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Ambassador Eastham cutting ribbon

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Ambassador Eastham cutting ribbon

Embassy Brazzaville Opening Day

January 20 – a date to be remembered in the history of the United States, and the United States Embassy in Brazzaville, Congo.  Even before Washington DC was abuzz with the excitement of the presidential inauguration ceremonies, the Brazzaville Embassy staff were saluting the raising of the American flag – the first flag to fly over a U.S. facility since June 1997.

When civil war struck Brazzaville in 1997, Embassy staff were evacuated to neighboring Kinshasa, and a reduced operating base shared Kinshasa facilities until 2003 when doors began opening in Brazzaville once again.  An exchange for the plundered embassy located in downtown Brazzaville for a spacious site on the main route to the airport was negotiated by Ambassador Robin Sanders in 2003, implemented by Ambassador Robert Weisberg, and dedicated by Ambassador Alan Eastham on January 20, 2009.

Functioning out of a Russian-architecture dilapidated bank building these past three years has been a challenge – just getting to the fourth floor without being stuck in the elevator was considered a success for each day. Stairwells were constantly being blocked by construction units which accomplished nothing more than blocking
stairwells, and water poured through the

walls during rain showers. Staff kept umbrellas at their desks to use indoors and nobody was allowed to use the elevators on the week-ends for fear of being trapped until Monday.

All of that is in the past.  The new embassy sits on a 10-acre manicured site, electricity is a standard, not a luxury, American and Congolese staff are part of one facility instead of being housed across town.  Consular operations will open in February 2009 – who will be the recipient of the first visa issued in Congo-B in 11 years?