Speeches Former Ambassadors
Remarks by H.E Niels Marquardt Ambassador of the United States of America on the inauguration Ceremony of the new Embassy.
Yaounde, February 16, 2006
Your Excellency the President of the Republic,
Madame Secretary of State,
Honorable Speaker of the National Assembly,
Mr. Prime Minister,
Colleagues, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am truly delighted to welcome you all today to the new United States Embassy in Yaounde Cameroon, for this historic inauguration ceremony.
Mr. President, you have given us the great honor of your presence, and that of all branches of your government, which is itself the clearest possible expression of the friendship, mutual respect, and shared ambitions of our two countries, peoples and governments. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for honoring us with your presence, and for all the support you have given us as we moved from our downtown location to this impressive new location at the foot of Mt. Febe.
We enjoyed working in our downtown location for many decades. As global security concerns made that situation more difficult, we received the best possible support from the government of Cameroon and from the city of Yaounde. We shall forever be grateful to the people of Yaounde for the sacrifices they made to ensure our security and well-being. Now, we are proud to be in a new location that combines the best elements of dramatic architecture, functional design, a privileged location, enhanced teamwork for the staff, and, yes, security for all. We promise to be good neighbors and, Mr. President, we look forward to getting to know those who live around us.
We also hope that this new embassy will become an increasingly comfortable part of the daily lives of all Cameroonians. We are proud of the facilities here for welcoming Cameroonians seeking visas and other consular services. We are committed to giving a dignified welcome and respectful, efficient service to all who come. We also are proud of the Information Resource Center and multipurpose room that are open to the Cameroonian public for reading, research, seminars, discussions, and other events. Yes, this facility is built to be secure, but it is also built to receive you as our honored guests for decades to come.
Indeed, I think we all agree that this building is a clear statement of American intentions vis-à-vis Cameroon. We are your friends, and we plan to be here forever. For your parts, the warmth and hospitality you invariably show us make this a wonderful prospect for all future diplomats who will have the privilege of an assignment to Cameroon.
In addition to inaugurating this building, we have a second purpose here today: the Yaounde Urban Council recently has approved the naming of the street in front of the Embassy as “avenue Rosa Parks.” Parks was a great figure in American History whose “show of defiance was an act of personal courage that moved millions” in the words of President George Bush, and an example that “helped touch off the civil rights movement and transformed America for the better”.
Born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, this 42-year-old Montgomery resident in December 1955 took a middle-row seat on a Cleveland Avenue bus. The first four rows were normally reserved for whites only, with blacks limited to the rear and only permitted in the middle if no white passenger wished to sit there. On this occasion Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and subsequently was jailed and fined $14.
Beginning on December 5, African-Americans led by Martin Luther King, began to boycott the Montgomery bus system. In an event often held to mark the opening of the modern civil rights movement, black citizens carpooled, patronized black-owned taxis or simply walked to work, to shop and to school. After the bus boycott, the Parks family moved to Detroit, where Rosa Parks continued to work as a seamstress until 1965, when she accepted a position as a staff assistant in the Detroit office of U.S. Representative John Conyers Jr.
In 1996, when President Bill Clinton awarded Rosa Parks the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he declared that Parks had "ignited the single most significant social movement in American history.” Parks was also a recipient, in 1999, of the Congressional Gold Medal. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Senator John Breaux of Louisiana said, “Role models who put personal bravery and self-sacrifice before self-interest and personal gain are few and far between. We can all look at Rosa Parks as someone who possesses these virtues.”
Last year, at the age of 92 the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" died of natural causes on October 24 at her home in Detroit. She was buried WHERE? a state funeral, including laying in state in the Capitol Rotunda. Flags around the world, including at our embassy here in Yaounde, flew at half-staff to mark her life and her passing. These honors, extremely unusual for a private American citizen, bespeak the great affection and respect of the American people across the spectrum of race, ethnicity, creed, and religion, for this brave American who so changed the face of our country for the better. Speaking after Mrs. Parks’ death, U.S. Representative Charles Rangel of New York said: "I truly believe that there's a little bit of Rosa Parks in all Americans who have the courage to say ‘enough is enough’ and stand up for what they believe in”
I am further honored today by the presence of a great American, Ambassador Jendayi E. Frazer. Dr. Frazer is the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, one of Secretary Rice’s closest associates, and a great friend of Africa and of Cameroon. Her presence here this week marks another milestone in the strong relationship between our two countries. I could not be happier that she agreed to join us here today for this historic celebration. Let me thank you all once more for participating in today’s important event, and ask you now to welcome Dr. Frazer to the podium for her remarks. Dr. Jendayi E. Frazer…