At 8.45, I was just going to leave to our office, when Erika my colleague who is in charge of this days action, a protest against the Dow factory in Chloorkop, asks me to drive her. It is urgent, she says. She asks me to do a last check of the directions.
9.00, the two of us drive north for half an hour. There at the meeting point we find a bulk of journalists. We go to the place where the activist are. Everything goes well. A big success.
11.00 While we are there a radio station calls me. They want to have a Greenpeace climate expert in their studio at 14.00 hrs. at the Global Forum, which is approximately 40 minutes in the south. A two hours programme, they say. I desperately try to find a person to do this interview, in vain. At noon we are in the Office.
12.30 I decide now to do the interview myself, but realise that I've forgotten my accreditation card for the Global Forum in my hotel in Bruma.
12.35 Despite the fact, that I have got lost on the highway several times, I risk a shortcut. After 20 minutes I realize I am again in front of the Dow pestizide factory. I turn down to the south.
12.40 Erika calls me. She has forgotten her laptop in my car. She needs
it. I ask her to call in the hotel. Maybe there is someone of Greenpeace
who can bring it to her in the office.
12.41 I missed the exit. (They call it "offramp" in SA)
13.00 Brad calls me. He is waiting in the hotel to get the laptop. I promise him to be in 15 minutes there.
13.20 Take the laptop from the back seat give it to Brad and rush to my room for the accreditation card. I can't find it! It disappeared.
13.20 "You can't miss the interview! Go just go! You have to think of some
solution in the car"
13.25 I call the radio journalist that I will be five minutes late.
13.30 This is the solution! I decide to call one of my Tibetan friends at the Global Forum. Someone could bring a card from another Tibetan to the entrance. Police won't notice .
13.31 His phone number is not on my cellular.
14.00 Reach the global forum. I find his phonenumber, finally. He can't help me now. He says, he is having lunch. I fully understand.
14.01 While running. I call another Tibetan. He says he has only his own card. But is afraid police will notice that I am not person the card shows. I promise him that everything will be allright.
14.05 I wait outside the entrance. He gives me the card. I rush in and find my lunch friend. I give him the card and ask him to go outside to get his colleague in again.
14.10 I run to the media center. Person awaits me. I beg him not to become too technical.
14.15 With a small delay the interview starts.
14.25 Interview is finished after only seven minutes.
What is it like to be a Greenpeace press officer at the summit in Johannesburg? I really can't tell. But maybe the above gives you an insight and the encouragement to apply for a vacancy.
Wang Po
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Wang Po is a Tibetan media officer with Greenpeace Switzerland. He is working on maintaining the existing biodiversity of the Planet. As well, he works on the many aspects of the Energy campaign, based around the idea that renweable energy is the future for our world. He also supports non Greenpeace campaigns such as the Free-Tibet movement.