About keeping "public order"

Interestingly, Chapter 2 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991, states, “5.(1) The Republic of Sierra Leone shall be a State based on the principles of Freedom, Democracy and Justice”. Really?

It started on Thursday evening (the 25^th of April) as an argument in a compound in my neighborhood of Aberdeen. The compound in question has several houses around a common courtyard where people cook, launder clothes, dry laundry, wash, play, meet, talk, eat, etc. An argument erupted between two women/neighbors and eventually spilled over to include the families of these neighbors, including children. The argument had something to do with politics and ethnicity/tribe.

I am writing about this for several reasons… 1) it happens all the time in compounds all across Sierra Leone, 2) it involves a Junior Secondary School student (14 yr old) that I tutor and support in school, 3) involves a family that’s “adopted” me and that I help on occasion and 4) it represents a horrendous problem for all of Sierra Leone.

The argument escalated and insults were exchanged… “abusive language” is how they refer to these sorts of exchanges. The shouting continued… but there was no violence and no physical contact between the groups of women but insults were exchanged. The landlord of one of the houses went to the local police station. He apparently bribed the police to arrest those involved. I have no proof of the bribe but I’ve been told this by several of the people involved and tend to believe this is what happened. The police arrived and arrested two of “my” family’s aunties and one of the other neighbors. Auntie Mary called me at 10:30pm on Thursday, in tears, from the police station.

I should add that Auntie Mary and her sister, Lucinda, are very mature, somewhat older, quiet, law-abiding, responsible women. They have never been involved with the police and live quietly in the home that Mary recently built. I’ve known the family for four years now…

Mary and Lucinda, (my friends and family), were detained overnight – placed in a disgusting, small, smelly, mosquito infested cell at the Aberdeen police station. The charge – “insulting conduct and disorderly behavior”, which is a breach of the Public Order Act of 1965. One of the other neighbors was also arrested and placed in the same cell. Interestingly, one of the main instigators of this argument was not arrested because she is rumored to be having an affair with the landlord and (because he paid the police) he instructed that she not be arrested.

I went to the police station on Thursday night, which is up the road where I now live, and tried to talk to the police officers on duty. Mainly, my role was to watch… to try to monitor the situation and make sure things went according to procedure. Essentially, I wanted to make sure “my family” was treated fairly and that there was no corruption on the part of the police. I didn’t know the landlord had previously bribed the police to initiate the whole thing.

The processing officer, an older woman, was rude and abrupt with me and the arrested “suspects”. She would not discuss the issue and refused to listen to my pleas for reason. The Officer in Charge (OC) initially agreed that this matter was a waste of time but he too had been paid by the landlord (unbeknownst to me) and soon left the station to go home (around 11:00pm). I maintain that this issue was not a police matter and that this was a complete waste of time for all involved. In fact, my opinion was reinforced the next day when other family members arrived and stated that this was a matter that the local Chief should have mediated and negotiated.

Nevertheless, Mary, Lucinda and the other woman removed their undergarments and handed over their possessions and were detained overnight. I felt so badly for these quiet, older, dignified women… they were crying and demeaned… and under arrest for the first time in their lives.

At 7:30am on Friday morning, I went back to the station… again to learn, observe and offer support to Mary and Lucinda. Later on Friday, the police arrested Mary and Lucinda’s sister, Isha and two of Mary’s wards/children who live with Mary and her family. The two children (15 and 14 yrs old) were interrogated without a guardian present and then arrested and placed in the same cell as the others. Also in the holding cell was a man who continuously vomited and lay prone on the floor. (He was later dragged from the cell and propped on the steps of the station, where he probably died) There was also a drunk guy… who was released first thing in the morning on Friday.

I raised a concern about the children in detention… and was told to talk to the Family Support Unit (FSU), located next door to the police station. I went to the FSU and spoke to a manager there who said they’d been notified and were going to request that the children be moved to the holding areas within FSU. The Child Protection Office did visit the police station but did not meet with the children and then told me that the police had already separated the children. The two children were not separated and remained in the cell with the others till they were eventually released six hours later.

