I am happy to report that I am in Guinea-Bissau today. I am also thankful that I did not have to go back to Dakar, Senegal again, especially after my struggles of dealing with all of the border crossings and checkpoints lately.
So far on my African tour, I can see that Guinea-Bissau is a country that is struggling the most. This makes sense if you know that this country’s gross domestic product is one of the lowest in the world and it has also struggled with ongoing military and political unrest. On the other hand, I see a lot of heart here, the people work very hard and have a lot of determination to be successful.
The countryside is beautiful to visit and see. Most of it is either savannah or swamps near the coastline and is very wild and tropical looking everywhere that you look. It is also very hot and, as you might expect, there is not the luxury of having AC.
The media were very friendly and I am grateful to Mr. Simoa Abine, Director of the state newspaper Journal Pintcha. Mr. Abine is a 25 year veteran in the field of journalism and he was the first one that I came in contact with in this country. He was very nice,down to earth and was knowledgeable about our history and the former Yugoslavia in general. He was so enthusiastic about our cause, that he expressed a strong desire to share this information with his people and his government right away.
After completing the interview with Mr. Abine, he suggested sending a journalist and I to the airport for photos of the aircraft so that he could use them in his story. Then, he introduced me to Mr. Salvador Gomes, Director General of Da Agencia De Noticias Da Guinea-Bissau (BBC Africa Radio in Portuguese). This connection led to an additional story that he promised would be broadcast everywhere in the Portuguese speaking countries of Africa.
Mr. Abina offered his help in regards to the local government. Two days later we were meeting with Mr. Liberto Gomes, Chef du Cabinet, I hand delivered a letter from our own Vlora Citaku. Mr. Gomes seemed nice, but with a distant personality. But he did say that he would try to see what can be done as far as Kosovo’s Independence is concerned.
My friend and I met several more times during my brief stay in Guinea-Bissau. Over snacks and coffee, Mr. Abina shared a lot about his own country and culture. It’s always wonderful to get to meet so many nice people around the planet, even though we would have never crossed paths before.
I am sure that even if I am gone from this country, that Mr. Abina will keep bringing our issue of Kosovo up many more times to his people, colleagues, government and anyone else that he might come in contact with.
I wish for this wonderful country to be successful and soon, so that the great people of Guinea-Bissau will have a better future. Thank you Mr. Abina for all of your interest and for your interest in our country of Kosovo. Thank you for helping our people from this beautiful country of yours.
Finally, I want to express thanks to my Air Traffic Control tower friends (specifically Mr. Lassana Gano) who helped me to get my permit for landing in the neighboring country of Guinea for such a short time. It was not their duty to do so, but my friends went above and beyond and I am grateful.
Nô Pintcha
Radio
Bravo, Guinea recognized today, and I am very proud you have played a part in making Kosovo’s case known to local authorities. Good luck and Happy New Year by the way!