Macanese Jose Cordeiro awarded “Toronto Chinese Media Award”

“…I would like to dedicate this award to their direct collaborators, to our club members, to the community of Diaspora and to the people of MSAR, since this recognition is not only a reward for my dedication towards the Macanese community, but also a strong incentive for continuing my work”, Jose Cordeiro said.

According to a Canadian newspaper “Chinese Canadian Times”, the president of the “Amigu di Macau” Club of Toronto, Jose Cordeiro, was awarded “Toronto Chinese Media Award - Community Award” on 15th Jan. The Award is an initiative of 33 Chinese newspapers and is supported by several local Chinese institutions.

Among the 53 Chinese association leaders in Canada awarded for their “contribution to the community”, Jose Cordeiro, also known as Kou Chan Seng, is the only one representing Macau. Cordeiro speaks fluent Portuguese, English and Chinese and has half of Chinese blood. As early as in the 1990s, the then board member of Macao Club in Toronto, fostered links between the Chinese community from Macau in Canada and the Portuguese administration of Macau. In order to encourage Chinese music performances by Macau people and to promote Macau in Canada, Jose Cordeiro founded the “Amigu di Macau” Club in 2002. His contribution towards the promotion of Macau and its culture among the Canadian communities is recognized both by the Chinese and Portuguese communities.

With aim to strengthen cultural ties and cooperation between the academic and cultural institutions of Canada and those of Macau, Cordeiro signed a protocol with Jorge Rangel, the president of the International Institute of Macau (IIM) on the first anniversary of the association in 2003. On the eve of the 10th anniversary of Macau SAR in 2009, the IIM organized, with the club, two worldwide exhibitions “Macau is a Showcase” and “Macau SAR - A Success Story”, at the Consulate General of Portugal in Toronto and at the University of Toronto respectively.