What Africa never prepared me for…As I journeyed to the United Kingdom!

Well, quite a lot actually.

Thinking about it.

Natin, absolutely natin!

Sierra Leone didn't give me the memo to anything London related.

This was a new life. This was adaption 2.0

I was in limbo!

Upon arrival, I was lost. 

Sierra Leone was home, still home and my reality.

That was quickly altered or should I say edited.

Landed in the United Kingdom in the dead of winter and as that winter blizzard slapped me across the face, I promised myself that Sierra Leone will forever remain my reality –

My unedited reality.

I was a teenager, uprooted from everything I know. Separated from my friends and culture. Divided from everything I have ever known. Detached from my roots and planted into the unknown.

I had no choice but to blossom in the uncertainty in the midst of my formative years.

The great news was, I was joining my parents which makes the transition a bittersweet ordeal.

And it began…

Aeroplane ride was a delight. Loved the ride. I love heights and adventure so that experience which I have only before seen on telly is coming alive for me.

I was over the moon.

Can you blame an African child who’s never crossed the river?

Does the war count? Well even that I fled by car to Guinea with my brother, few cousins and grandmother, and aeroplane to The Gambia – the experience was non-existent in my memory, partly because I was young and partly due to all the chaos that surrounded it.

We landed safely in the United Kingdom.

Welled up with a mixture of fear, anxiety and joy, I didn't know what to expect.

My first real fear was the escalator…who made these moving monsters of a stair I thought to myself. Why so high and mighty…I am talking about the never-ending escalators at Gatwick. 

That’s no beginners’ affair.

I was terrified.

My younger teenage brother was more adventurous and before I could wink, he hopped on the escalator and shouted in the most exhilarating and ecstatic voice in our local parlance

‘’Na return ah day return, na ya me day. You na kam you kam’’

Pekin Noto Yase!

Wow…my first wave of embarrassment in London. This kid was unbelievable and utterly unfiltered.

This loud outburst commanded a few weird looks from strangers and onlookers but bless him.

The innocence of a child is bliss!

After his innocent outburst, I couldn’t help but laugh as I adjusted my shoes which now couldn’t fit because I had on my brother’s socks used as a double as my toes were numb and nipples hard as a softball.

I wasn’t doing too well with this transition thing.  Don’t think I’ve ever fully adjusted, even as I type this.

My brother, of course, landed safely at the other end of the escalator and was waving with so much pride and sense of achievement. I gave him a smile I mustered with all my strength amidst my fear at this point of never making it to the top of the escalator.

Bo na so London tan? Take me back bo. Ah beg, I’m sorry!

I was finally assisted by one of the guards at the airport…i made it people, I said I made it!

From my easy going life of simplicities and strings of Hakuna Matata to a swirl of what seemed like the Hunger Games.

Well damn!

No one told me London was going to be a series of hurdles for me to overcome.

Let’s face it if you have seen me in person I look like I can be blown away by the wind. I can barely walk in a straight line….I was never the sporty type!

And London was like…I got you! Ha!

At this very moment, my thoughts were…Doris, you’ve run out of options.

I was doomed! I could cry…

My mum and I locked eye.

When she saw me at first glance she screamed.

Not out of fear but disbelief as I looked so …so out of it.

I tell ya, I was losing it.

And it’s only been a couple of hours. Sierra Leone was sounding like a mighty fine option for me at this point.

Take me back...I thought to myself.

My mother grabbed me and took me into the bathroom, polished me and I came out looking like a fresh African Londoner. I even smelled like them.

This business was automatic.

I looked at myself in the mirror and I murmured …Presentable...I nodded to myself as I make my way out of the bathroom.

As we left the airport and happily skipped towards the carpark, I saw a gust of smoke escaped my mouth as I exhaled. I stopped talking and it escaped through my nostrils. I opened my mouth again, a bigger gust of cloud escaped.

This was no Cool Runnings but my oh my…it might as well be!

I had to ask. Why am I breathing smoke, to which my dad replied with the most annoying smirk, condensation but welcome to LONDON!

It was all a bit too much. What is this situation, I pondered.

Was it a cloud, steam, fog, vapour, frozen air?

I was looking like a winter dragon right about now. Huffing and puffing nuff cold steam.

I thought to myself, humans live in this condition. I had too many questions and was too embarrassed to ask.

I kept them in.

As we embarked on the long drive home from Gatwick airport, I noticed all the shades of greys. It was quiet, dark and gloomy.

