The American Corner - a cooperative approach

The American Corner - a cooperative approach

Though a smaller operation - the center occupies two large rooms and two staff memebers - the Corner offers daily programming including film screenings, discussion sessions and lectures focused on but not limited to culture and society in the USA.

History

Although today’s American Corner opened in its current location just last year, the first American Cultural Center opened in Belgrade following the end of World War II.  Housed in what is now the Spanish Cervantes Institute on Čika Ljubina (just off Knez Mihailova), the original center was a multistory office complete with an exhibition hall and library.

Following the Second World War, the United States greatly expanded its worldwide efforts in the realm of cultural exchange. The opening of cultural centers, like that once found in Belgrade’ city center, was just one of several initiatives aimed at spreading a positive understanding of American values abroad.  Others programs launched in the same period included an expansion of the radio broadcast Voice of America and the academically focused Fulbright scholarship, both governed by the United States Information Agency.

Then in the early 1990s, the US government altered its approach to cultural outreach. Beginning in Moscow in 1993, American Cultural Centers were replaced with smaller Information Resource Centers (IRC) and American Corners worldwide. In 1995, the American Center in Belgrade was replaced by the Embassy-based IRC and an educational advisory center housed in the same location. 

The IRC has remained in operation ever since, closing only when the embassy itself was evacuated during the 1999 bombings. During these bombings the educational center, still located in the original office, was looted and vandalized, bringing an end to the center’s prominent Čika Ljubina location. Four years later the American Corner opened its first office in Belgrade in cooperation with the Belgrade city library.  In October of last year, the Corner relocated to a more central space within Dom Omladine.

Current Program

A striking contrast to the cultural exportation of the US Information Agency of old, today’s American Corner takes a much less heavy-handed approach to promoting understanding of American culture in Serbia.  With branches in seven cities throughout the country, the American Corner operates on the principle of local cooperation.  The Embassy funds the opening and collections of each branch - including renovations, furniture, equipment, reading material and staff training - while local libraries and cultural centers provide the space, maintenance and staff salary.

“The American Corner in Belgrade is the result of a project between the US Embassy and the Belgrade City Library,” said Corner coordinator Vesna Vuksan, “and its mission here is to develop an understanding between US and local culture”. With some oversight from the US Embassy, each corner develops its own programming, which generally includes film screenings and themed discussion groups run by both local and American volunteers.

The US Embassy also regularly sponsors guest lecturers who speak on a range of topics.  Vesna Vuksan, coordinator of the American Corner in Belgrade, said that the lecture series is a growing program.  “We always have conversations with native speakers”, she said, “and we have debated club and book club.  But the highlight now is on speakers. In March alone we will have four or five guest lecturers”. 

Though the focus is on contemporary American culture, the lecturers at the Corner are not exclusively American.  At the beginning of March, for example, the Corner hosted a talk by Gordana Rajkov, the first person with a disability to hold a seat in the Serbian Parliament.  Other speakers this month include Bashar Ibrahim Al-Hadla, who spoke on “Learning Foreign Languages from a Perspective Point of View” and Jennifer Lawson, a professional dancer, choreographer and instructor, who will give two lectures entitled “The Role of Women’s Education in America” and “Modern Dance: Insights on an American Artist”. In addition to its scheduled events, the American Corner offers a selection of reading and resource materials and computer and internet access.  Membership is free, though a minimal fee is charged for internet use.

The American Corner is opened weekdays from noon to 7pm.  For more information on the American Corner in Belgrade and its affiliated branches throughout Serbia, see the Corner's website : http://www.americancorners-sam.net/.

Coordinator

Vesna Vuksan, coordinator and until recently sole staff member of the American Corner in Belgrade, has been with the Corner for two years now.

Vuksan was born in Slovenia and grew up in Bosnia but has been living in Belgrade for over fifteen years now. Graduating from Belgrade University’s Faculty of Philology with a degree in Library and Information Sciences, she began working as an employee of the Belgrade City Library. As the collaborative partner for the Corner, the library later offered Vuksan the position as American Corner coordinator.

“I like finding people here who can do things for the Corner”, Vuksan said about her current position, “Everything here is on a voluntary basis except for the speakers brought by the embassy, so everyone who does anything here is a volunteer.  I really like that because it’s kind of rare here in Belgrade”.

The IRC

In addition to the American Corner, the US Embassy also runs the Information Resource Center (IRC), a professionally focused, electronically based outreach program. 

The IRC provides research and referral services to Serbian government officials, scholars, journalists, information specialists and other professionals interested in US politics, society and culture. The IRC also provides access to online databases including Lexis-Nexis, ProQuest, and EBSCO.

The IRC’s operations are almost exclusively internet-based, although on site research can be arranged by appointment. For more information see the US Embassy website: http://belgrade.usembassy.gov/embassy/pa/irc.html