The Ramsar Bureau bids farewell to the Regional Coordinator for Africa

Mr Anada Tiéga, the Ramsar Bureau's high-performance Coordinator for Africa, is leaving the secretariat after more than six years in the saddle, bound for new horizons (well, familiar horizons) as project manager for a GEF project for the Lake Chad Basin (details here). What could be more fitting than that, in the venerable tradition of Ramsar Bureau regional dinners, an Africa night should occur just as Mr Tiéga is flitting out the door with a dignified, gentlemanly wave.

Guest of honor Mr A. Tiéga (center), flanked by Wendy Strahm of IUCN and Denis Landenbergue of WWF Living Waters, both looking almost as African as he does, but not quite.

Aperitifs at the home of Paulette and Keith Kennedy in Signy, Switzerland.
(Ignore the one in the lower left with the unmanageable hair.)

Peter Hislaire, Tobias, Mireille

Sandra and Peter expressing tolerant dismay

From left: Carlos, Delmar (our departing Secretary General), Liazzat

Aperitifs running low, time for African cuisine

Estelle (left, right) and her friend; Paulette (right, right) and her friend Tomas

Peter (in purple) asks: "But when's dinner?!"

Awaiting dinner, Peter Hislaire and Tobias discuss issues as the shadows lengthen

Mr and Ms Landenbergue-Strahm in full kit

Margarita and her friends: Peter (left), Nassima (right)

Annette (center) despairing of convincing Carlos or Sylvain of anything at all.

Tomas (left); Anada's daughter Aïda and IUCN's Patricia (center); Dwight (right)

Elena Blasco and Marguerite Tiéga

Peter and Wendy (left), without the Lost Boys; Mireille and Nick (right)

Aïda (left), Margarita (right)

Chow time, African style -- lots of different things that look a lot like couscous but not all of which are, lamb and lots of village chicken, several things that were distressingly spicy and not clearly marked

The ensemble in the garden

Mr Tiéga's farewell address to the gathered multitudes

Nassima and Mireille (left) straining to miss not a word; Denis, Dwight, and Delmar (right) considering their options

Tobias wearing a basket, luckily amongst friends

The friends themselves, dancing, or something: Estelle, Patricia, and Nassima

Annette at washing-up time (left); Liazzat, one of the world's more remarkable photographers (right), still at it

Later: his last day in the Bureau, Mr Tiéga traverses the IUCN cafeteria to join his colleagues, wearing his best kit

Photos by Liazzat Rabbiosi, Nick Davidson, and Paulette Kennedy.