And cold!

The roads were wider than my usual and cars smaller than my usual. The streets felt abandoned and only littered with car horns and blinding fog lights.

No humans. Just humans in cars.

I wasn’t ready. Na graveyard?

At this point I was thinking who have I offended in this life for me to deserve this?

The houses were like those in my storybook my parents used to send back home, but less colourful - all like miniature sized homes with similar characteristics.

Why are the houses so small? – I thought this was London, I thought hard to myself. Everything was supposed to be big and extravagant.

Bigger and better…

Well that was my perception anyway until my rude awakening.

I was baffled! I was swimming in trance…

I was wrong and looking at the sizes of the cars on the carefully paved roads  - I knew I was in for the shock of my life.

Please take me back! That unpaved road back in my country was all I could think of.

Yes to koto koto road.

I can endure that. Take me back!!

Back at the house, my mum had a rich and delicious spread of the most British palate, including fruits I’ve never seen and certainly didn’t know how to pronounce…whatever in the world was pomegranate? Why does it sound like a disease but looked like an oversized onion? (My hunger was screaming cassava leaves. It was a struggle)

Looking around my parents’ tiny abode, it was filled with so much love and joy. I suddenly realised we have been missing this for some time now.

My dad had the widest smile, my cousins intrigued and curious with a nervous anxiety, my grandmother elated, my sister silent in disbelief and I can just tell she was thinking ‘’why do I have to share space now with these two freshies, or maybe she was just pondering on her single child status being taken away…maybe just maybe she was equally intrigued and filled with questions.

She was both in shock and in silence.

From 32 degrees plus to minus 0

This cannot be real.

the only thing is....this was real, a bit too real for my liking.

I didn’t have nuts but they were definitely frozen by now!

The Story continues...

This is just the beginning.

Christmas in Sierra Leone is All I Know…

Ebola stole my Christmas and I want it back!

I want my Christmas back!

‘’Are you coming this year’’
‘’Of course’’
‘’When are you arriving?’’
‘’Oh the 15th of December, I can’t wait!’’
‘’Why did you leave it so late, make it a bit earlier, we have a party on the 11th and I would hate for you to miss it.’’
‘’Oh I wish I could but I can’t make earlier because of work. I’ll make up for lost time when I get there’’
‘’Okay just hurry up and get here’’


Jin jin!!

Oh the memories….

Look Ebola, i do not want any trouble. I just want to claim my Christmas back!


The above is normally the way conversation goes as soon as Christmas starts peeping. We plan long before we get there and without much ado we execute the moment my plane arrives at Lungi airport. The excitement starts building up and all my party bones that have been stiffened over the past months start to come alive.


I left Sierra Leone long ago but the truth is my heart never really left. It's like an unfinished love affair.


Sounds crazy right? Yea I know but I don’t expect everyone to understand. For you to understand you must be in my shoe, laced up like how I tie my laces and step just like I do.


However fret not, you’ll be in the know soon, maybe just maybe I’ll managed to capture an insight for you of what I mean when I say Christmas in sierra Leone is all I know.


With my people, when the Christmas season starts approaching we all get tuned into the same wavelength and frequency. Even though Sometimes we don’t talk all year through, other times, we send the odd text messages here and there but when December slams, we all know what time is it. It’s like the unspoken rule, December is just that time and you do not need to be reminded. We live for Christmas in Sierra Leone.


One our side of the pond, Some may have deposited or bought their ticket long in advance but for me the search for ticket begins because last minute.com is engraved in my DNA, even though this has done me no favours in the past (need to break that habit). Not forgetting the flimsy excuses we carefully and so craftily weave for our employers. Hey don’t judge me.  My aunt once said ‘’You got to do what you got to do’’ and I tell ya, she haven’t lied.

Shhh...

Ooh the things I’ll do and the things I’ll give for my Christmas in Sierra Leone.



In Sierra Leone however is where the real planning gets down. The list of parties, chilling, and beach outings all set up so by the time I get there…everything is sorted and I am spoilt for choice. At home I am spoilt for choice with all sorts of African food and snacks which I have so been deprived of over the past months and the pampering, I dare not go into it. Waking up to the ever smiling and happy faces of my cousins alone is enough reason for me to claim my Christmas back.


Ebola I want my Christmas back!


