Friday July 26

Today is July 26, 2013: this is the 166th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Liberia. Of equal importance, we are celebrating 10 years of peace in Liberia since the signing of the accord ending the Civil War on August 3, 2003. It is a day of celebration for the accomplishments already achieved, and a day of contemplation about the serious work ahead.

  Up at 7 this morning to have coffee, and then drive to the parade grounds so the the Commander-In-Chief could review the troops. That was fun to watch, and who doesn't like a military parade with the troops passing by in salute ! Mr. Straz was at the house, and was very welcoming, so I guess my earlier faux pas wasn't that bad. Then back to the "Palace" for breakfast before heading down the hill to the ceremony at Tubmanburg Town Hall.

The hall was packed when we arrived; my guess it that it held 300 people or so. Debbie and I were seated in the front row of the stage to the right of the podium along with Father Gary, another honoree, who was also celebrating his birthday on July 26. He had come to Liberia in 1973, and had stayed throughout the war. He said that at one point he was taken by the LURD rebels into the jungle; they said they were protecting him from harm, but who knows.

The ceremony itself was over 2 hours long; it included an very lengthy introduction of the National Orator by what appeared to be a high school aged girl; perhaps in thenfuture the protocol officer might consider vetting such speeches ! Then the Orator, who is an older politician and head of the Unity party (the same party as the President) spoke at length about her accomplishments and also the areas that he thought needed improvement. My sense in listening to him that he is looking to run for the Presidency. After his speech came the honors, being Debbie, me and Gary. I have to say that it was a momentous and amazing feeling to be standing in front of a crowd of people who, for the most part, had no idea who I am or why I was standing up there, but afterwards they were very gracious in their thanks.  After the honorings, there was more talk, including the former President of Nigeria ( more about him later), who promised he would be short in his speech, but wasn't . One of the things I have learned on this road trip with the President is that asking a politician to be brief will rarely have the desired results. They say they will make their remarks brief, but once they start talking, they don't seem to know how to stop!

After that ceremony, we returned to the Guest House to get our bags, and then we went to lunch at the WEAC building for a luncheon. While there I met the Ambassador from South Africa and his wife; he taught in the Government department at Harvard until the ANC was no longer prohibited, and Nelson Mandela was released from prison. She grew up in Hebron CT, and met him in Boston I think. In any case, they are quite an interesting couple and I enjoyed our conversation.

Everything was running late (not surprising), so we finished there around 4pm and then left to come back to Monrovia for a formal dinner benefitting Messongee, a foundation started by the President to provide funds for rural education and development. The honoree was the former President of Nigeria, affectionately known as Baba to his friends. As I understand it, he was an Army General who took over after his predecessor died under mysterious circumstances, and then won an election. After his term was over, there were some who thought he should retain office, but he decided to follow the rule of law and retired. Since retiring, he has developed a modern chicken farming business in Nigeria, and has just recently started a branch of the operation in Liberia. Anyway, the dinner was actually quite fun, and the evening ended with Madam President and the ex-President of Nigeria leading a conga line dancing through the hall, and the American Ambassador and I joined in.

Throughout the evening a number of people, some of whom I have met before, but many whom I have not, congratulated me for my honor, and thanked me for coming to Liberia as a surgeon. I feel blessed and privileged to have the opportunity to do this work; compared to the work that others are doing, I'm not sure I deserve these accolades, but it sure has been a fun week !