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Ambassador Eric M. Bost and the Executive Mayor Gertrude Mothupi of Mangaung Local Municipality cut the ribbon to formally open the American Corner in Bloemfontein
Another American Corner opens doors in South Africa
“Doors to the complex world are also opened”, says mayor of Mangaung
July 2, 2007
On June 20, 2007 Ambassador Eric M. Bost joined the Executive Mayor Gertrude Mothupi of Mangaung Local Municipality and an audience of 200 for a ceremony inaugurating the new American Corner Mangaung, in the Free State Province. The corner located in the Bloemfontein Public Library, features more than 1 200 books; two internet workstations; access to EBSCOHost (a full text journal database); Gale e-books on multicultural America, business plans handbook and entrepreneurship; American DVDs, videos, plasma TV, and an annual subscription to 12 journals.
In his speech, Ambassador Bost said libraries are places were dreams are made. “It teaches you about other countries and cultures”. The Corner will not only provide access to a wide range of information resources; it will also serve as an opportunity for cultural and educational exchanges such as speaker programs, workshops and other initiatives that promote international understanding.
The Executive Mayor noted that the American corner is the biggest investment in the city, affirming that Mangaung is really a city on the move – a city going places. She concluded her remarks by stating that “Not only are the doors to the American Corner opened, but doors to the complex world are also opened, giving the people of Mangaung a chance to explore options and possibilities confronting them in a complex and rapidly changing world”.
The state of the art facility has been a long-term project of the Public Affairs Section in Johannesburg and Mangaung Local Municipality and its realization was a major milestone. This Corner is one of the two in South Africa and one of only 300 in the world.
