For weeks, Peter and his coworkers (and especially our roommate, Denise) have been preparing for today's visit from a man who could sort of be described as Peter's boss's boss's boss's boss's boss's boss...former President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
For weeks, Denise and others have been developing potential visit schedules for President Clinton and the "delegation" accompanying him: celebrities, US government officials, Foundation staff, and press. The final schedule included a visit to a market, a hotel funded in part by the Clinton Global Initiative, a radio interview, and a reception at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is serving as the President's official office until the Executive Mansion rehabilition is completed.
Our role today was to stay at MoFA, herd people along, and provide logistical support. (I actually was just tagging along, since I don't actually work for the Foundation.) Here are the buses of the delegation and press entering the MoFA parking lot:
Our first task was to arrange the bag lunches for the delegation. The sandwiches, supplied by a local grocery store, came with the usual fillings- ham, turkey, cheese - and with more exotic flavors: crab, mortadella, and "c. bocon" (Canadian bacon, we realized.)
Later, President Clinton greeted each and every one of the Foundation's Liberia staff - and posed for pictures all of them. (Unfortunately I don't have Peter's, but the Foundation HQ apparently will send it to us in the next few months.) Here's Denise:
For weeks, Denise and others have been developing potential visit schedules for President Clinton and the "delegation" accompanying him: celebrities, US government officials, Foundation staff, and press. The final schedule included a visit to a market, a hotel funded in part by the Clinton Global Initiative, a radio interview, and a reception at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is serving as the President's official office until the Executive Mansion rehabilition is completed.
Our role today was to stay at MoFA, herd people along, and provide logistical support. (I actually was just tagging along, since I don't actually work for the Foundation.) Here are the buses of the delegation and press entering the MoFA parking lot:
Our first task was to arrange the bag lunches for the delegation. The sandwiches, supplied by a local grocery store, came with the usual fillings- ham, turkey, cheese - and with more exotic flavors: crab, mortadella, and "c. bocon" (Canadian bacon, we realized.)
Later, President Clinton greeted each and every one of the Foundation's Liberia staff - and posed for pictures all of them. (Unfortunately I don't have Peter's, but the Foundation HQ apparently will send it to us in the next few months.) Here's Denise:
After that, he made some official remarks in a small auditorium downstairs. The best part (in my opinion) of his talk was his last point. He encouraged Liberians to stay the course, and described what has happened in Rwanda. Four years after the end of the Rwandan genocide, the GDP per capita was less than $300, but now, 10 years after that point, the per capita GDP has nearly quadrupled. We read about it all the time, but it's still heartening to hear the message: Stay with the program, and support your progressive government.
We then exited into the lobby, for a short reception. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf walked right in front of me!
And that was that.
1 comment:
I guess one has got to go to Liberia to meet Billy C. He looks like a million dollars, which I hope he dropped with you on his way out.
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