美國新冠疫情日記 11/14

I Became A Diplomat To Serve Guinea And Texas

The International Focus magazine sent their team to interview me last week. This is the first time since I was appointed the new Honorary Consul of Republic of Guinea in Houston. The magazine’s editor, Heidi Powell Prera, wanted to know my story for her article. That brought me back to my early days in America.

Everybody came to this country and all of us had a dream. I told Heidi that America is the only country in the world where you can start a media and banking business as an ordinary citizen. I am so lucky that in the last forty years, we have built a national media company and also a commercial bank.

When I became a publisher and a banker, I really had reached my goals in many ways. Fortunately, last year when I hosted Guinea’s President Conde at my home, he said that he wanted to appoint me as the Honorary Consul For Guinea In Houston. I really appreciated his offer. At first, I thought he was only joking. After many months, I received a message from Guinea’s Ambassador Yansane in Washington and he told me the State Department had already agreed to my appointment.

Wow! Suddenly I had become a diplomat! That was my dream come true! And I had been a Diplomacy major in college! After my studies, I never thought about becoming a diplomat.

My goal now is to do my best to promote the relationship between Texas and Africa.

With the help of my colleague, President of the International Trade Center, Honorable Gezahgen Kebede, Honorary Consul of Ethiopia, ITC will start our project as soon as possible.

Guinea is a country in West Africa. Guinea’s mineral wealth makes it potentially one of Africa’s richest countries.

Our goal will be to promote education, tourism and agriculture to Guinea.

投身美非外交工作

上週我接受了《國際焦點》雜誌主編海蒂之專訪, 談到我被任命為幾內亞駐休斯敦名譽總領事之感想，這次訪談讓我回到過去數十年來之艱辛歲月。

在訪問中我告訴海蒂，對我而言，我們在這個充滿機會的國家，能夠充分發揮我們的努力，請問世界上有哪些國家可以譲你創辦媒體事業和銀行，我們都做到了，我要感恩美國這塊土地，能夠成就很多人的梦想。

去年九月，我在家中有幸設宴款待幾內亞總統孔戴閣下及隨行二十三位部長，在宴會中孔戴總統交待他的外交部長，希望任命我為駐休斯敦名譽總領事，當時我還不當是真，今年七月我接到幾內亞駐美國大使楊森來函稱，美國國務院已經同意這項任命，當我接到這項信息時，心中百感交集，在唸大學時研習外交，從未想到如今真在美國當上幾內亞名譽總領事。