The statistics don’t lie… Sierra Leone ranks among the lowest of the low (sometimes sitting on the very bottom) of almost all United Nations, World Bank and development analysis. From infant and maternal mortality to unemployment… From poverty levels to illiteracy rates… From average life expectancy to gross domestic product and exports… Sierra Leone is a desperate place.
But, there’s a flip side to the Sierra Leone coin and I’ve had a brief glimpse at that burgeoning underside. Actually, it’s the top-side of the coin… and it remains elusive and mostly hidden behind high, razor-wired, concrete walls and darkened SUV windows. There is a small but elite group… mostly foreign, among our populace. They are here… preserved and rarefied.
Country Lodge, a rather understated moniker for the country’s swankiest hotel, overlooks the city and out over the ocean from the heights of Hill Station. If you’ve got enough money or the right connections, you’ll be invited up the bumpy, winding road to the reserved heights of western amenities. No bucket baths in this place… gleaming tile, tablecloths, western food and an outdoor pool and hot tub are available for about $150 a night. The price alone prevents most locals from visiting… so only the well-heeled traveller and occasional UN or international aid group can afford to wine and dine there.
I managed to wrangle an invitation to a reception at Country Lodge hosted by UNICEF for the visiting African director… and enjoyed “nibbles” and a double gin-and-tonic on their bill. It was my first visit to the place and I realized, zipping up the hill and through the monstrous iron gates on the back of an okada (little motorcycle taxi), was probably a touch inappropriate… given the lines of white SUVs and untarnished luxury motorcars. I did get a few looks but have realized that the colour of my skin allows me a certain flexibility among the glitterati.
And speaking of glitter… Sierra Leone is home to some of the world’s largest diamond, gold, bauxite and mineral mines. In fact, the Kono district in the south east of the country is infamous for its foreign-owned diamond mining. (the movie “Blood Diamond” is based on the plentiful diamonds that helped fund dictators, rebellions and heinous acts of suffering) Apparently, throughout the 70s and pre-conflict, diamonds could be found on the streets and paths following a heavy rain. The interesting thing is that Sierra Leone has this incredible wealth – gold and diamonds – only a scratch beneath the dirt surface and yet people and villages are dirt poor. The money is there but it’s quickly siphoned away by a very few wealthy mining companies and individuals.
The country’s natural resources are plentiful – lumber (although there are now environmental factors contributing to the industry’s downfall), fruit and vegetables, spices, minerals, fertile grounds, sunny skies and warm temperatures yet there’s almost no industry or manufacturing here. For example, mangoes and coconut grow everywhere and 95% of the crops are wasted or rot on the trees. I regularly buy mangoes on the street where they’re sold for pennies but nothing is refined or finished… You’d think I’d be able to get a fresh, delicious mango fruit drink or shake somewhere… but no… I end up buying stale-dated Ceres tetra paks instead.
Speaking of manufacturing and industrialization… that reminds me of another one of the more glaring examples of this two-sided coin. Electicity – or the lack of power to the people, as I’ve written before. The President keeps saying, “oh, it’s coming next month, next week, tomorrow,” but it’s been almost 25 years in the making including several regime and government changes along the way. It seems there are certain areas of Freetown that have been designated “essential” including the president’s compound, the State House, a bank or two and several of the more infamous hotels. Country Lodge, for example, is on the same hill as the president’s home and thus enjoys almost 24-hour electricity. I should add that many of the houses I passed on my way up the hill were without power. Infrastructure, including power lines, are rare commodities.
Some areas in the western part of Freetown have more power than others. I know one area that enjoys about eight hours a day of NPA (National Power Authority) electricity… and coincidentally that neighbourhood is up Wilkinson Road and home to many UN staffers and aid groups. The east, on the other hand, has very little electricity and is home to the poorest areas in the country. It seems you have to live in the right area… or on the “right” side of the tracks to enjoy even the slightest flickers of electricity.
There’s a bar at the western most end of Lumley Beach called the Atlantic, appropriately enough, and it’s run by an ex-Brit named J.W. Okay, I’ll admit, I’ve been there a couple of times and while it’s no where near as famous Paddy’s (as depicted in the movie “Blood Diamonds”) the Atlantic is still a hot spot especially among the ex-pat community, UN workers, NGOs, the Lebanese and those of us with lighter skins. The bar sits on the sand and overlooks the beach. And, you wouldn’t believe the sunsets… incredible. Again, the only locals you’ll find there are the staff and the sex-trade workers.
The other hot spot, besides Paddy’s, is a place called the “Office” that features another gorgeous view of the ocean. It’s a new place, lots of chrome and glass, but costs Le15,000 ($3.00) to get in. I’ve been told “it’s the place to see and be seen” which is probably why I haven’t bothered to cough up the entrance fee. (I had a tour of the place one afternoon when I got lost in that area) And, if you’re truly a Sierra Leoneon a-list type, you can visit the “whiskey bar” (Le150,000 entrance) that apparently offers a selection of over 100 imported whiskeys.
Interestingly, the majority of local businesses are owned by Indians, Chinese or Lebanese men. There’s the expected racism between each ethnic group and Sierra Leoneons… not to mention the inherent Sierra Leoneon tribal divide between the Fullers, the Mende, the Mandingo and the Temene. These divides create economic disparity as well. And, it’s not uncommon to see Indian families driving to and from shops in fancy-ish cars. And, it’s quite common to see Lebanese families peering from their balconies down onto the busy streets in the west of Freetown. I’ve heard tell that the Indians and Lebanese live in a world unto themselves… separate and distinct and somehow above it all.
As with any city in the world… there are those with money/power and those without. The disparity between these groups in Sierra Leone is huge. On the one hand you have the blind beggars (lead around by small children) in the streets… asking for money from the occasional Hummer or dark-window SUV. The thing is, there are very few Hummers around and a great number of amputees, disabled or elderly beggars.
I live somewhere in the middle… occasionally riding in a white SUV and sporadically asking to borrow Le5,000 from colleagues for a taxi back to my apartment. I can’t say I live on both sides of the coin but I occasionally catch glimpses of each side as it spins in the air.
Counting coins,
Stephen
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