I spent the entire day on Friday at the police station… provided water and food to Mary and her family. And learned, first hand, how bad/messed up/corrupt and ridiculous this whole system is. By about 10am, I’d had enough… and started to call in some favours from justice folks and police I know. I called the media representative and the Inspector General of Police. Both men made phone calls to the O.C. The OC told me that the family would be released… but it took hours for them to process the paperwork. Apparently, the woman who was supposed to sign the papers had gone into town to do some shopping and go to the bank. Sigh.

I also called an organization, AdvocAid, who work in the justice sector… and Sabrina, the wonderful Executive Director of that organization, sent a top-notch lawyer to the station. At one point, I offered/threatened to call the editors and station managers I know to send reporters to the station to report on the matter… I think all of this… and knowing that I was a journalist and work with the Canadian government here… scared the police enough to take some action.

I did not pay a bribe… but I did make some phone calls… And, when I explained the situation to the people “above” they all agreed that this case was nonsense and a waste of time. However, I later learned that members of Mary’s family had bribed the police “to get bail” for Mary and the others. The whole system is broken… clearly.

After spending more than 18 hours in police custody – in a horrible, hell-hole of a cell, Mary, Lucinda, Isha, and the two students were eventually released “on bail”. BTW, bail is supposed to be free… but everyone knows you have to bribe the police to get what is a citizen’s right.

Mary’s family was required to “keep the peace” over the weekend and report back to the police station on Tuesday morning. On Tuesday, I accompanied the family to the station… and the matter was “dropped”. All nonsense and a supreme waste of time and energy. And, more importantly, a horrible indignity, infringement of rights and scar on the face of the police in this country.

This sort of travesty of “justice” happens all the time… and this Public Order Act of 1965 is a catch-all for anything and everything. BTW, it’s often used by ruling governments to silence dissent, to muzzle the media (more on that later) and “control” the public. And, it’s a scary law…

For reference:

According to the Public Order Act of 1965, PART II – BREACH OF PUBLIC ORDER.

(Public insult and provocation).

2. Any person who in the view of the public or in any public place, insults any person in his presence, in such a manner as would be likely to provoke that person to commit a breach of the peace, shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine, not exceeding twenty leones or to imprisonment not exceeding three months or both.

(Insulting conduct)

3. Any person who—

i.          makes use of any threatening, abusive, insulting or obscene language, gesture, or behaviour, or says or sings any insulting or offensive song or ballad or makes any noise with intent to provoke any other person to commit a breach of the peace; or

ii.        makes use of any threatening, abusive, insulting, obscene or profane language, or says or sings any insulting or offensive song or ballad, or makes a noise to the annoyance of any person in any place; or

iii.       
sends or delivers to any person any threatening, scurrilous, offensive, or obscene writing, print, engraving, picture or other representation; or

iv.      
calls any person by a name or description other than his own, with intent to insult or annoy such person; 

Thankful for what????

On March 12^th, hundreds of primary and junior secondary school (JSS) students were flogged at Aberdeen Municipal School. The school administration systematically went from class to class and publicly humiliated students by calling their names from a list and whipping each student with a rattan cane four times on their buttocks in front of their peers.

The previous day, March 11^th, the administration of the school announced they’d be having a “thanksgiving activity” on the 31^st of March. Each of the 270 JSS students at the Aberdeen Municipal School was told to bring 20,000 Leones to the school. And, the over 800 students in the primary grades were told to bring 15,000 Leones. Apparently the school needs 17,500,000Le (seventeen million, five hundred thousand Leones) or approximately $4,000 to carry out this thanksgiving activity. On March 12^th, the first day of mass floggings, most of the students had not brought their thanksgiving fees and were subjected to humiliation and torture. This is tantamount to extortion and blackmail of students and parents.

The administration further decreed that if students didn’t bring the money they would be flogged daily. Essentially, the majority of students will be flogged everyday from the 12^th to the 30^th of March. That’s 14 straight days of flogging… for hundreds of students.

