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Embassy Highlights

English Competition, May 14 – 16, 2009

 
Members of the English Club of the University of Parakou        

On May 14, 2009, IRC Director attended the English Lovers’ Week, organized by the English Club of the University of Parakou. Each year, students from University of Parakou celebrate this event to encourage and motivate their peers in English learning. Generally activities included conferences, film show and entertainment activities like dance and sketches.

This year, activities were planned through May 14 – 16 and comprised a conference on the importance of language clubs in the process of English learning, a film show and a contest named “The Best Orator”. The Conference was held on May 15 and conducted by Mr. Mathias AZOUA, Chief of Post-graduate Studies at the University of Parakou. In his presentation, he focused on advice regarding elements in setting and management of an English Club. He spoke of the best venue, the rules or routines, the equipment needed and ways to attract other members to the club activities.

Before Mr. AZOUA made his presentation, Bienvenu Akodigna, IRC Director at the American Cultural Center delivered the PAO’s message to participants. In the speech delivered on behalf of PAO Rhonda Watson, the IRC Director called participants’ attention to the keys of success in life, which include education and communication skills. The speech focused on these keys of success, explaining that education encompasses more than reading and writing. Education refers also to cultural aspects of life such as art, music, dance and even gardening.

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Speaker Program: Islam in the U.S.

 
 Imam Bakhach during one of his presentations.

On May 4, 2009, Ambassador Gayleatha Brown spoke at the opening ceremony for a conference on the theme, “Islam in America,” featuring the guest speaker, Imam Moujahed Mouhammed Bakhach from Fort Worth, Texas. This event was organized in the framework of outreach speaker programming sponsored by the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy in Cotonou. Imam Bakhach also gave subsequent lectures at the  National Library in Porto-Novo, the town hall in Parakou and at the Youth Center in Djougou.
In her speech, Ambassador Brown explained that this program highlights the U.S. Government’s policy to engage in dialogue with all people around the world. She also stressed the U.S. government’s commitment to engage in partnerships based on mutual understanding and mutual respect. More...

IRO Myra Brown's Visit to Post

 
IRO Myra Brown lecturing students

Information Resource Officer (IRO) Myra Brown visited Benin on March 15 – 20, 2009. This was her first visit to the IRC in Benin. During her visit, she and IRC Director Bienvenu Akodigna spent most of the time conducting a three-day workshop in Methodology at the University of Abomey-Calavi.
The IRO’s trip is part of the IRO’s regular visits to Posts included in her portfolio. The seminar on Methodology was initiated by the English Department of the University of Abomey-Calavi and IRO Myra Brown agreed to conduct it at Post’s request. Following the seminar, the students, most of whom are fourth year and research students got the necessary skills that will enable them to choose the topic of their dissertation, and they were introduced to several sites they can visit to have the information they need.
 
The seminar attracted more than 100 students and covered topics such as how to state a topic and how to use both traditional and online resources for information retrieval purposes. This workshop was also an opportunity for students to learn about copyright issues, plagiarism and procrastination. Participants were introduced to reference styles like APA and MLA.
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