The Royal Visit

Governor General Michaelle Jean popped into Ghana for four days during her five-country tour of Africa, an event that had me acting like a "real" Canadian journalist again.

It was a disagreeable fit, proving what I've long suspected: I am no longer fit for "real" journalism, the stuff that entails long days and tight deadlines and listening to handlers and PR people and trying to follow and yet stand out from the pack. It's been a long time since I've done anything organized. I'm mostly off on my own, riding around in tro-tros and wrangling someone else into translating. My deadlines are never tight.

But this time, I was riding in helicopters and motorcades. The schedule was down to the minute. There was one other Canadian, a reporter from Canadian Press, and a lot of local media. There were two PR people, a handler from the High Commission and someone contracted specifically to help "wrangle" me and the local media.

I know that one of the GG's PR people has visited this blog, so I'll keep my comments to myself. Suffice it to say the low point of the visit came when "The Moment" of Michaelle Jean standing at the Door of No Return turned into another eviction and the view of some security guy's butt.

For the most part, I think Ghanaians loved the GG. The kids at the library were totally enthralled. The Ghanaian journalists were mostly confused -- as we all are, I think -- about what a GG actually does. The president was reportedly smitten. Someone wrote an anonymous love poem to Jean in the Daily Guide that was printed after she left, each stanza starting with the letters in her name. Disc jockeys on the radio made some rather crude comments about the president being late for meetings -- "and we all know why! He had to see Michaelle off at the airport..." My property manager sent me a message when I let him know the fridge isn't working (again!? Why fridge gods? Why!?!) telling me that "The GG is hot."

I thought she did very well. Clearly, Africa has resonance for her and it was so refreshing, especially after the regal smugness of Adrienne Clarkson, to see her touching people and dancing with abandon and really getting involved. She seemed willing to try, which is essential here, and willing to have people chuckle at her. We met her in a closed-door meeting with JHR, in which she spoke about her introduction to journalism in Haiti. You can tell she still has all the instincts.

If only I could say the same...