Yesterday evening I attended an event hosted by the American Embassy in Brazzaville in the celebration of our national holiday. My boss Sylvie had received an invitation from the Embassy for herself and a guest, though she wasn’t feeling well enough yesterday afternoon to attend the party. So this ‘guest’ grabbed the invitation and took off for the party.
I am constantly intrigued and impressed by how well the security is coordinated at such events, and at the Embassy in general. As I approached by taxi the avenue leading to the Embassy the entire road had been blocked and there were several armed Congolese Special Forces stationed in front of the barricade. I descended from the taxi and was directed to an off-site shuttle that would take me to the Embassy entrance: walking to the front gate was not an option.
After exiting the security building, I was immediately ushered into a line to shake hands with the Ambassador and his wife. I was rather excited and nervous to be able to finally meet the Ambassador, though the introduction was fairly brief. The party was outdoors on the lawn beside the Embassy, with a large tent and outdoor bars and high-top tables. There were string lights and miniature American flags everywhere. The catering was the best I have seen in the Congo, in terms of cleanliness, friendliness of the servers and the quality of the drinks. (Seriously, I’ve had some less than pleasant experiences.) Still, there was no tonic water and at one point I was given vodka and coke instead of whiskey and coke. I eventually settled for a lukewarm gin and soda. The music at the party was, in a word, awesome: Beach Boys, Cheap Trick, Skynyrd, Otis Redding and other classics. The national anthem was performed by an American gospel quarter visiting the Congo and followed by another group singing the Congolese national anthem, which, I have to admit, was pretty catchy. There were even two Marines stationed in Kinshasa who came to the event to walk and hoist the flag.
Towards the end of the evening I found a few minutes to chat with the Ambassador. He asked me about my experience thus far in the Congo and told me he was pleased, if not a bit surprised, to see a young American involved to the degree that I am here in Brazzaville. The Ambassador was familiar with AZUR Développement and the association’s prior work in collaboration with the Embassy.
Alas, there were no fireworks to cap off the evening, but between the open bar, classic rock and meeting the Ambassador and other consular officers, it was a memorable Fourth of July.
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