Tripoli, 23 April 2014:
The British Council Libya reports that it Facebook has been bombarded over the last 24 hours – for . . .[restrict]good reasons.
“We posted some fun anecdotes and pictures to mark Shakespeare’s birthday on Tuesday night – and we have been amazed by the reaction. There are a lot more Shakespeare fans and scholars in Libya than we realised – as well as quite a few romantics!”, explained Kathryn Kelly, head of marketing and communications for the British Council in Libya.
The British Council has decided to use the anniversary as a chance to have some fun with its 66,000 social media followers.
“We shared a rhyme with our members and then asked them to tell us what their favourite quote or sonnet [poem] is.
The rhyme was: Said Hamlet to Ophelia: I’ll do a sketch of thee, what kind of pencil shall I use, 2B or not 2B.
“We’ve been bombarded with responses and replies”, said Kely. “The most popular quote seems to be: ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’ (Sonnet 18).
“A close second was: ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars. But in ourselves, that we are underlings’ (Julius Caesar, Act 1 Scene 2).
“We had several emails from members telling us that because of Shakespeare, they did an English Literature degree which changed their lives – and one member admitted that he uses a Shakespeare sonnet every so often with his wife when he needs to apologise for something – although he didn’t admit which ones!”
Since the beginning of February, the British Council reports that its Facebook has more than doubled its members from 30,000 to 66,000.
“We have been trying to help our members use and practise their English-language skills in a fun and interactive way,” explained Kelly. “Clearly there are a lot of young people in Libya who want to develop their English. There is evidently a huge appetite in Libya for a more light-hearted approach to learning and using English.” [/restrict]
