Bonds of wisdom

A dictionary comes to the rescue of students at the Confucius Institute in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo. Meng Chenguang / Xinhua

France's Alliance Francaise, which was established in 1888, has 1,040 establishments in 136 countries, while the British Council, founded in 1934, has 200 offices in 100 countries.

Unlike most of its European counterparts, the strategy of the Confucius Institute appears to be more hands-on. It sets up offices on university campuses connecting African students to China and its academic institutions.

"It's absolutely different in terms of organization because the Confucius Institute is the only one of the 10 cultural and language institutions which is actually located in the heart of the university," says Kenneth King, author of China's Soft Power In Africa, and a professor of China-Africa relations at the University of Edinburgh.

Traditionally, the opening of a Confucius Institute is demand driven, with universities approaching the Hanban, which helps match them with a partner university.

"The partner university in China plays an absolutely critical role in facilitating the program," King says.

"The idea is that, through the Confucius Institutes, you'll get access to a partner university with whom you can do a whole series of things that are very attractive in the Confucius Institute's development terms. It's a very important dimension."

Similar cultural organizations generally set up independent offices geared more toward servicing an entire city rather than a specific university.

Robert Kotze, co-director of the Confucius Institute at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, says the unique model has helped Confucius Institutes to generate positive results and expand their reach in a short time.

"Universities usually provide a stable environment and an eager audience," he says.

As China's involvement on the continent becomes more prominent, Africans are eager to learn the Chinese language.

Earlier this year, South Africa's education minister approved a plan to introduce Chinese in the country's school curriculums, starting with 16 pilot schools.