By Rev. S. M. Williams
When the Editor of Politico called on me to give some account of the modus operandi of the yesteryears of an Information Attaché (IA), I was delighted to oblige. Himself a young man, he must have been irked with today’s Information Attaché demeanour.
Before I get down to the nitty-gritty of those glorious years let me deign to reiterate the meaning of the media which is to inform, educate and entertain. Of these functions, that of the Information Attaché is accented on information and education with entertainment kept in store for home use.
And diplomacy has to do with tact and the handling of international relations. The I.A must understand expressions of the face, hints, be honest and of exemplary character among other virtues. Aside from these desirable qualities there is invariably an emptiness and quackery that sometimes passes for diplomacy. How about giving parties and paying attention to women. These may constitute an incidental “must”, if you can permit the paradox. When a diplomat says “yes” he means “perhaps”; when he says “perhaps” he means “no”; and when he says“no” he is no diplomat. These are the façades that go by the name DIPLOMACY.
Under normal circumstances the diplomat lives on a standard of living higher than or level with the middle classes of the country of his/her posting. The dignity of the office is expected to be maintained. Additionally one is entitled to C.O.L.A. (cost of living allowances). To keep life unencumbered there are duty-free concessions for imported goods.
Now for the thrust of this piece: In the first place I am categorizing the period before 1996 as my yesteryears. Before that period recruitment into the diplomatic service, including the Information Attachés was done strictly through the public service. Came 1996 and that was an outstanding exception which seemed to prove the rule. SorieFofanah, a non-public servant, was appointed by Dr Ahmad Tejan Kabbah as Information Attaché to the High Commission in London. One would have expected that this was an exception which would prove the rule. But this exception played into the hands of a patronage-hungry Dr Ernest Koroma to make it a rule.
As a result he virtually littered the diplomatic mission with Information Attachés including quacks and cranks. When they were rejected in one country they were re-posted to other countries regardless of misrepresentation.
In the pre-1996 days Information Attachés were ranked at the mission according to their ranks in the Home Service. So that an Information Officer, for example, could hold the rank of a Second Secretary and an Assistant Information Officer could hold the rank of a Third Secretary with matching allowances. These days I wouldn’t know how they are ranked because they just enter the service as journalists or so-called editors of reputable run-of-the-mill tabloids. It is a “fiti fata” situation highly politicized.
The conditions under which an Information Attaché works depends largely on the kind of government and other infrastructural conditions he is appointed to. Time was when Information Attachés were posted to only a few great nations and conference centres. And the Information Attaché has to measure up educationally to that country’s standards. Britain, the U.S.A., China, Russia and conference centres like the U.N in New York the A.U. and E.C.A in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia were among them.
I had the pleasure of serving in our Sierra Leone Embassy in Addis Ababa as an Information Attaché. Let me point out that the rationale for posting an Information Attaché to Addis Ababa was for those conference centres mentioned above. This did not however absolve me from doing the normal duties of an embassy. It is just that one had to work extra hours sometimes spanning almost 24 hours. That was when the concluding sessions of the then O.A.U. Heads of State lasted the whole night through.
The Report of a conference had to be dispatched to the Home Office by telex the same morning. Back at the Embassy it was time for the collection of materials for the Ambassador’s report to the Foreign Office at home which largely depended on the Information Attaché from those hints, diplomatic gossips, eavesdropping and the public news from the local media. Yes, almost daily the I.A. has to be involved in attending the communications from the local and foreign services. It was not an easy role. I wouldn’t know whether it is any easier now. The monthly bulletin featuring the home country should be produced apace regardless of conferences. My only period of rest was at the pubs at night for a lonely beer or two. At other times I had to attend parties almost on a weekly basis while I had to hold mine occasionally for reciprocity and simple diplomatic protocol.
One of my most hectic periods was during the preparation for the late Emperor Haile Selessie to visit this country. I had the major duty of describing Sierra Leone to the Ethiopian Foreign Office and to answer the questions on Ethiopia from Sierra Leone that was a shade away from the humdrum functions.
Without braggadocio I acted on a number of occasions as Charge ‘D’ Affaire. though I was only an I.A. It is testimony to the level of confidence that the Ambassador had in me to measure up to the level of over 50 diplomatic missions and to come out unblemished on each occasion. Not only that. In fact another I.A, Haroun Buhari proved himself so worthy that he was Sierra Leone’s High Commission to the United Kingdom and Ireland for some time. Perhaps more of the present crop of I.As will be acting in these capacities these days. Who knows?
There is a pink tea type of Ambassadors, Secretaries and Information Attaches who largely reside in the service instead of working in it.
(C) Politico 19/08/13
