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A Visit With the U.S. Ambassador to Benin

U.S. Ambassador to Benin Lucy Tamlyn, Kid Reporter Caleb Biney and Fox News commentator Dana Perino in Benin, West Africa
U.S. Ambassador to Benin Lucy Tamlyn, Kid Reporter Caleb Biney and Fox News commentator Dana Perino in Benin, West Africa

Caleb with Lucy Tamlyn, the U.S. Ambassador to Benin, and political commentator Dana Perino

Political commentator Dana Perino, who served as press secretary for President George W. Bush, recently visited West Africa. She spent a few days on the Africa Mercy, the hospital ship on which I live off the coast of Benin.

Perino then set out to see Lucy Tamlyn, the United States Ambassador to Benin. I was invited along. 

We drove to the ambassador’s home, where she and her husband, Jorge M. Serpa, welcomed us. After we were seated, Perino began the conversation with Ambassador Tamlyn. 

Eventually, I was able to ask Tamlyn my own questions. She said that U.S. government agencies in West Africa are working together so that they can send a unified message to the world.

The other chief function of U.S. diplomats in Benin and elsewhere is to meet with local leaders and report their findings back to officials in Washington, D.C. “Washington depends on us to explain what’s happening in Benin,” Tamlyn said.

 

“A COUNTRY AT PEACE”

Tamlyn is originally from New York City. She has served in diplomatic roles in several countries, including Colombia, Brazil, Iraq, and Portugal. Tamlyn and her husband, who is an author from Portugal, have two children.

In March 2015, President Barack Obama nominated Tamlyn to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Benin. After being confirmed by the Senate later that year, Tamlyn assumed her important role. She now serves under President Donald Trump.

I asked Tamlyn what she enjoys the most about serving here. “My favorite thing about being in Benin is being in a country that is at peace and has a functioning democracy,” she said.

 

Photo by Catherine Murphy