National Day Parties -Just part of the job!

Flying the flag when Mdme Charge goes out

I came to Congo in the dry season for the weather. So all the diplomatic national day celebrations that come in May, June, and July are bonuses. There may be some members of the diplomatic community who get weary of these chest-thumping national pride parties, but not Stro! During my time here we have enjoyed four such celebrations, including the parties given by Cameroon, Italy, the U.S., and France (we missed the EU party in order to attend the final African dance class--difficult choices abound). For the last one she is the Charge L'Affaires, so we rated the big car and flag. This could go to one's head.

Every one of the parties was fun and fascinating, but I have to give the Best National Day Party Oscar to....(strains of La Marseillaise)...France! This despite the longest speech ever given by an ambassador at such an event (he's new--he won't talk so long next year). They made up for that with buckets of joie de vivre among the 600-700 attendees, or maybe it was the free flowing champagne (only available after the speech). Before the speech they had open bars and --another drum roll--beer ON TAP. I think the beer on tap and the beanie weenies with mustard may have been the Alsace-Lorraine contributions to party planning. Someone said there was roast chicken to go with the French potato salad but it disappeared long before we found the table still loaded with French cheeses and pâté, which I may have enjoyed too much.

During the speech

The decorations looked like a Fourth of July promotion at the Dollar Store. They were everywhere, but they did not have the pièce de résistance from the American "do" earlier in the month, a big arch of red, white, and blue balloons that everyone got to walk through between the receiving line and the bar. And they had time to copy too. Large screens put us right into the parade on the Champs Élysées, complete with horses and bands and continual World War I era music (the kind we might hear in a 1940s movie about France) that got a few toes tapping waltzes and polka steps. Très festive!

The parties share a certain formality of access. Invited guests must present their cards at the gate. List management is a big strategic deal for the host (and heaven help us if someone important did not get an invitation). Some countries combine diplomatic aims with representational aims. That's "diplo speak" for whether they invite only Congolese officials, friends, and other diplomats or also add in their own nationals who happen to live or be visiting in Congo. Cameroon's party, held in a huge walled courtyard at the Embassy, included both groups but seating was separate and assigned (by rank on the diplo side!). The ex-pats included a soccer team. Until the rains came (heavy but over quickly and we were under tents), the Cameroonian Ambassador, his spouse, and military brass greeted guests in a receiving line after an invitation checker verified we were on the list. In our case, the Ambassador himself escorted us to our seats after we went through the receiving line (there is always a receiving line).

It's always a pleasure to see
Pamman, the Honorary Indian Consul.

The host country takes the opportunity of the national day celebration to honor its relationship and perhaps special bipartisan accomplishments in Congo. Some events feature more speeches than
others. Guests stand informally and behave cocktail party style--making conversation, greeting
friends, meeting new people. I confess I felt pretty special at Italy's event when the Egyptian
ambassador greeted me warmly as an old friend with the traditional two-kiss hug. And by now I am on hug-trade terms with the Italian Deputy Chief of Mission.

Three especially handsome guests at the US party!

Invitations may specify the expected dress, usually "business attire," since the party almost always starts at 6:00 pm on a weekday. After seeing what people actually wore, I decided that the code only applied to most of the men and it was a signal that the dress code was not formal (as in white tie). African women, official or not, are invariably decked out in marvelous styles and colors commonly called "pagne." The ready availability of designers and seamstresses here results in what seems like a continual fashion show. You may see the same print made into different styles. Every dress is unique. The Non-African women are usually more conservatively dressed, and by comparison pretty unremarkable, except for the simply dressed and incredibly chic French.

Rilla with USEmb friends Ashton, Jen, Chris,and Tim

There is always food and countries have good or bad reputations for the national day party
food (the Vatican party is reputed to be best but alas we were away when that took place). Two of the parties I attended featured served canapés. The Cameroonians put on a full court press with a huge
buffet we were invited to by row. The Americans had an open bar and the best samosas and mini-brochettes in the world, the Italians passed champagne, wine and water, along with pesto-stuffed cherry tomatoes and teeny dishes of pasta with teeny forks. Food serves as the signal the party is ending. When the French began to pass small cups of chestnut creme and sorbet, we knew they wanted to wrap it up. The Americans just closed the bars and the jazz band started playing much more quietly. Both approaches worked.

As the end of my visit comes into view, I regret I will miss the Congo celebration on August 15. but maybe that would be greedy. I think I have already had enough champagne and brie for this year.