diff --git a/twython/helpers.py b/twython/helpers.py
index b2ec713..74aea99 100644
--- a/twython/helpers.py
+++ b/twython/helpers.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+from .compat import basestring
+
+
 def _transparent_params(_params):
     params = {}
     files = {}