Africa: I Knew Mandela

opinion

The message from the State Department was brief and to the point. It said simply "Nelson Mandela arriving Bamako by flight No. -You are hereby directed to meet him and extend all courtesies." That in diplomatic official language meant that I was authorized to do everything to make his visit a success. The message was signed by Deputy Secretary of State Ernest Eastman.

First, I must confess that although I knew the role that Liberia was playing in the African freedom struggle and all the independence movements of the early 1960's, I did not know Nelson Mandela. I knew he was South African. I duly acknowledged the message from the State Department and was further informed by the Deputy Secretary of State Ernest Eastman that Nelson Mandela did not speak French and I would be his guide and interpreter.

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