Croatia to open first Croatian language department in Brazil

São Paulo

ZAGREB, 21 April (Hina) – A Department of Croatian Language and Literature is set to open at Mackenzie University in São Paulo, Brazil, making it the fifth such department in South America where students can study the Croatian language and literature.

Croatia already has two such departments in Argentina (Buenos Aires and Rosario) and two in Chile (Punta Arenas and Santiago), and this will be the first in Brazil, where around 75,000 people of Croatian descent live.

Local Croatian associations believe the number may be as high as 100,000.

“We believe that opening the Croatian language department at Mackenzie University will significantly raise the visibility of the Croatian language and Croatia itself, while also making it easier for our people living there to improve their Croatian skills,” Frano Matušić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, told Hina.

Matušić participated in the 8th meeting of the Croatian South American diaspora in São Paulo a month ago.

The Croatian government encourages people of Croatian descent to move to Croatia, which is currently facing labour shortages and a declining birth rate. While knowledge of Croatian is not required for work, especially in sectors like tourism and construction where there is a significant labour shortage, it is preferable for newcomers to speak the language.

“It would be better for them, if they wish to integrate and return to Croatia, to speak Croatian,” Matušić added.