START 10:00:00 A delegation of tribal elders dressed in long white robes and wearing turbans (suggesting that they are African Moslem tribesmen) are seated in a semi-circle underneath a tree in the grounds of an educational establishment (?) somewhere in Uganda (?). They are seen in conversation with Chief Mulyanti, a senior Ugandan leader - seen here dressed in a smart suit and owning a fly swatter. The elders are served with non-alcoholic (?) drinks from a large pot. Two of the elders perform a traditional dance in the middle of a circle formed by their colleagues who clap their hands in rhythm. Young boys dressed in robes play a team-tag game. Two tribal elders perform an elaborate dance routine with spears inside a circle formed by their associates.

10:04:03 The view at Nairobi's main bus station showing a space for rickshaws. Rickshaw drivers waiting for a fare sit on a bench with several women. Women carrying heavy loads on their backs walk towards the buses. An Askari (an African soldier) begins a tour of the centre of Nairobi on a man-powered rickshaw. The journey, executed in long loping strides by the rickshaw runner, takes them along the busy Government Road past lines of parked cars. A traffic policeman supervises the flow of traffic at the junction of River Road and Government Road, dominated at this spot by the clock tower on top of the Jamatkhana Building belonging to Nairobi's Ismaili community. The rickshaw and its passenger proceed at a pace through the traffic. Noticing a fruit stall owned by members of the city's Sikh population in the street, the rickshaw driver stops to buy an apple and eats it on the spot. He delivers his Askari passenger back to the bus station.

END 10:07:36

A tribal gathering. Rickshaw service in Nairobi

Notes

Summary: John Wernham recorded audio commentary over this film on 14 May 1992, DVD Reel 4-5 "Reel 16" from 26.24 to 5.10.

The head of the Ismaili community was (and still is) known as the Aga Khan.

Remarks: The rickshaw ride through Nairobi is filmed with imagination and skill. This material, together with the rest of Wernham's film record of his time in East Africa, constitutes a valuable and possibly unique pictorial record at this time in the region's colonial history.