Freetown city is home. Freetown is where I come alive. Wind sweeping across my face and the smell of street food that is oh so familiar glazed with the whistling and screeching sound of car horns and the odd vulgar blasts from drivers and okadas, the city always welcomes me with open arms. What’s more welcoming than that.

The tantalizing smell of street food - Fry fry

The ever joyful Okada Drivers with that glorious potty mouth!

With series of sleepless nights and nonstop raving, when I say I’ll make up for lost time, believe me, I’m not kidding.  My Christmas holiday starts the day, the hour and the minute I arrive. No time to waste, I waited all year for this moment. All I need to do is drop my baggage home, ferociously squander my aunt’s freshly prepared cassava leaves with ample fresh fish on a bed of rice and I’m ready for the night.


Christmas in Sierra Leone is all i know!


Happy as a lark. Free as a bird. Without a care in this world. The motto for the holidays is fun. No matter how the night pan out, no matter what happens, we just make sure we’re having fun.

We party like its 99’

My friends all come from different countries and occupational backgrounds, we all come from different tribes and clans but When we meet it’s like we never left, it’s like we sprung from the same stem and frankly speaking we do. We have a full year’s catch up, reminisce, relish every passing minute and make some more sweet memories that will take us through the next 12 months.


When we meet we party like its 99’. We raise hell and roofs and paint the city red. We forget what sleep is and throw all rules through the window. We just party like there’s no tomorrow and we are damn good at it. We make sure we are in the know of every party and get together, every beach chilling and every street carnival. Sometimes we manage to double book ourselves just like the fable spider.


Other evenings or days are spent by the seaside, just in case you haven’t heard, Sierra Leone is home of some of the finest and most beautiful beaches you will need to put on your bucket list. Blue sea and golden sand, other places, you’ll see white sand and most beautiful view. Yea our beaches got swag like that. Imagine spending time there with friends, music, food, games, good conversation and all the essentials in the red cup. Your day is made!

....friends, music, food, games, good conversation
& all the essentials in the cup. 

There are places waiting for me to explore and experience.


....I want my Christmas back!


It’s not always about the big night outs. Some nights you will catch us in one of our friends’ houses, eating in the kitchen from their mum’s pot some solid cassava leaves with our five fingers and when that is done we move to the ‘’krawo’’. Now that is where all goodness is at and that’s a whole new party right there washed down with several bottles of the great cousin Heineken.


And you truly and really haven’t experienced true friendship till you’ve scraped the bottom of a pot together with people who you party and have a good time with. I am grateful for people like these.


True and real Friendship…. We do not need a lot, just the right people at the right spot.
For all the simple pleasures and all those treasured nights….

I am claiming my Christmas back.



Other times we will start off the night at a nice chilled out spot and slowly and surely with the ever trusted help of Uncle Jackie and his nephew Mr Henny and the rest of the family we arrive! Soul, body and spirit. When I say we arrive, we arrive in full force and fully ready for whatever the night throws at us and where we end up sometimes I can’t even say because we do not have a set plan but when we are together, things happen, elements fall into place and life is just uber beautiful.

Christmas in Sierra Leone is all i know!

The sight of familiar places and faces, warm hugs and smiles, cheers and laughter are all the elements of Christmas for me. The nights that ends in jaw-aching laughter, the loud mornings from music blaring from the sitting room or from the CD sellers and okada (commercial motorcycles) drivers opposite my house, the afternoons spent buying all sorts of street food from smoke fish to jelly to oontoo…from the comfort of my veranda. The nights that end on the kankankan stand (Roasted meat) and the nights that are sealed with plates of fried rice and chicken…

The nights that are sealed with plates of fried rice and chicken…

The Sunday church service that is ever so blessed with carols and sermons, giving me a blast from my childhood. All dressed in the night’s gear, we do our little marathon to our local church on new year’s eve just before the clock strikes 12, thinking our little sins will be washed away for the new year…yea right!!

The Sunday Church Service...

Then the church bells and whistles and horns and chanting of ‘’Happy New Year’’ begins, sweeping little rays of happiness in the air. These are all the things that oozes Christmas for me. These are the times I live for and that is the Christmas I know.

 Give me back my Christmas! 

Christmas this year is going to be spent somewhere that is not home, somewhere that I can’t call my own, somewhere I’ll forever be a foreigner. This was not the dream. Christmas is going to be bitterly cold, possibly white and definitely not my Christmas that I am used to.

