40th Anniversary of the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

On April 4th, 2008, the Public Affairs Section hosted an event to honor the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. with several student clubs from the University of Ouagadougou.  To open the evening, students from the English Club presented a play, in English, recounting the historical moments in Martin Luther King Jr.’s life.  Other clubs invited Burkinabè artists from diverse cultural backgrounds to perform.  The music varied from traditional to Hip Hop, Rap and Pop.  Two presented poems, one of which closed the evening with famous speech:  “I have a dream” ... (more)

Official groundbreaking ceremony of the New Embassy Compound in Ouaga 2000

On April 1, 2008, the US Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Her Excellency Mrs. Jeanine Jackson, chaired the official groundbreaking ceremony of the New Embassy Compound located next to the Burkina Faso Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Fisheries Resources in Ouaga 2000.  The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister, His Excellency Mr. Tertius Zongo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Housing and Town Planning, the Mayor of the Capital City, Representatives of Diplomatic Corps and International Institutions...(more)

Ambassador Attends Handover Ceremony for Schools Financed by the U.S. Department of Labor

On March 28, Ambassador Jeanine Jackson joined Minister of Basic Education and Literacy Odile Bonkoungou/Balima to celebrate the handover of 7 satellite schools and 13 non-formal education centers built under the Training and Education Against Trafficking (TREAT) program.  The program was funded by the U.S. Department of Labor ($3,000,000) and the Ministry of Basic Education ($400,000), and was implemented by Save the Children Canada and a local organization called Training for Development, which teaches technical skills and English to students in Burkina Faso...(more)

Celebrating Women’s History Month with film Is There Life Out There?

To mark Women’s History Month, the American Language Center organized a presentation of the film Is There Life Out There? at the American Cultural Center on Thursday, March 27, 2008.  The event was hosted by ALC Director Lynn Hanson Ouédraogo.  The film was prefaced by a special guest appearance of singers Anita Beamon-Freeman and Clotia White who thrilled the audience with four songs including the theme song from the movie.  This made-for-TV movie starring Reba McEntire and Keith Carradine tells the story of ... (more)