On September 26, 2013, the new U. S. Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Dr. Tulinabo Mushingi, visited Bobo-Dioulasso where he met with a group of 115 youth in a town hall meeting. Students, Junior Chamber International members, patrons of the American Corner Bobo, and young professionals assembled in the American Corner at the “Espace Rencontre Jeunesse de Dafra” to talk to Ambassador Mushingi and ask him questions. Their conversation covered a range of topics including studying in the USA, U. S. African foreign policy, and the newly launched Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Ambassador Mushingi took this opportunity to answer questions on the YALI program and invited the young audience to keep in touch with his team at the American Embassy for further programming and information. The Ambassador was accompanied by Meg Riggs (Public Diplomacy) and Felix Miawotoe (Economic Affairs) from the U. S. Embassy. This town hall was organized by the U. S. Embassy in collaboration with the American Corner of Bobo-Dioulasso because Ambassador Mushingi has placed a priority on engaging directly with youth. Face-to-face encounters like this allow youth to directly express their concerns and problems but it also encourages them to seek together for creative potential solutions.
