Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
was quickly shown my room and the butler presented me a plate of cookies and juice and
told me that if I needed any laundry to be done, all I had to do was leave it outside my
door in the morning. (I left almost everything.) He also said that I could eat anything in the
fridge…oh, oh, big mistake (I must admit that I only indulged in the ice cream.)
AfterIwashed,shavedanddressedinmybestclothes(whichwasn'tsayingmuch),
ImetMr.Harareandhiswifeinthelivingroomandwastoldthatwewereinvitedtodinner
at someone else's home. For safety reasons, we left by car and were driven to a similar
gated home with armed security not more than 10 minutes away. I met quite a few dignit-
aries from other embassies and I found listening to their conversations quite enlightening.
I especially enjoyed listening to a married couple who were doctors as they excitedly dis-
cussed their work in Malaysia back in the 1970s and the fight they had with Nestlé Cor-
poration. During our conversation, I had to share my experience with Nestlé. As you may
recall, Nestlé Canada was quite interested in sponsoring my STC tour. When I told STC
the “good news”, they pulled out as being the beneficiary. Only after I terminated my re-
lationship with Nestlé Canada did STC rejoin. The doctors found it fascinating that Nestlé
Canada would be so interested in any STC project especially when they knew that STC
was the main proponent to the international boycott of Nestlé products.
I didn't notice the time and was surprised that it was nearing midnight. Once we
returned to the residence, I had the daunting task of climbing up the stairs to my bedroom.
Being tired from my day's cycle plus the exorbitant amount of food I ate at the party made
the journey nearly impossible. I was thinking of summoning the butler to carry me but alas
I didn't think it was in his job description. Painfully slow as I was, I managed the staircase
step by step and eventually crashed onto my bed.
After eating my breakfast on the terrace, I was taken to the high commission and
escorted in the diplomats' area. I filled out my application for a Cameroonian visa and
hadlettersphotocopied.Thehighcommissionhadarrangedbothradioandtelevisioninter-
views and the opportunity for me to meet a representative from UNICEF. I was then taken
to the UNICEF office where I was introduced to Mr. Kunio Waki and Dede, a consultant.
She had arranged for me to visit their projects for the following day.
Meanwhile, she asked me if I would write a paper on what I had seen in Africa and
what future changes could be made. This was to be read at the Organization for African
Unity (OAU) conference in Dhaka, Sénégal on Nov 26-27, 1992. I accepted her request
anddecided tocompose it that afternoon. Whatever came ofit Idon'tknow,butit gave me
something to do and helped me organize my thoughts for my future media interviews.
I returned to the high commission on foot and spent some time reading up on my
baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays. The high commission took my passport and all the
necessary papersandsentthem totheCameroon Embassy.Iwastaken backtotheresiden-
ce where I met the wife of the president of Mobil Corporation and Mrs. Harare and we had
lunch with their children.
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