The turkey, the chicken, the holly, the lights, the white Christmas, the scarves and the gloves and the knee length boots was never my idea of Christmas. Neither was the dark, cold and gloomy weather a part of my description of Christmas.

The lights, the white Christmas, the scarves and the gloves...
not my idea of Christmas!

Ebola crippled my Christmas. I want my Christmas back!



For the longest of time, I have a description of Christmas in my head and in my mind but Ebola took that away from me.

 Ebola ripped me off my Christmas.

 Ebola stole my Christmas one-handedly.

 Ebola left me with no choice.

Sierra Leone - Sussex Beach!

When I say Christmas in Sierra Leone is all I know, please understand.

This is all i know...Lumley Beach!  -Sierra Leone

Because of the times we chose to make memories with the fun times we’ve had, the beautiful moments filled with laughter and endless joy I am able to write this article and walk down memory lane. Imagine if I didn’t have any memories to look back on, or moments of laughter to put a smile on my face or that pang of excitement to fuel my zeal for this walk….imagine.

I think I would have found it very difficult and then I would have realised something bitter and painful.


 I would have realised that Ebola have won.


While you’re here, soak up every ounce of beautiful, joy and laughter while you can. Bask in every ray of sunshine and happiness. Dance in the rain and enjoy the small moment. No matter how little and simple things and situation may seem, find time to be grateful because one day, what we took for granted, What was looked upon as nothing will become a daily prayer request.

Without memories like this...Ebola would have won! 

Soak up every ounce of beautiful!

Refuse to leave this world unhappy and unfulfilled. Refuse to drown in fear, pain and illness OR any financial constraints. Refuse to be labelled and defined by your scars. Live so well that death will know you have no interest in dying!

2015 we’re coming!

Ebola you have to find a new home. We’ve had it with you. We are claiming our Christmas back.


We are claiming our lives back, our families and our country back. We will fight you with every ounce of strength left in us. Some of us, Sierra Leone was all we had but you ruthlessly took it away from us….and left us crying.

Ebola you ripped us off our festive season, birthdays and anniversaries, businesses and livelihood. Why? You snatched our whole lives right in front of our eyes.



I want my Christmas back. 



Ebola I am claiming my Christmas back. Sierra Leoneans and all our neighbouring countries that have been deprived of the festive season and so many other things, lets hang on to the good times. Let’s remember what it once used to be. Let’s allow those memory to propel us into a better 2015.

Let’s allow these memories to propel us into a better 2015.

 ~Sierra Leone, Lumley Beach

Let’s pray hard and never lose hope. Let’s change our attitude and act like Ebola is real and out to kill. Let’s not be foolish but conscious, conscious enough to know that with God all things are possible but God helps those who helps themselves.

Africa shall rise again. West Africa shall thrive again. Our lives and losses shall be restored in thousand folds because Our God is not dead.

Let’s just use this time to thank God for our lives and praise Him for what he is yet to do. In all situation be grateful.

Christmas in Sierra Leone is all I know and now I am claiming my Christmas back!












We are done feeling sorry for ourselves, 
we are done crying.
It's time to wipe our tears 
and take action!

Plausible action to claim and restore our Christmas back!

Merry christmas & 

a Prosperous New Year

Till then



Xoxo

121 Deaths In One Day!

I have been putting this post off for a long time but as I was scrolling down on Facebook,  I saw 121 deaths in one day from my motherland, Sierra Leone. I cried.

God where are you?

Who wants to blog about sad stuff, who wants to blog about people dying or even wants to dwell on an outbreak that is destroying our nation one death at a time?! Definitely not me. I created this blog for all things sunshine, all things happy and all things good but unfortunately life is not like that. We wake up one morning and our happy days have been replaced by a deadly disease killing children, adults, the rich and the poor.

Where do we go from here?

I saw the report on the 121 deaths in one day from the BBC website and tears welled up in my eyes. I felt helpless and frustrated. Anger and disappointment filled me just watching my people suffer and die helplessly because our government is busy collecting funds and doing nothing constructive to contain, maintain and eradicate this deadly epidemic. We've become a nation with no hope. I see no way out and this is a bad place to be.

I have never witness anything so deadly. I have never encountered anything this destructive. When i lost a young friend to Ebola, it became more than just mere news, it became a reality. It hits home hard. Yea.... that put a sting on it for me. I have families back home,families consisting of young boys and girls who are constantly living in fear. Afraid and scared and locked within the four walls of their homes. Simply devastating.

