A reading room with over 40 books by authors from St. Vincent and the Grenadines was officially opened by the Caribbean nation's embassy in Taipei Tuesday.
The reading room inside the embassy in Taipei's Diplomatic Quarter opened with approximately 55 books, including novels, poetry and nonfiction works by writers from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Among the titles are "Shape of a Warrior" by Taiwan-based writer Peggy Carr, a socio-cultural historical narrative about life in St. Vincent and the Grenadines before the arrival of the Europeans, and several books by the country's Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Ambassador Andrea Bowman said that she hoped the space would encourage "the process of close reading, as opposed to cursory reading, is quickly being lost in our 21st century's online bustle."
"Active reading promotes deeper thought and reflection, which should then lead to more thoughtful actions," Bowman added.
In addition, the reading room is also part of the embassy's contribution to Taiwan's goal of making the country bilingual by the year 2030, Bowman said.
The embassy will also invite students from elementary to tertiary level to share in specifically selected readings with trained teachers of English, Bowman added.
"What is more, our embassy welcomes ideas for the further utility of this important space. So welcome, for the love of reading we welcome you to the reading room of our embassy," Bowman said.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Foreign Minister Keisal Peters, who is making her first visit to Taiwan, cut the ribbon at Tuesday's official opening.
Peters is visiting Taiwan for a forum on empowering women in Latin America and the Caribbean, which will be held in Taipei on Wednesday.
"In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, education is a very important cornerstone, particularly in our administration we refer to it as the education revolution. And one of the keys to that revolution is reading," Peters said.
Those wishing to visit the embassy's reading room can contact [email protected] to request an appointment.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines' embassy in Taipei, which opened on Aug. 8, 2019, received the Republic of China Chamber of Commerce Golden Merchants' Award for being the Most Outstanding Foreign Embassy and Mission in Taiwan on Nov. 1, 2021.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel