thanks to its management and staff, represented one of the more vital units of the University, adding that ‘it has been fully supported by the University itself, as well as the line ministry, the Government of the Republic of Srpska, and the President of the Republic of Srpska from the very beginning’.

Ms Natalija Trivic, Head of the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Social Policy in the City Administration, informed the present that the Banja Luka branch of the Confucius Institute had been among the most active ones in the past five months, seeded at ninth place regarding all 173 European facilities of this kind.

She highlighted this fact in view of the city of Banja Luka strengthening its cultural and educational ties with the Chinese city of Tianjin, one of partner cities of Banja Luka. 

In addition, Ms Trivic pointed out that the activities conducted at the Institute concerned the city of Banja Luka as well, in particular with regard to cultural and educational events.

Ms Ljiljana Stevic, Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Banja Luka, mentioned other activities of the Institute in relation to the Global Confucius Day, such as interactive workshops for children in one of Banja Luka’s city parks, where around 400 children could learn basics of Chinese signs and martial arts. 

The Global Confucius Day in Banja Luka was co-organized with its counterpart from the University of Novi Sad (Serbia), with the students of the Chinese language courses provided with an opportunity to show how much they had acquired in the previous period.

This month, there are more than 500 institutions of this kind in around 140 countries all over the world organizing public events promoting the Chinese language, culture, and traditions in their respective local communities.

More photographs from the events here.