Friday, March 03, 2006

Human Rights?

The Christians of Kacwamba meet under trees next to their mud huts down the road from the gate to the Semuliki game reserve. Those of us leading the service were sitting in chairs facing the people and dirt road was out behind them.
A white Landcruiser from a human rights group stopped on the road and they began to take pictures of us. Apparently they had not noticed the white man sitting in the front.. I watched them for some time as they took pictures of us. I waved to the woman in the back seat as she zoomed in with her telephoto lens. A look of shock and embarrasment came across her face.
I could read her lips as she said, "There is a white man there! Oh no! Go! Go! Go!"
The driver speeds away in a clud of dust.
Why would they worry more about what one white man thinks then an entire group of Congolese? I personally didn't care that they took our picture. I found the whole situation quite funny and full of irony especially since they were from a human rights group.

I wonder how they would feel if a group of foriegners pulled up to their home or office and took a bunch of pictures and sped away? They would be calling the police or homeland security.
I've heard people say, that kind of thing is ok their African! (I hate that kind of talk!)

3 Comments:

At 2:54 AM, Blogger KMiV said...

Maybe they were with the "preacher" division of human rights. You know--the section that blames religion for everyone's problems! Or maybe you gave them the "evil eye" and they tried to say "Marshallah".
Ron

 
At 6:33 AM, Blogger Kristi said...

Your last comment about how others would react to the same event reminded me of a PSP story. A guy in a nice car drove up to our PSP facility and started snapping photos. When I started to walk towards him, he jumped in his car and sped off. We were paranoid for days afterward. Had we done something wrong? Did he work for an insurance company? Was he a P.I. for some kid's estranged parent?

Yet, how often have I been the one behind the camera?

 
At 6:49 AM, Blogger SM said...

Do you often find yourself in these kinds of situations, where you feel more affinity with the locals than with other Muzungus?

 

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