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Journal of African trips

Africa, spring 1999 part IV

Agelasto
2004-05-21 18:30:15

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/>force. In the pecking order of respect, they command more than pickpockets, but less
than more accomplished thieves such as politicians and diplomats.

We produce our passports and the police inform me I do not have a visa. I show them the
entry stamp and tell them that I am not required to have a visa; that?s why I was permitted
to enter without one. They tell me that the immigration officer had made a mistake, that
USA nationals have been required to get advance visas for over a year. In a feeble
attempt to back up their claim, they produce a photocopied document listing various
countries and related visa fees. Next to USA is scratched in pen, as an apparent
afterthought, the amount 10,000 CFA, or about US $20. The document does not look
official, it lacks an official chop, and neither Vincent nor I believe it. It seems like a fourth
or fifth generation photocopy made for my benefit. If this policy has been in effect for a
year, as they claim, why was I allowed in at the border? I ask. They say the border official
made a mistake. After over a year, the border police still do not know official policy?, I
ask. That seems to me extraordinary incompetence, something not even to be expected of
a country that had no legitimate claim to be a country. Quite honestly, neither Vincent nor
I believe them. This seems like the type of extortion so widely practiced in West Africa. I
say I want to call the US government and if my government tells me I have to pay for a
visa, I will do so. Not only will the local police not let me make the phone call, but when I
ask for the phone number of their police station, they refuse to give it to me. At this
point, Vincent whispers that he will go and make a call to the US embassy, which he does.
After about thirty minutes of my refusing to budge on the visa issue, the US counselor
official calls me (The US government ...