Ebola is tearing my nation apart and if you haven’t heard what Ebola is by now, then I don’t know which planet you live on. Ebola is wiping my nation out one day at a time. Now Ebola may look like an African problem because of our poor and inadequate health facilities and mere ignorance which I can’t deny helped play a great part in its spread. I can’t believe there are people who still believe Ebola is a myth and just an easy way of conning money off the international communities. I’m just speechless.

If 121 death in one day is not a wakeup call then I don’t know what is. No country should have to go through this ordeal. No one deserves this, no one!

Employment affected and subsequently putting a dent in the economy. For a nation that was just finding its feet, that is the last thing we need. Education system interrupted and lives have been turned upside down in the pace of few months. People are overdosed from the excessive use of chlorine. You look around and people you once shook hands with are now suspects, even your family becomes a suspect. What a sad way to live.

Health workers in the forefront putting their lives at risk gets the hard fists of Ebola and just in case we haven’t shown enough gratitude, I SAY THANK YOU.

Health workers in the forefront,
Just In case You Forget, we appreciate you!

What is our government doing to help and protect us? Well from what I have learnt, not much. They are meant to seek our interests but the spirit of greed and selfishness won’t let them. They live in safety. They have flown their families out to safety and those who can’t are left at the mercy of this deadly disease. All I hear in the news is this money have been donated, this organisation have donated this amount of item…even if I tried I can’t call the amount that is being donated every now and again. What are we doing with all this funds? I am lost and perplexed. Surely there must be a way out.

Mr Government stop squandering all the money. Heck just stop! Selfishness and greed is not why you were put in authority. Remember these people voted you in because they trusted you. If you are not moved by the tears and cry of the nation can you be at least concerned and moved by the number of deaths per day and the alarming rate at which this disease is spreading. Stop being greedy. Stop and look around. The nation is dying a slow death. How can one be so heartless in the midst of all this?! Stop and listen to the death bells. Stop turning a blind eye to the real issue at hand. Are you going to wait for one of your relatives to be affected before you put real mechanisms and strategies in place to combat this deadly outbreak? Mr Government just stop, take a minute to look around and see what is happening, Maybe just maybe you will be able to open your eyes  and see the tragedy, pain, mayhem and confusion of the nation.

Mr Government, do you ever feel like you've failed us?!

Mr Government, How do you sleep at night knowing the multitude is crying, living in daily fear of death? Do you feel accomplished? Do you feel like you’ve done your best? Do you think you have lived up to the expectations of the nation? Or for a swift moment, do you ever feel a pang of disappointment and failure? Mr Government what are you doing? Stop playing and wake up to the reality of things.

I understand Ebola is not the easiest of things to eradicate or get under control. I totally understand it’s not the cheapest thing to maintain but if the outbreak was initially taken seriously and all precautions put in place as opposed to the continuous denial on the government and the people’s part then we won’t be in the 121 death per day zone. We won’t have lost so many health officials as we have already. We won’t have such high rate of death at all. We wouldn’t have lost so many friends and family to this deadly epidemic. There are African countries bigger than Sierra Leone but they weren’t blind to the realities, they valued life so they took precautions. Why are we like this?!!

Sierra Leoneans are you ready to vote them in government again? Are you ready to beat your drums, cups and pans to make sweet music and moonwalk to the lies they will tell you once again? Are you ready to throw your lappa in the air and dance to the deception? Are the masquerades ready to go and the small and shallow minds ready to digest and collect that bag of rice and a gallon of palm oil? Shine your eyes my people, shine your eyes.

Why are we so gullible and satisfied with so little? Why do we fall for all these lies time and time and again? Why are we so easily fooled? Is this just mere greed on our part or maybe we’re just too trusting? Is this because of poverty and the incapability to provide for our own? Or is it just mere laziness and idleness? We need to do better. Only reward a great work with your claps and dances. You can’t reward a child for being bad, how do you expect them to act right and do better? To make our government work in our favour we have to speak up, act right and work with them.

Sierra Leoneans we have to drop this lackadaisical attitude. We have to do better, if our government have failed us then we need to get it together. We need to educate, enlighten and sensitize ourselves and acknowledge the fact that Ebola is real and that no one is exempted. I may not reside in Sierra Leone but from what I have seen some think this is one big joke. They think they are immune to Ebola. Let’s not act ignorant and put our lives at risk and the lives of others. Prevent and protect.

