US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan W Mozena on Saturday laid emphasis on building ‘beautiful bridges’ linking the people of Bangladesh and America to understand each other in a better way.
He said, academics, college teachers and students can play their role to construct large, beautiful bridges linking the people of Bangladesh and America.
“Yours is a big task … building bridges is never easy … but after this conference you will be better prepared than ever to construct large, beautiful bridges linking the people of Bangladesh and America,” said the US diplomat while addressing the inaugural session of a conference on ‘American Society and Culture’ in the city.
Bangladesh Association for American Studies arranged the conference held at the Nawab Nabab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building, Dhaka University.
DU Vice Chancellor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique and President of the Bangladesh Association for American Studies, Dr Ahmed Abdullah Jamal, also spoke on the occasion.
The US Ambassador said the conference will enable the participants to add new tools to their toolbox so that they can build ever bigger, broader, better bridges between the two countries. He said America is often difficult to understand as it is a country of contradictions. “It’s a rich country, but some Americans live in poverty. It is a modern country, yet some Americans continue to live in the 18th century. It is a country where so many have so much, but continue to want so much more.”
Mozena hoped that the teachers will encourage their students to consider pursuing their advanced studies in America. “Information on qualifications and scholarships is readily available at the American Corners or on line. Your students should also consider participating in Fulbright and other exchange programs.”
