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bundy · 03-15-2004, 02:06 AM

19, alone in a western Kenyan town a few years ago.

i took a photo of an average street scene... not realising that there was a bank in that street, and not realising that photographing public buildings and structures was illegal (since the year earlier Al-Qaeda had bombed the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam)...

i was being followed by some undercover policeman, who immediately told a uniformed policeman to confront me.

he had a massive gun on his shoulder... i think it was an AK-47, but i couldn't be sure, not being an expert on weapons. i was shitscared, and my grasp on Swahili was minimal.

we started arguing for about 20mins because initially he wanted to arrest me straight away.

but, after a while he changed tactic... he then wanted to take my camera... i realised that when he said that he was openning the door for a bribe, but hey, i wasn't going to give up my camera with my African photos on it, and i didn't have much USD on me at that point... so i kept arguing.

i kept arguing, and he began to lose interest in me when he figured i wasn't good for a bribe.

so, eventually we agreed to go together and get my film developed right there and then with some dodgy shed of a photo shop.

i spent the next few hours absolutely shitscared because i realised that if there really was a bank in the offending photo... and if he was pissed off... he could totally arrest me, and have incriminating evidence straight away.

kenyan jail wasn't, and still isn't, inviting.

anyway, turned out that the only bit of the bank that was in the photo was a tiny little bit of the door.

LESSON: Read up on the local laws that concern tourists.
i found out later that this particular law that i came VERY close to breaking was advertised all over certain tourist pamphlets.

03-15-2004, 02:06 AM	#7 (permalink)
bundy . Location: Tokyo	19, alone in a western Kenyan town a few years ago. i took a photo of an average street scene... not realising that there was a bank in that street, and not realising that photographing public buildings and structures was illegal (since the year earlier Al-Qaeda had bombed the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam)... i was being followed by some undercover policeman, who immediately told a uniformed policeman to confront me. he had a massive gun on his shoulder... i think it was an AK-47, but i couldn't be sure, not being an expert on weapons. i was shitscared, and my grasp on Swahili was minimal. we started arguing for about 20mins because initially he wanted to arrest me straight away. but, after a while he changed tactic... he then wanted to take my camera... i realised that when he said that he was openning the door for a bribe, but hey, i wasn't going to give up my camera with my African photos on it, and i didn't have much USD on me at that point... so i kept arguing. i kept arguing, and he began to lose interest in me when he figured i wasn't good for a bribe. so, eventually we agreed to go together and get my film developed right there and then with some dodgy shed of a photo shop. i spent the next few hours absolutely shitscared because i realised that if there really was a bank in the offending photo... and if he was pissed off... he could totally arrest me, and have incriminating evidence straight away. kenyan jail wasn't, and still isn't, inviting. anyway, turned out that the only bit of the bank that was in the photo was a tiny little bit of the door. LESSON: Read up on the local laws that concern tourists. i found out later that this particular law that i came VERY close to breaking was advertised all over certain tourist pamphlets. __________________ Ohayo!!!