The ambassador

De Belgische ambassadeur van de Verenigde Staten van Amerika is vermist in Brussel.
Hij en zijn assistant zijn op zoek naar een ander land.

Een film van Pieter De Buysser
Scenario, regie en montage: Pieter De Buysser
Spel: Geoffrey Carey en Peter Connelly
Camera: John Shank
Geluid: Bas de Caluwé
Uitvoerend producent en montage: Calvin McBride
Productiemanager: Natalie Schrauwen
Productie-assistent: Mike Keirsbilck

Een productie van Lampe in opdracht van BSB voor het (B)Russels Tribunal, april 2004
Met de steun van de Beursschouwburg, de Hallen van Schaarbeek, de Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg, kc nOna en Limelight.

De dialogen uit het scenario

The ambassador: (stands still) Are you there?
His secretary: I am sir.
The ambassador: How to begin a walk? How to create an air
P: Oh that's simple sir, (farts)
G: (corrects him) how to create an air of knowing where to go?
P: but going is knowing sir, you said that! You said that !
G: going is knowing, exactly my friend, so the question is: how to go on a cloud of unknowing.
P: I don't know.
G: Correctly so... let's start here. I (step) don't (step) know. (they walk)

G: Was there any mail for me today?
P: No sir, nothing.
G: Excellent. Oh all those silences visiting us ! You know, today I'll try to be my own silence.
P: That might make it difficult for me to do my job properly, sir. To be honest with you, my job is constantly changing quite radically.
G: Do you still long for days past?
P: Oh yeah! I loved it the way things used to go. Being representatives of our nation ! Limousines, press conferences, meeting the industrialists and the politicians, banquets during negotiations so refined that a man even forgets he has teeth !
G: We are now representing an other country.
P: I know but...
G: You never saw it ?
P: Exactly.
G: Did you ever see the United States of America ?
P: Yea, sure, I was born there, that was my country!
G: No, did you ever see the United States of America?
P: I swear I did, I had in my mouth black sand from under the stone in the garden of my childhood house, I tasted it, the sand of road Elgin, number 8 in Michigan.
G: That is not the United States of America.
P: I saw New York from the towers, I've been in the streets of Washington, my skin has been burnt by the sun of Texas,...
G: But did you see The United States of America?
P: Okay, I admit, the USA that's like a name for the whole.
G: Indeed, the whole of your path and that of your ancestors, an idea, an invisible idea , an imaginary thermos flask filled with ideals, flesh and bones and water and fire in different degrees of density.
P: You're right, you say that very eloquently sir.
G: So come on, you can deal with it, also in days gone by you've been representing a country that you've never seen.
P: Yes sir, no problem, understood sir, I will deal with it sir, two times a non-thermos flask sir, that's twice quite hot sir, hope we don't get burned twice then sir, in an imaginary way of course sir, ha-ha of course sir,

P: Sir.
G: Yes.
P: Is there some paperwork I can do for you sir?
G: No.
P: How come?
G: Paper does not change, it has been cut out of a tree.
P: So, no paperwork any more ?
G: No, from now on, we speak face to face.
P: (there is nobody around, although we see a dozen of heads with nose and eyes, fully equipped for being a face) And what if I don't find a face?
G: Then greet, greet and multiply your hands until you have dug up an ever changing face.
P: Sir.
G: Yes.
P: And what if I don't like the face I dug up.
G: Then love it. Unconditionally.
P: Why?
G: I said: unconditionally.
P: Okay sir. I'll try.
G: You will not try, you shall move the river into flames.

P: Do you think the American government will be searching for us at the moment ?
G: Probably they will yeah.
P: They've lost a jolly good team with us. You were great sir, The way you reminded the Belgian government of what our country did for them in the second world war, that was strong man, really fervent.
G: The United States is not our country anymore.
P: And the president, who is our president now ?
G: The one who is not.
P: Who are we working for then?
G: We don't work any more, it's all about testifying the triumph of the sparrows.
P: All right sir. Could you do me maybe a favour and help me make a new time schedule ?
G: Sure, unfold your ears, listen to the burble of your blood, forget your name, forget him more, forget your name further and further until you can speak your name out, get your name out, and out of your own name: begin again. Begin again, and again, begin again.
P: Sir, a crocus curls herself out of the ground.
G: That's normal, that's because it's April.
P: Marvelous. New time schedule: we will be April.
G: Always April.

P: Sir, It hurts me you not saying a word.
G: The silences are on fire. The stones burn, even the stones, they burn.

6

P: Sir, since you decided not to serve the United States of America anymore, how would you estimate your power on a scale from zero to 10 ?
G: (smiles gently)

P: Sir, why do we move on? Are we now pretending to be able of doing a little better, of doing a little better the same old thing, of going further?
G: (smiles gently)

G: Once we will have to stop going sir.
(they stand still)
P: Sir, do you have an idea?
G: No one can have an idea once he really starts listening.

(silence)