Press Releases
SUZA hosts the first ever American Corner in Tanzania
July 13, 2006
The US Ambassador Michael Retzer today inaugurated the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) American Corner or ‘mini-library’ at a function held at the campus, in Stonetown. This is the first American Corner ever to be opened in Tanzania.
According to American Embassy statement, a typical American Corner consists of a collection of 1000 books, and is free and open to all interested citizens of the host country. The corners also provide information about the US through supervised access to the Internet, audio and video products and CD-ROMS.
Inaugurating the Corner, Ambassador Retzer told guests that included the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training officials and other local and regional officials that the embassy has tried to get an American Corner for quite some time, and finally found the right partner in SUZA, and he thanked the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mshimba for his cooperation.
He said, “The idea behind the American Corners initiative was simple: My government feels that the more information we share with people around the world, the better we will understand each other. When we understand each other, we respect and learn from each other, and the world is a better place.”
Ambassador Retzer said this American Corner, and all of the nearly 400 American Corners around the world, are open to the public, free of charge. Regardless of where an American Corner is located, and regardless of the host institution, one thing that is absolutely essential is that these resources be made available to anyone who wishes to use them. “I want to encourage all Zanzibaris and all Tanzanians to think of this as their American Corner, and to use it frequently,” he said.
This is the ninth American Corner in East Africa. Others are located in Kenya (2), Uganda (3) and Rwanda (3).
Ambassador Retzer’s remarks are follows:
Inauguration of the SUZA American Corner
State University of Zanzibar
July 13, 2006
Professor Mshimba, Vice-Chancellor of SUZA
Representatives from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training
Students and Faculty
Ladies and Gentlemen
Asalaam Aleykum (audience responds Aleykum Asalaam). Habari ya subuhi?
It is a real pleasure to be with you today to celebrate the opening of the State University of Zanzibar American Corner. This is the first American Corner ever opened in Tanzania. We have been trying to get an American Corner going for quite some time, and we have finally found the right partner in SUZA, so thank you Professor Mshimba for your cooperation.
The idea behind the American Corners initiative is simple: My government feels that the more information we share with people around the world, the better we will understand each other. When we understand each other, we respect and learn from each other, and the world is a better place.
There are three aspects of the American Corner program that I think are important to understand. The first is that the sources of information in this American Corner – the books, magazines, videos, and internet sites – are nearly all non-governmental. The point I am making is that we are not trying to give you a one-sided view of the United States. We want you to hear from a variety of sources, some of which are quite critical of the government. As Americans, we believe very strongly in a free exchange of ideas. I hope and trust that this American Corner will contribute to that exchange.
A second important aspect of the American Corner program is that it is meant to be a partnership between the host institution – in this case, SUZA – and the American embassy. We provide resources and training, but it is the staff of SUZA who run the daily operations and interact with the public who use the Corner. We work together to make sure that the Corner is as effective and useful as possible.
And finally, this American Corner, and all of the nearly 400 American Corners around the world, are open to the public, free of charge. Regardless of where an American Corner is located, and regardless of the host institution, one thing that is absolutely essential is that these resources be made available to anyone who wishes to use them. I want to encourage all Zanzibaris and all Tanzanians to think of this as their American Corner, and to use it frequently. So those three components of this American Corner – the diversity of information sources, the open access to the public, and the partnership with SUZA – are very important.
This is not the first project with which we have partnered with SUZA. We have the on-going after-school English courses for secondary school students; we have a specialist instructor in English as a Second Language, who will be coming in September as the first ever English Language Fellow in Zanzibar; and we have the many seminars and conferences that have been organized, and will continue to be organized, on topics of mutual interest.
I must tell you that we value this partnership very much and I am very pleased to see it growing. I am sure that the American Corner will provide the field in which we can nurture these growing seeds and reap even greater benefits for the Zanzibari public.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for celebrating with us today. I look forward to visiting with you often in this wonderful facility, and I promise to be back soon to check on how well this project is going.
Kazi njema, na hongera sana!