Dpaal | Christmas Party

DPAAL Vice President Esther Corral (Spain), Elizabeth Stewart, Gavin Serkin (Frontier Funds), Bangladesh High Commissioner Hannan, Maria Monteiro (Portugal) and Mrs Shelina Afrozae

Christmas with spice

Red and green are the colours of Christmas and the flag of Bangladesh so it was a perfect pairing for Nadeem Qadir, Bangladesh’s press counsellor to throw a spicy DPAAL festive party at Kiplings curry house with fiery food, dancing and music.

The weather was atrocious but a big crowd of press attachés and media folk made the journey to Highgate as this was the last event under the presidency of popular Maria Monteiro, under whose outstanding leadership the association has thrived. The event coincided with Victory Day commemorating Bangladesh’s liberation. High Commissioner Abdul Hannan reminded press attachés of the vital role the media played in bringing the world’s attention to the plight of Bangladesh in 1971.

PHOTOS: PIERRE DE VILLIERS

Pieter Tesch (Mauritania), Knud Noelle (Germany), Rommel Romato (Philippines) and Elena Gorshkova (Russia)

Fahima Gibrel (Kenya), Keti Kerashvili (Georgia), Embassy Editor Elizabeth Stewart and Nadeem Qadir (Bangladesh)

Nadeem Qadir and High Commissioner Hannan thank the owner of Kiplings for his hospitality

DPAAL President Maria Monteiro gives her farewell speech

Martin Lamb, Rita Payne and Sabir Mustafa (all Commonwealth Journalists Association)

Dancing by Sonia Sultana