Outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
We followed Jimmy Carter to Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda and the then Zaire
One my favored funny stories was when I and my soundman John Katibaru arrived in Rwanda. A US embassy car picked us up from the airport and drove us to the US ambassadors residence, where Carter was due to arrive soon. The security on the gate would not let us in the compound until one of Carter's secret service people showed up. So we are sitting outside, it was a nice day after all, when finally a big American jeep arrives and from the car steps out a young man, wearing a suit without his jacket making visible few wires and a pistol. He walk's up to us and say's "Are you the crew?" and I said yes, are you the secret service guy we are waiting for" and in shock he says" How did you know I am with the secret service?" "Bloody obvious" I say to him as I point to his shirt and to all the small black wires running from all over his body. "Oh shit" he replies as he runs back to the car and puts on his jacket.
I did not point out that in Africa everybody knows that the only white man that wears a suit, black ray-ban sunglasses and walks with his chest out could only be an American secret service.
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