[originaltext] Sekou Coumbassa is a diplomat who represents one of the new A

Sekou Coumbassa is a diplomat who represents one of the new African nations. At present he is working on special assignment to his country’s embassy in Washington. Like many African diplomats, he is very young--only twenty-eight years old.  Before coming to Washington, he had had a year of diplomatic experience in another African country and then one more year in Paris. Sekou speaks two African languages. In addition, he speaks French fluently because it is the language used in the secondary schools in his country.  He also studied English when he was in school. When he first came to Washington, his English was stiff and formal. It sounded like English that had been learned from a book.  Sekou has an aptitude for language, however, it was one of the reasons he became a diplomat. After six months in Washington, he had become fluent in English. Sekou is in charge of cultural affairs for the embassy. The ambassador that Sekou works for is quite impressed with his work and has recommended him highly to the government at home. Sekou is very happy, he hopes to be an ambassador himself some day in the future.