Certain precautions have been set in place like avoiding public gathering but in Sierra Leone the law is only for those who wish to obey it. Laws and regulations are made but not implemented. People do not acknowledge them or should I say the law only goes so far as your money is willing to spread?! The rich and the well to do are exempted from the law but what we are forgetting is that the rich and well to do are not exempted from Ebola. Get real Sierra Leoneans. Lawlessness is not the way forward especially in desperate times like these.

Now our only hope is God but…

However there’s hope but God helps those who helps themselves. God will only intervene when we are ready for him to. Ebola is not bigger than God, no never! Our God is ageless, timeless and he delivers us in time of trouble but don’t go organising a rally and expect God to show up and save you. It doesn’t work like that. God saves but he is not a magician.

Hope!

Not even Ebola can taint the beautiful image of Sierra Leone in my head. Not even Ebola can take away my fond memories of the motherland. Sierra Leone is still my paradise. Christmas is round the corner, what would normally be spent in Sierra Leone drinking coconut from the shell or star beer at number 2 or Lumley beach while enjoying the sunshine on my skin and breeze through my hair is now looking a lot gloomier, soggy and cold.

Not even Ebola can taint my memories of SIERRA LEONE!

Lumley Beach - taken on one of my holidays in the motherland.

What happened to Sierra Leone? I think Sierra Leoneans happened to Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone is down but we are not out. We shall rise again. We shall overcome. Our God delivers. He will not leave us neither forsake us. In times of trouble we must be bold enough to call on his name. I know the hardest thing to display now is faith. In the midst of trials and tribulations our faith is low and tested but we must not give up.

God will show up...and show out

God will show up and show out for Sierra Leone in Jesus name!

Here's a poem from a frustrated Sierra Leonean, living in Sierra Leone.

Hope in a time of ‪#‎Ebola‬ by VFORNA.

Ebola comes to a nation,

ruled by ‪#‎poverty‬, ‪#‎ignorance‬, ‪#‎corruption‬,

and there is more;

‪#‎tribalism‬, ‪#‎unpatriotism‬, ‪#‎greed‬.

These are the reasons why,

Ebola may succeed.

I close my eyes to pray,

yet all I see are people dying,

What is happening? 

The doctors and the nurses

the ones giving 

all the caring 

and ‪#‎sensitising‬,

God rest their selfless souls

but with them gone

Ebola may have won

Down my cheeks tears roll,

as I see a child of four in pain,

the mother dead,the two will soon meet again.

Oh ‪#‎SierraLeone‬, ebola has left its dirty,dirty stain.

Education on a stand still,

‪#‎vaccine‬ has not been found still,

People don't know their next step

as the nation tumbles down hill.

Ebola will end,yes it definitely will.

But first we must unite as a nation

Throw away the tribalism

Love our country,increase our ‪#‎patriotism‬. 

Lying - thieving politicians, 

put the country first, 

use the money 

the ‪#‎world‬ sends in. 

Life is but one chance

Sierra Leoneans, kill the ignorance,

Learn ‪#‎hygiene‬.

Ebola is real.

‪#‎Contagious‬,

a bleeder,

Killer headaches and fever,

Ebola is real.

But together,‪#‎united‬ against Ebola,

there is hope still.

~ Victor Osman Forna

Don't allow Ebola to taint this image of our beloved land inyour head.
We shall overcome!

Till then

Xoxo

OPEN LETTER TO H.E. DR ERNEST BAI KOROMA

Hello AGAIN,

Before I go any further let me just start by reassuring you that I bring nothing short of excellence to you. 

So I came across this piece of excellence and I thought to share.  I will be very selfish not to share such a gem with you guys. It got me thinking and it was a wakeup call, even to a commoner like me. Maybe just maybe, it’ll do something for you too.

Let me just quickly add that it hits all the right spot the only thing missing is the arm for it to reach out to the right people concerned. The people who are in charge, the people who can trigger massive change in our Beloved Sierra Leone.

Our Beloved Sierra Leone
~Number 2 Beach

It has been too long, it has been way too long that the people have been crying. The Ebola Virus outbreak just showed how much of a lack we were living in as a country especially the big hole in education and healthcare. 

This is not to bash anyone but to wake up our leaders to the real issues, the real problems that is hindering our development as a whole. How can a country so blessed with such rich mineral resources be one of the poorest?!

