‘My connection with British Council Library started more than 30 year ago. At the time, the British Council was my only connection to the rest of the world. I joined the library as a member and I had access to different books, audiobooks (my favourite), and VHS movies. I miss British Council Library.’ This is one of the stories that the British Council collected as part of its #80Years anniversary celebration. After almost 15 years since it closed, many people still talk about the library. The time when the British Council decided to stop its brick-and-mortar library service around the piazza area coincided with the time that it moved to its current premises inside the British Embassy.
However, the British Council (a registered charity in the UK), is much more than a library and it definitely is not a consulate. In one word, it is all about connections. It works to connect the people of the UK with the rest of the world through its arts and culture, education, English language, and society-related pillars.
General Wingate School is its longest-running programme with more than 37 years spent grooming some of the best talents in the country. The school was a centre of excellence with the best students from all parts of the country gaining entry by way of scholarship/s. Inaugurated by Emperor Haile Selassie I and owned by the Ministry of Education, the British Council hired all the teachers and managed the school curriculum and activities.
The Ministry of Education has been a major partner. The British Council helped set up the first Educational Mass Media programmes including for both TV and radio and the first ICT centre with the Ministry. More importantly, the organisation set up both undergraduate and masters programmes in Addis Ababa University. The Institute of Language Studies (ILS) and the Institute of Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) are notable examples.
Another ‘first’ that the British Council started in the country was the Internet Café in the piazza office. Moreover, realising the value that would be added to tourists traveling to Axum, Lalibela, Gondar, and Bahir Dar, internet cafés were opened in each of these locations.
The British Council helped set up the Social Enterprise Ethiopia association and organised the global Social Enterprise World Forum in 2019, the first one to take place in a developing economy.
The Civil Society Support Programme has been running for the past 9 years supporting Ethiopia’s civil society sector. As per a CSO representative, ‘CSSP was a lifesaver. More than 600 civil society organisations (CSOs) were supported at a time when the financial crisis hit the CSO sector hard and when the draconian CSO law was suffocating the sector. I can say CSSP saved the CSO sector in Ethiopia ‘
We hope this article highlights the valuable contribution of the British Council in the fields of Education, Arts and Culture, English Programmes, and Society to create mutual understanding and knowledge between the people of the UK and Ethiopia. As part of the celebration, we invite any interested individuals and organisations to submit stories of connection with the British council using the below link https://forms.office.com/r/2zz4gw9wX2