According to the Child Rights Act of 2007:

33. (1) No person shall subject a child to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment including any cultural practice which dehumanises or is injurious to the physical and mental welfare of a child.

(2) No correction of a child is justifiable which is unreasonable in kind or in degree according to the age, physical and mental condition of the child and no correction is justifiable if the child by reason of tender age or otherwise is incapable of understanding the purpose of the correction.

(3) The Corporal Punishment Act is repealed.

Aberdeen Municipal School is a government school and is typical of many schools in Freetown. It is not a wealthy, private school. Many of the teachers are not paid. Learning resources are limited. Classroom furniture is scant. Play yards are barren. And, sanitation facilities fall grossly short of adequate. **quote from teacher** The school is located close to the Aberdeen Beach but is not in a posh or wealthy neighbourhood.

Parents of students at Aberdeen are generally not wealthy **quote from parent**.

Parents have to pay this money… when money, jobs, food, books, etc. are all costs they also have to cover.

Thanksgivings are part of a school’s activity although it’s not part of the official curriculum. Apparently, thanksgiving days are a normal part of a school’s activities… where the students sit through some sort of Christian church service and then parade through the streets of the neighbourhood. Students and parents are often forced to buy new shoes, new uniforms, hats, socks, etc. to facilitate this public display. Usually a marching band or two is hired for the day to parade with the students. Some of the students are asked to carry a banner at the front of the parade listing the school and class. There’s usually a great deal of hubbub and “practicing” associated with this activity – taking away valuable and much-needed time in the classroom for teaching and learning. Usually, the school is closed on the day following the parade to allow the students to “rest”… another missed day of curriculum delivery. By my rough calculations three school days are lost to this process. This is insane in a country where teachers routinely complain about the lack of time to address matters of curriculum.

What will happen to those families being forced to pay? Students will stay away from school – in this case for up to two weeks – thereby missing valuable learning time. Students will be afraid to attend classes knowing they’ll be flogged because they are poor and can’t afford the requisite thanksgiving fees. Parents will be badgered for money, which is in very short supply for many. Money normally spent on food, clothes, medications, etc. will have to be sent to school for the thanksgiving activities.

It’s not fair on families and students who can’t afford these extorted thanksgiving fees. Essentially, Aberdeen Municipal School, among others, is punishing students and their families for their inability to pay extraneous fees. In fact, it’s paramount to the discrimination of poor families. According to the Education Act of 2004:

4. (1) This Act and any other enactment and administrative instructions relating to education shall be administered and interpreted in such a manner as to ensure that there is no discrimination between pupils or students in the matter of their admission to and treatment in any educational institution in Sierra Leone…

4. (2) For the purposes of this section “discrimination” includes any distinction, exclusion, limitation or preference which, being based on race, colour, sex, disability, language, religion, political, national or social origin, economic condition or birth, has the purpose or effect of impairing equality of treatment in education at any level.

It’s time the Ministry of Education and all government schools rethink this waste of resources, money, time and attention. Thanksgiving activities may be a tradition but it’s a ritual that’s time has passed. Given the sorry state of education in Sierra Leone, it’s time for schools to refocus on the basics and the essentials, which do not include extorting money and wasting time on thanksgiving activities.

Security Message from US Embassy, Freetown

I regularly receive security updates from a variety of sources... It's good to be aware. Here's a recent warning from the US Embassy in Freetown. (The US Embassy is one of the most secure places in West Africa, I should add)

 - Thursday 24 January 2013.