This is a question we must ponder on. 

Below is the article from http://thenetworkforchange.wordpress.com/

H.E Dr Ernest Bai Koroma
~President Of Sierra Leone

“I am disappointed at the international community in their delay in responding towards the fight against the deadly Ebola virus in Sierra Leone,” the President said. “We have not been provided with enough equipment, resources, qualified health officers, and we have lost the only expert we had in the country to the disease amidst the declaration of the international health emergency on Ebola” (http://news.yahoo.com/sierra-leone-appeals-18m-plug-ebola-funding-gap-220451048.html)

Reply:  Mr. President, we are disappointed in your government.  We are disappointed in the response or non-thereof, of your government towards the fight against the deadly Ebola virus.

Let’s start from the very beginning Sir. You have been in power for about 7 years. Your election campaign contained several promises which included tackling corruption, upgrading education, providing electricity and clean water etc.

Regarding corruption: Despite being one of the government’s central policy initiatives, fighting Sierra Leone’s endemic problem with corruption appears, in practice, to have become an increasingly marginalized objective.  Although the powers of the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission have been strengthened and some high-level prosecutions have raised its profile, it has failed to ensure convictions and has remained selective with its investigations; causing disappointment among the general public. As a result, corruption remains a serious concern and affects people’s trust in the state bureaucracy, as well as the functioning of the government.  Reducing it by about 5% is not good enough Sir. It is an insult to every Sierra Leonean that in 2014, you still allow members of your government to blatantly engage in corrupt practices.

We are not fools and we clearly see how you and yours suck Sierra Leone dry. The consequences of your government’s corrupt practices are children dying, children malnourished, children going to bed hungry, families starving and living in deplorable conditions and the majority of Sierra Leoneans living in abject poverty.  The UN human development index not only ranks Sierra Leone amongst the poorest countries in the world, life expectancy is below 35 years. Plus the high cost of living makes Sierra Leone hell for most of its citizens. The inflation rate is steadily rising every year and was recorded at 10% (Country Report by Economist Intelligence Unit, London July 2014) at the start of this year.  For a man who was dubbed “the world’s best” when you assumed office, you have not lived up to that title and Sierra Leoneans now hold a different perception of you and your government.

Mr. President, take a moment and look into the eyes of a dying child, a hungry child or a poor mother who cannot provide for her family and allow yourself to do the right thing.  Remember you were elected to serve the people. What could you possible need tens of millions of dollars for? What do you need several cars for?  How many houses do you need?  Do you realize how ridiculous it makes us look to the rest of the world?  The average reasonable man cannot wrap his head around such gross selfishness. Frankly speaking the money is not even yours. Give it back.

Sir, Sierra Leone is not as poor as you make us look, though you and your government officials are far from poor. Personally you are worth more than most western presidents (http://www.thenewpeople.com/national-news/item/2190-ernest-koroma-now-4th-richest-president-in-africa); how come you still go begging to people you are richer than?  It was reported by the World Bank that for 2013, Sierra Leone’s income was nearly $5billion, (http://data.worldbank.org/country/sierra-leone) an all-time high.  What happened to all that money? It certainly did not trickle down to the masses.  I am quite puzzled that considering we mine several minerals (diamond, bauxite, iron ore, rutile etc.), we fish, and we export agricultural goods, the average Sierra Leonean does not benefit from the country’s wealth.  I am no economist, in fact I have zero knowledge of this subject, but I and many other Sierra Leoneans possess common sense. Sense enough to see that you are failing us.

Regarding education: Sir, about 65% of Sierra Leoneans are illiterate(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_rate). Considering we have a population of six million people. That is three million nine hundred thousand citizens. Why is that? Sierra Leone had the first university in West Africa; Sierra Leone was called the ‘Athens of West Africa’.  Where did it go wrong?  Between 2007 to the present day, can your government boast of any major achievement in education?  Take into consideration the deplorable state of the Fourah Bay College, the plight of teachers and the conditions that children are expected to learn in before you answer the question.

