Portuguese lessons begin at the University of Ghana (UG)

The Brazilian Embassy in collaboration with the Centre for Latin American Studies has begun giving free Portuguese classes to the UG community and the general public. The classes, the first of its kind at UG, began on April 6, 2021 with the commencement of the first semester for the second cohort of students.

According to the Director of the Centre for Latin American Studies (CLAS), Dr. Joanna Boampong, arrangements had been made for the classes to begin in August 2020 with the Brazilian Embassy providing instructors and the CLAS providing the venue for the classes. However, due to the C-19 pandemic and its attendant complications, it had to be postponed and the mode of teaching moved online.

The call for registration was sent to various communication platforms in January 2021 and according to Mr. Thiago Minami, Vice-Consul at the Embassy of Brazil and course instructor, the response was very encouraging. More people registered than was expected. Consequently, participants have been divided into two sections. One group is comprised of participants with a background in languages of Latin origin and the other group participants without any background in languages.

The classes, designed for beginners, take place twice a week and will run till June 1, 2021. It is expected that the classes will eventually provide Ghanaian students the linguistic skills that will enable them to benefit from educational scholarships offered by the government of Brazil.