July 10, 2007
A bridge area
We pulled up at the side of the raised road where more than 200 people were taking shelter from surging flood waters an hour's drive outside Khartoum.
Fifteen minutes later, two uniformed members of the civil defence forces walked up and asked to see my photo pass.
At this point of the story you should know that all photographers - tourists as well as journalists - need to have a special pass to take photos in Sudan. The press one allows you to take photos of anything apart from "prohibited areas", military areas, airports, bridges or dams. The tourist one, I've heard, also bans photos of "defamatory" subjects - things that might make Sudan look bad - dirt and poverty and so on.
Back at the flood, the officer spent two minutes looking at my card, then said "No photos. I think there is a bridge here". I did a quick scan of the landscape - 360 degrees of flat, flat plains, flood water and a distant mosque. No bridge. "Where is the bridge," I asked? "Down there," he said, pointing down the flat, flat, featureless road. "But there isn't a bridge there," I said, grinning madly. (Quick tip. In situations like these, never get angry. It doesn't work.) "Yes," he answered. "But this is a bridge area."
Posted by aheavens at July 10, 2007 3:29 PM
Comments
'"Where is the bridge," I asked? "Down there," he said, pointing down the flat, flat, featureless road.'
That's the problem w/ you western journalists. You make up disasters. You stand on river beds and proclaim 'flood!' You look downstream and ask, 'what bridge?' Clearly, if it's a bridge area then there's a bridge - you should have looked up.
Posted by: Tobian at July 10, 2007 6:58 PM
Heh.. Welcome to Sudan!
Posted by: Ayman at July 11, 2007 4:50 PM
Andrew lol. I am glad you have a press pass for photos because I have enjoyed viewing them. By the way,I can access your website here in China fine but the pictures do not come up because flicker is blocked. So, if I want to see more than the text then I have to use a proxy!
Posted by: Yemi at July 12, 2007 1:24 PM