Let’s take a little peek at the Supplementary Appropriation Act 2014.  The Supplementary Act approved by Parliament on the 10th July 2014 provides revisions to the existing 2014 budget.  The supplementary budget in total was Le266billion. It allocates Le7billion to education whilst the military spending budget is nearly Le50billion (http://awoko.org/2014/07/11/sierra-leone-news-coopers-eyes-4/). This means that the military budget is more than 7 times the education budget. The military officer’s uniforms allocation (Le10billion) alone is more than the education budget. Why is that Sir?  I understand how important security is but for a country not at war, this disparity is hard to understand.  Is it a deliberate ploy by every government we have had in Sierra Leone to keep the people in the dark so they can get away with corruption? I also noticed that ‘Teenage Pregnancy’ in the budget is allocated Le2.2billion (http://awoko.org/2014/07/11/sierra-leone-news-coopers-eyes-4/) I don’t quite understand what ‘Teenage Pregnancy’ means in this context and why it needs Le2.2billion. Is the money going to be distributed to young mothers to help them raise the children? Is it to educate young girls on safe sex? If so, don’t you think Le2.2billion is a bit excessive? I am yet to see any billboards or programs on TV and radio addressing this issue.

Back to education; the Ebola outbreak has further strengthened the case for more spending on education. It has spread like wildfire and the main reason is because the masses cannot grasp the importance of the message that Ebola is highly infectious.   How do you expect uneducated people to act responsibly when you have not shown them how to be responsible?  Now we are dying. Good people are dying, young people are dying, and babies are dying mostly because of the negligence of your government.  Forget conspiracy theories on how Ebola got to West Africa.  Let’s concentrate on post Ebola and your government’s response to it.  It took you several months to make a statement on this issue. In a publication dated 22nd July 2014, the Minister of Health is said to have told Umaru Fofanah that your government had the Ebola virus under control.  Her exact words were “We are at a serious point but I will not say it is out of control” (http://politicosl.com/2014/07/interview-sierra-leone-health-minister-on-ebola/).  Umaru Fofanah, being an international journalist communicated to the world what your Minister told him.  Even though hundreds had died by then it was still not considered an ‘emergency’.  I would think one dead Sierra Leonean is one too many.  Fast forward a month later, hundreds more dead and very obvious that the government does not (or ever did) have the Ebola outbreak under control, you choose to shift blame unto the international community, even though a month earlier you were telling the world your government had the outbreak under control.

There were calls to close the border with Guinea and put health officials around every border town as a preventive measure.  That did not happen and now Sierra Leone is at risk of being shut off by the world. Your government is now scrambling.  An Ebola task force was only created four months after the outbreak hit Sierra Leone.  Please outline exactly what measures or strategies were put in place by the Ministry of Health during the first four months of the outbreak or what preventive steps were taken even before the Ebola outbreak spread to Sierra Leone.  Some days I wish someone could wave a magic wand and make Ebola go away but considering Ebola is resistant to magic we’ve got to find other ways to fight it.  I’m aware that the current magnitude of this disease is now beyond the capability of Sierra Leone and we desperately need help, but trying to shift all the blame to the international community? No Sir it doesn’t work that way.  Stop politicizing the situation.  Accept fault and your people will appreciate you for your honesty.  Take the Liberian President for example; she apologized to her nation. You have hardly made more than 3 speeches to Sierra Leoneans.  Why can’t we take care of our own?  Members of your government are worth in total over a billion dollars.  Why couldn’t you give back some of what you’ve made from Sierra Leone?   Again I stress, that money is not yours. Give it back.

Mr. President, like every man I’m sure you want to be respected. Well understand this too, Sierra Leoneans want to be respected. We are tired of being considered amongst the poorest countries or the most corrupt or the country with the highest infant mortality rate. What we all fail to realize however is that we will not be respected if we don’t take care of our own; we will not be respected if we do not stop being selfish; we will not be respected if we do not respect Sierra Leone. Respect is earned Sir.  The international community owes us nothing.  It is not their duty to ‘fix’ Sierra Leone.  It is our duty as Sierra Leoneans to do so ourselves.

You have three more years of your presidential term remaining.  I charge you Sir, start the change.  We voted you in because we saw you as the best candidate to move Sierra Leone forward.  We all know you can do more.  You know you can do more.  Think of your legacy; it’s not too late but it needs to start now.  Be a ‘hard man’ if you must.  Let heads roll if they must.  All we ask is that you love Sierra Leone like a father would love his home and his children.  Our forefathers set the foundation for greatness. Let’s stop settling for mediocrity.

 PS:  The author of this letter has voted once in his life, in 2007, for H E Ernest Bai Koroma.

http://thenetworkforchange.wordpress.com/2014/08/16/open-letter-to-h-e-dr-ernest-bai

Land That We Love...