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March 17, 2006

So what did I do?

Thanks for all your helpful comments on the article "To bribe or not to bribe..." There were some excellent responses.

So, what did I do...?

Well, I didn't pay the bribe.

As a result, I lost the bike, missed a key appointment in the afternoon, and finished the day with very sore feet and a sunburned face. The bike had to be collected and the fine paid the next day.

Burkinabe responses
Interestingly, the first reaction of almost all the Burkinabe I spoke to about it was an astonished:
"But if you'd have just given him a couple of thousand, he'd have let you go!"

"Yes, but if we keep allowing them to make us pay bribes, it will never finish!" I answered the three people in the tourist office. "How will this ever be 'la terre des hommes droits' (land of righteous men - the literal meaning of Burkina Faso) if we keep agreeing to it? We need to fight corruption!" They agreed enthusiatically, though I had the impression they were humouring me somewhat.

"But now you have made yourself suffer!" commiserated the Christian guards outside an office compound. "You will have to walk in the heat, and go all the way to Patte d'Oie to get your bike back. Why didn't you just pay him?"

"It wasn't like this in the time of Sankara (the previous president)" ranted the taxi-driver. "At that time if you tried to take bribes you would be shot! And it's getting worse all the time. But what can we do...?"

"If only you'd called me on my mobile" sympathised my Christian soldier friend, "I'd have come and they'd have let you go. That's what my brother does. We understand each other, the police and us..."

"Ha!" cried the young guy at the coffee stall, "you shouldn't even have stopped. What could he have done...?"

I had the feeling that my "righteous stand" was seen as mere foolishness by all the Burkinabe. So, were they right? Maybe. I don't know, but here are a few thoughts:

It's not about me
I think I was right not to pay the bribe, since this would have been encouraging a corrupt system, by which the powerful exploit the weak for personal gain. It is not me, but the normal Burkinabe who are the true victims of this system, since they are less able to pay.

And there is the real dilemma. Was I not also supporting the system by actually paying the fine for a crime I didn’t commit? Again, I am well able to pay the fine, but what about the many other victims who are less able to?

So, are there ways of making a stand not only against paying the bribe, but against paying the fine? The option of being prepared to “hang out all afternoon” is a great one when you actually have the time. It can make a point without confrontation. Certainly, if everyone took the same personal stance, there would eventually be a change. However the police count on the fact that we rarely have that option, and the "lesser sin" might be to pay the fine rather than disrupt a working day. Sometimes we have to pick our battles.

But maybe there is also a time for confrontation. Maybe there is a time to speak up – not just for myself, but for the others. To speak up, humbly, yes, but clearly, saying that this is not right.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy." (Pr 31:9)

I didn’t do that this time.

Tags: africa burkina burkina faso bribery travel ouagadougou mission sahel corruption

Posted by Keith at March 17, 2006 10:51 AM

Comments

Posted by: Garth at March 17, 2006 12:10 PM

Posted by: helge at March 17, 2006 12:47 PM

Posted by: rick at March 17, 2006 03:25 PM

Posted by: donna at March 17, 2006 06:23 PM