2 Speeches in 1.5 Days

Thursday 29-June
5:30pm

At 5:30p I am just wrapping up typing my notes for superiors.
In walks the Ambassador's secretary with a small packet of papers. The Ambassador has agreed at to accept a pretty last-minute invitation to visit the Akropong district capital: Akuapem (Okeuapem). It seems that the district's traditional ruler the Akuapemhene (Akuapemruler).

Two things have occured: 1) due to a royal death, there is a new traditional chief (called "nana"). 2) The new Nana Ofei Nkansah I has been elevated to Chief of the district's Environmental projects. Installing a woman chief is a big deal, but this one has been in a well-known family, her mom having been a queen-mother. Due to some port businesses on the coast, this particular nana is quite wealthy.

So yea. They needed a speech for that - and show time was Saturday. For those who have not worked in bureaucracy - having a day and a half to write that speech sounds simple since you just write it and someone reads it. Not in the US government. Once draft one is complete it has to be reviewed and "cleared" by untold thousands of people (exaggeration for sure).

It is settled also that I will accompany the Ambassador to the Saturday event - now that is a story.

7:50 am Friday 30-June
Having come into the officer mad-early, I finally send out speech #1 and cross my fingers. I later talk to our Protocol Officer to make sure we include the proper culturally-appropriate salutations and conclusions for a royal occasion.
9am
Then pops an e-mail from our Public Affairs chief - commending me on my first speech. Copying the Ambassador, he requests a second one, for an event the Ambassador is cohosting in Benin next weekend. Given that he copied the ambassador, I knew that this was not really a "request" - so I sent an energetic e-mail back..and then started typing a whole lot of disjointed convoluted mess that became draft #1.
1pm
Four hours later, I'm finished. Draft #3-or-so is complete. I send it out for clearance. The Embassy has half days on Friday, so I am really hoping that people can read it soon. I start calling superiors' cell phones to make sure they get to their desk and read my draft and give it an ok.
3pm
The speech is finally cleared. I deliver down the hall to the Ambassador's secretary and then go home for a nap :) Afterwards, its out to hang with homies at my favorite pub for World Cup watching. Ghana TV 3 News is covering the return of the Black Stars team to Accra's Kotaka Airport. People are dancing at the airport and popping bottles of champaign - giving a heroes welcome. There is rumored to be a huge concert in their honor at Independence Square - the site of Ghana's own L'arc de Triomphe - marking the spot where Nkrumah declared independence in 1957. I have to go home though...early rise tomorrow.
Bummed
At the time I am a little bummed that I have to wake up early tomorrow to join the Ambassador's travel-for-speech. Hah...that would change.