Confucius Institutes v2 (1)

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CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES AND THE GLOBALIZATION OF CHINA’S SOFT POWER 57Throughout my research (which included information from CIpeople, internal documents, press reports, and conversations withscholars not affiliated to CIs), I did not come across topics or themesthat would deserve the label “propaganda,” if the word is understoodin its most negative and sinister interpretation. The problem with theassumption that CIs do propaganda for the Chinese party state, is thatit is, of course, possible to present a particular topic in very differentways. South African CI affiliates argue that they are independentenough and smart enough to recognize whether the CCP wants themto use propaganda. While I would agree with this argument, it isalso the case that normally CIs tend to stay on the safe side by notengaging too much with “sensitive” issues.Conclusion: Confucius Institutes in South AfricaGiven that Confucius Institutes are directly linked to China’sbroader foreign aid efforts in Africa, and that they provide Africanstudents rare access to Chinese studies, the question is whether CIsmight play a more prominent role in Africa than elsewhere.Currently, the most concrete evidence is the fact that all CIsin South Africa offer for-credit language courses. However, CIshave (so far) too many practical problems and issues to reach theirpotential as an element of Chinese foreign policy. Indeed, it remainsto be seen whether they intend to do so.One of the most crucial issues concerns the lack of skilled teacherswho are willing to go to Africa. Conversations with dispatchedChinese staff brought to light that even South Africa—notablydifferent to other countries on the continent in terms of its standardof living—has a rather negative image in China, which makes itdifficult to find teachers. On the one hand, teachers mentioned harshliving conditions which include loneliness, low food, and securityconcerns. On the other hand, they noted that when they arrived,they found South Africa better than expected: the clean air was onepositive aspect several Chinese teachers mentioned. Some also statedthat colleagues in other countries suffer much more than they do, and
58 CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES AND THE GLOBALIZATION OF CHINA’S SOFT POWERthat although South Africa was not their first choice, they were ratherfortunate to end up there than elsewhere on the continent.Another practical issue concerns the teaching materials sent byBeijing. These do not always meet local needs and requirementsbecause they do not reflect the everyday reality of local learners.As a result, one South African CI started to develop local materials.As in other parts of the world, CIs in South Africa are attempting totrain locals as Chinese teachers. Here, however, they are inhibitedby the fact that South Africa does not have a tradition of Sinologystudies at universities and so must train locals with the skills tobecome Chinese teachers. Thus, as one working report notes, “It isno wonder that there is a lack of appropriate local candidates for theposition of Confucius Institute core teacher.” 50In addition, the development of Chinese teaching sites at highschools is constrained by local foreign language policy restrictionswhich prevent secondary schools from offering more hours inChinese. As Chinese is still not considered a valid subject ofuniversity study, secondary school interest in China studies remainat the cultural level, and it is difficult to develop language coursesin depth.The question of whether CIs in Africa might play a moreprominent role relates to the frequent accusation that CIs areyet another form of “invasion” and “(neo) colonialism,” as someAfrican scholars claim. 51 As Cissé correctly observes, when it comesto China and Africa, “from the media, and sometimes even fromresearchers, a lot of ink and controversial/negative opinions aredeveloped towards Sino-African relations.” 52 Furthermore, he asks:“Why is there a tacit understanding that Africans are ‘indoctrinated’by Chinese language teachers, while others are immune to this?” 53He argues that “[u]ndoubtedly Africans who learn Chinese viaConfucius Institutes have an intellectual freedom and criticalopinions to clearly differentiate their interest in Chinese languagefrom China’s political and economic engagement in the continent.” 54Addressing CI critics, he asks, “tell me why Confucius institutes are
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Confucius Institutes v2 (1)

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