TİKA Supports Cultural Life in Colombia

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided a mobile library vehicle, 350 books, and technological equipment support to ensure Bogota’s regions with limited access to books and libraries meet with books in cooperation with Bogota Municipality’s Secretariat for Culture.

A mobile library vehicle, 350 books, and technological equipment to ensure access to digital resources were offered for the use of the people of Bogota to support the solution for the distance of the outer regions of Bogota to libraries and the problem of not being able to access books due to economic reasons. Works by Turkish authors translated into Spanish and works in Spanish reflecting the Turkish culture are found among the books provided. Additionally, digital access to over 3 million resources in the National Library of Colombia was ensured through the provided technological equipment.

The Mobile Library was delivered with a ceremony attended by the Turkish Ambassador to Bogota, Beste Pehlivan Sun, the Culture Secretary in Bogota Municipality, Catalina Valencia, the General Manager of Libraries in Bogota, Rafael Tamayo, TİKA’s representatives and beneficiaries.

Speaking at the ceremony, Turkish Ambassador to Bogota, Beste Pehlivan Sun said, “This project has the invaluable purpose of drawing the public library services closer to citizens who often do not have time or resources to go directly to the relevant place. We hope around 5.000 people of all ages to benefit from this project and to access collections on various topics of their interests each year.

Speaking at the ceremony, Culture Secretary in Bogota Municipality, Catalina Valencia expressed, “We are very glad to be able to carry out this project in Turkish-Colombian cooperation. We are now one step closer to achieving the project named BibloRed committed to the access of the people living in the countryside of Bogota to books. We thank Türkiye and TİKA for this project that helps citizens of all ages to access books.