Camera Shy

 10-23-2013

One of my burning questions is “why do people not want to take pictures?” I have been told several times to stop taking pictures and almost accosted by a woman in the marketplace who insisted I delete a picture while she watched my delete. She is not even in the picture. It seems many Peace Corps have ideas, none of which satisfy me.

While watching a soccer match with the Dean of Natural Science who is from Sierra Leone and a teacher from Liberia, I ask them why? Both do not want to answer my question, instead asking me “Don’t I know why?” I explain to them how difficult it is to try and understand another culture, especially one as different as Africa. After several minutes of trying to get them to understand that I want to understand and that if taking pictures causes problems I can stop, but tell me why.

Their explanation is that Africans don’t like whites taking their picture or pictures of where they are because they think the whites use the pictures to point out their conditions. They are not animals and they feel that they are being used as such.

Upon thinking about this, I admit that is exactly how these photographs are used. The differences between whites and Africans are just too great to be taken casually. No one down and out wants to have their position become the amusement or even the education of another. It is just too personal.