Keeping the Peace

Day 3.5

Moving right along. The last time I was in sub-saharan Africa it was as a Peace Corps volunteer, so coming at this from the perspective of the men in the blue hats is a bit of a mind game for me. Because make no doubt about it, we are the colonials, and the rules for us are different. Rules? I think that's one of the things that distinguishes expats from their patriot bretheren-they lose touch with any need or desire to follow society's rules-because the rules in the societies they've been living in don't apply to Europeans. We get into clubs without paying, and have get-out-of-jail free cards for bar brawls, speeding-and forget about drinking and driving -that's not an infraction in these parts (although interestingly, they do fasten their seat belts). It's a culture of working late nights and weekends and dinners that regularly don't end until after midnight. Some of the restaurants serve steak, though I've not yet seen a cow. We eat and socialize with other Europeans. Most locals can't afford to eat in these places.

Forget political correctness. We all (minus this part of we) smoke heavily, drink copiuous amounts and stereotype certain races and creeds and women with impunity. We frequent bars where local women aggressively try to solicit a "good time" for money and yet feel free to mock them (even as some of us employ their services, which we don't joke about). This is one of our verbal pastimes. We hire drivers, cooks, people to wash our sheets and our underwear. In fact, we do next to nothing for ourselves because we are, after all, working for the people here.

And they are trying to help, and, in many cases, helping the people of Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leoneans I've met and am working with seem to take it all in stride. Yesterday I met a Sierra Leonean guy who does outreach for the Special Court and he was the most eloquent proponent I've yet heard for its existence. He told me that he hoped that, in his country where judges in the provinces "levy fines before hearing the case," the Special Court could become a model for judical reform, with due process and real justice. I may head to Bo, about 4 hours away, with this guy, to see how he spreads the good word of the Special Court to the people in the provinces.

I finally shot a little bit yesterday-though the sun didn't come out until an hour before sunset. I was in downtown Freetown, getting basic people shots. Other than the man who "befriended" me and held the rest of my admirers at bay, I was basically unmolested. I had the usual crowd of kids around me, but they were mostly quietly observing, which appreciated. Lugging around the gear is no fun, but our new tripod is worth its weight. I have so many offers of help carrying the 3 bags that I try to make it seem as if I'm not a packmule, though by the end of the day I'm sure that I resemble nothing more.

But I am still trying to figure my place out here. In a Peace Corps flashback I got into a fight with a taxi driver last night. He charged me 10 times the going rate. In the end, I had a fit and paid. I doubt that most of my European friends would have fought over the difference between .20 and $2, but for me it was a matter of principle. Which is probably silly. We'll see where I end up. I took photos of fishermen on the beach yesterday. They want me to give them a copy of a photo and I will try to see whether I can print one out. But I AM part of the system, and of course they are going to ask me for money-they believe that I'm taking something from them-it's an old dilema, and I'll see where I come out this time.

Otherwise, I plan to head "upcountry" once or twice this week. I need to get out of Freetown. I need to say, in case you were getting the wrong impression from my words above, that I have been warmly welcomed by my fellow expats here and that I like most of them. They are smart and speak many languages. They know and care about the outside world, and, more importantly, the third world. I think that many of their faults are situational and that in order to work well in UN headquarters or in TRC offices maybe you need air-conditioning, cold drinks and drivers on command. Whatever it takes to stay relatively healthy and sane here, I suppose. More on that later.

Posted by Jessie Deeter at October 19, 2003 10:47 AM