Keeping the Peace

Day One

This is a quickie to all to say that I've arrived, well and sound, in Freetown, after an uncomfortable stopover in Lagos.

Green and hot, those are my prevailing impressions of Sierra Leone after day one. Freetown is much larger than I'd envisioned, though the red clay dirt roads are exactly as I had imagined, complete w/nasty potholes, as rainy season has just finished (good news for the shooting). I've already met and dined w/my UN man-who-gives-me-access, which is great. I'm actually writing from his office. We've just met Bridadier-General Adrian Foster, Chief of Staff, Acting Deputy Force Commander, or something like that. In any case, he's what we'd call the Moheem, or big dude around here. He was a bit less welcoming, and wanted to know what editorial control he'd have over my end product. --Here we go--none, I told him, while keeping my mouth shut abt my nice man-who-grants-access's guarantee that the UN would keep clear of all editorial anyway. Hopefully, this won't be a problem.

Otherwise, I pay $50 extra/month to have air conditioning from 8 p.m. -3 a.m. in the room in the guest house I'm staying in, which is a bargain. I get the room for $200/month, plus an additional $25 for laundry and I put into a food kitty when I dine chez nous. It's a great deal for the first two weeks -I'm still figuring out what happens after that. I have cell phone and cash, and am lining up my first travel--to see a medal ceremony for the Nepali troops. Supposedly, they have both a bar named and decorated for Mt. Everest and a former Nepali film star in their ranks. I'll be checking out the film star, of course. If I can work him in maybe I'll use him as the "American" angle.

I also tagged along with the guy who runs our guest house, who is a researcher for the International Crisis Group, as he went to cover a press conference given by the Special Court's David Crane. The most interesting thing about it, other than Crane's unequivocal call for Nigeria to give back Charles Taylor, was the interaction between Crane and the press. They were definitely not afraid to ask him the hard questions, although it seemed as if there was a lot of advocacy and rehashing of old issues going on. I'll be meeting Mr. Crane later.

That's it for now. I've forgotten what it's like to passionately discuss malaira pills over dinner (I feel comfortable w/my doxycycline choice, interested parties.) and I had forgotten the quality of African light. Which is really burying the lede, bc it's all about the light here. In addition to the green heat, of course. Truly, that piercing softness that makes even noon daylight gorgeous--I swear, I'm going to shoot some at noon just to demonstrate. That, w/the red roads and the colorful decaying buildings and the men and women laughing together all over-not a darn thing like Algeria would have been. I lugged the camera and tripod over to the UN this afternoon w/the fanciful idea of shooting helicopters and a little "compound" life, but there were people to be met, UN's own promo films to watch, and now the light is gone.

Please send words and understand if I don't email you personally right away. The intrepid or those who just really miss me can get me on my new cell phone:
00232 76 714 655.

Keeping the faith in SL-

Posted by Jessie Deeter at October 17, 2003 04:09 PM