Press Releases
U.S. Ambassador Opens American Cultural Center in Almaty
February 26, 2008
On February 26 at 15:00, U.S. Ambassador John Ordway will open a new American Cultural Center at the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The American Cultural Center, a joint project undertaken by the U.S. Embassy, the National Library, and Chevron Corporation, will provide current and reliable information about the United States and will serve as a venue for a variety of events and activities, including films, speaker programs, workshops, and exhibitions. The multimedia, books, and periodical collections will be free and accessible to the public. Ambassador Ordway will be joined by Deputy Director of the National Library Gulisa Balabekova and Chevron Country Manager Zamira Kanapianova in the opening ceremony.
The U.S. Embassy is providing the American Cultural Center with reference materials, fiction and non-fiction books, CDs, and video resources that cover a broad range of American culture and history. This donation is part of the Embassy’s American Corner program, which seeks to inform and engage audiences across Kazakhstan by bringing educational resources, English-language activities, and American speakers to cities throughout the country. At present, there are eight American Corners in Kazakhstan, located in Oskemen, Karaganda, Shymkent, Uralsk, Atyrau, Petropavlovsk, Aktobe, and Almaty.
Chevron is supplying the Center with equipment, including an overhead projector and screen, free internet access for patrons, furniture, and a collection of oil and gas resources. Chevron invests in community engagement initiatives and focuses on building human and institutional capacity in ways that help stimulate economic growth and enable communities to prosper. These initiatives are executed in partnership with local and national governments, communities, nongovernmental organizations and multilateral institutions. As part of these initiatives in 2007 Chevron opened electronic reading hall on oil and gas issues at the National Academic Library in Astana.
The American Cultural Center will be open to the general public Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
For more information on the American Cultural Center or on the American Corner program, please contact the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Astana or the U.S. Embassy Branch Office in Almaty.