Thursday, July 10, 2008

Bogonko Bosire: 'Bosire, do you want coffee or should I show you how we transmit?

I first and last saw Peter on the morning of January 9, 2005, when he accompanied Colin Powell to Nairobi for the signing of the Sudan Peace Agreement. I met him in the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel.

After I introduced myself, Peter asked me: "Bosire, do you want coffee or should I show you how we transmit?" I opted for the latter, even though he gave me a choice

We chatted for about 20 minutes during which he praised the Nairobi bureau for leading the competition in the coverage of the Sudan peace talks. He encouraged me to keep this lead and"nature" will take its course.

"My journalism is driven by a sense of duty not ambition ... There is no mountain that the human spirit, guided by some higher spirit , cannot attain," he said to me before hurrying off to the van taking State Department correspondents to the national stadium for the signing ceremony.

His quote stuck in my mind. Who cannot admire a man with such bountiful humanity and professional goodwill and energy? I saw him again at the stadium and he kindly introduced me to some of his State Department colleagues. Before we parted ways, he asked me to give his regards to Matthew Lee, who had started only hours before as the deputy in AFP's Nairobi bureau. That evening, Matt -- whom Peter has replaced as the AFP correspondent at the State Department -- asked me if I had met Peter.

"That guy is a phenomenal ... I wish you could have worked with him," Matt said. I always wondered what he meant -- until I read the tributes to Peter in this blog. I now have the answer.
And so, my tribute to this man I met only once will be to try to emulate him.

Bogonko Bosire, Nairobi Bureau

AFP, East Africa and Indian Ocean