wfn.org | Africa University dedicates new Jokomo/Yamada library

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

April 11, 2001 News media contact: Linda Green*(615)742-5470*Nashville,
Tenn. 10-21-31-71B{173}

NOTE:  Photos are available to accompany this story.

By Linda Green*

MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) -- A first-world facility in a third-world country
is how Africa University students and staff members describe their new
library which opened amid pomp and ceremony on March 31.

More than 650 people participated in official opening and dedication
services of the Jokomo/Yamada Library and the Kent M. Weeks History and
Archives Hall.

"Our new home is modern and well-equipped and it rivals similar facilities
in North America
and Europe," said Bilha Pfukani, university librarian. "We are now able to
support the learning, research and service needs of both students and staff
far more effectively." 

Named in honor of Zimbabwe Area Bishop Christopher Jokomo and United
Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry staff executive Ken Yamada,
the $2.9 million library was funded by USAID through its American Schools
and Hospitals Abroad program.  A history and archives hall on the third
floor of a circular portion of the building, has been named in honor of Kent
M. Weeks, Nashville, Tenn.  Weeks, an attorney who specializes in higher
education issues, is a member of the university's board of directors.  

The spacious library is air-conditioned and features wall- to-wall
carpeting.  It will house 70,000 volumes, a periodical collection,
electronic and audio-visual resources and Internet cafe, electronic book
security, computerized information retrieval and multimedia resources
collections. Half of the total area of the new library is devoted to public
services.  The first floor holds the reference, reserve and periodical
collections and client services desk.  The second floor contains the books
and the library administration offices. The circular third floor will house
an archives collection.  When all phases are complete, the library can
accommodate 250,000 volumes and other materials.

Visitors to the library are immediately struck by the round, three-floor,
exterior feature and the spacious, open lobby. Instead of a staircase,
individuals walk from one level to the next on sloping passageways. 

This investment in Africa University is not the first for USAID.  In 1994 it
provided $1.6 million to construct the faculty of agriculture and natural
resources building which also houses the faculty of education and the school
of humanities and social sciences. The building, opened in 1996, was named
in honor of the Rev. Roger Ireson, top staff executive of the United
Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and former Africa
University vice chancellor John Kurewa.

When the USAID financially supports capital developments at Africa
University, school officials give it the option of selecting a name. In
keeping with the pan-African vision of the university, USAID chose to name
the library by pairing the name of an African with the name of someone from
another country.

"The honor is to God and to the United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe," Jokomo
said. "Anyone listening to the festivities would think that the library and
much of Africa University is the result of work done outside of the country.
But the church in Zimbabwe played a major role in making the university what
it is today, primarily by donating the land the university sits on," he
said.  The church in Zimbabwe has been on the forefront of making sure that
the dream of Africa University does not die."

The bishop said he was both humbled and delighted that the library was named
in his honor.  "I am delighted that at this time the church of Jesus Christ
has been able to make this great achievement," he said.

Yamada, a person who likes to remain in the background, was emotional as he
responded to words of praise for his long work with the university.  He
could only say, "I'm speechless, speechless, speechless." 

The new building is the first of a three-phased development to be completed
by 2003. Phase two -the technology wing, will accommodate the university's
satellite-based distance learning and computer center.  Phase three will
provide additional shelving space for multimedia collections.   

The first phase was completed in December and opened Jan. 15.  It took
Pfukani, her staff and a team of about 30 students a week to move the
library holdings from within the school's multi-purpose building into the
new facility. 

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
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