The United States Embassy (in Freetown, Sierra Leone) has received several reports of thefts from moving vehicles driven by foreigners in the past few months. In each case, cars were stopped in traffic or moving slowly and thieves reached in open windows or unlocked doors and stole purses, telephones, and a variety of other valuables from the unsuspecting motorist. The thefts usually occur on poorly maintained roads which require driving at slow speed and elaborate maneuvering around potholes and drainage canals. Criminals often throw rocks and cause diversions to distract drivers while simultaneously entering the passenger side of the vehicle to steal property. Specifically, thieves are targeting Signal Hill Road (near the UNIPSIL Headquarters) in Western Freetown because it is a high-traffic area with poor road conditions, lack of street lights, and heavy foliage.
Theft of property from vehicles may be reduced by following some precautions. Please review this checklist with your family and use it as a baseline to evaluate your daily habits and improve your overall security awareness while driving in Freetown.
Automoblie Security
· Always keep the doors locked and windows up.
· Keep your bags and valuables from plain sight.
· Try to avoid choke points in your daily travel and be wary of diversions.
· In traffic, always attempt to leave space to maneuver. Leave yourself an exit and be prepared to take evasive action at any time.
· Utilize curbs, sidewalks, and medians as a way of escape.
· Vary your routes and times to/from work – be unpredictable!
· Check the interior and exterior of your vehicle for irregularities prior to getting in.
· If another driver tries to force you to pull over or cuts you off, keep driving and try to get away. Take note of the license plate number and a description of the car and driver (only if it does not place you in danger).
· If you are involved in an accident and something does not seem normal, depart the area immediately. Remember, some accidents could be a ruse designed to rob or carjack you.
· Never pick-up hitchhikers.
· If you are being followed or harassed by another driver, drive to the United States Embassy or try to find the nearest police station, hotel, restaurant, or other public facility from which you can call the police or U.S. Embassy Regional Security Office. Never lead a person back to your home or stop and confront them.
· Be aware of your surroundings. Look ahead at what is taking place three blocks in front of you.
· Be alert to motorcycles stopping next to your car, particularly if there are two riders.
· Review your personal security plans; remain aware of your surroundings, including local events; and monitor local news stations for updates. Maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security.
Remember, nothing you own or possess is worth risking your life, or the lives of loved ones and friends. If ever confronted by criminals demanding your car, money, jewels, or other valuables, give it to them.

An astonishing display of policing…

An astonishing display of policing… on the streets of Freetown.

Freetown has always been a hustling, bustling centre of business, trading, money changing, congested traffic, vendors, public taxis, okadas (public motorbike-taxis), photographers, newspaper vendors, second-hand clothes (junx), etc. etc. It’s common to see street traders alongside wholesale and retail shops. It’s common to see photographers offering passport pictures (required for almost everything here) camped out in front of banks. It’s common to see Cmas cards, toys, radios, sunglasses, soaps, deodorant sprays, foods, locks, etc. etc. along the streets of downtown Freetown. And, at times you can find the strangest or most useful things… right on the streets and sidewalks of Freetown. Yes, it’s all a bit hectic and wonderful… till now.

During the elections, police and military personnel were everywhere… on the streets, the sidewalks and back alleys of Freetown. And, the police are back in force… standing along the streets and sidewalks of downtown Freetown and extending into the western and eastern areas. Their mission this time is different… they are there to remove and prevent street trading… and eliminate motorbike riders offering taxi services.

Apparently, Sierra Leoneans are “lawless and reckless”… and the government has committed, again, to eliminating street trading and motorcycle taxis in an attempt to curb lawlessness and recklessness. I don’t really see the connection… but…

The problem, which is so typical, is that these plans are not well thought out and offer no real solutions… and, in fact, they hurt the very people who help drive this country’s informal economy. Formal employment counts for less than 15% of all employment in this country… and the vast majority of the economy derives from these informal businesses or self-employed income. 

There have been previous attempts to limit street trading… between elections… that have failed because the market women comprise a significant number of registered and influential voters. And, the government’s efforts have not been sustained, I think for fear of reprisals at the polls. Well… the government has been elected, with the support of market traders and okada/motorbike riders… and now it’s time for sad retribution.

Street traders are mainly women… slightly older women… who bear the brunt of the responsibility of raising their families, paying school fees, tending to sick children, feeding relatives and compound dwellers, paying rent, tending to grannies and granpas, etc. They sell everything from junx to soaps, body creams, food items, clothing, second-hand toys/clothes/towels, sunglasses, kitchen gadgets, utensils, etc. In my opinion, they are the heart and soul of Freetown… and now they’re being punished and put out of business… because they trade/do business in the streets of Freetown.

I like buying things from street traders. It’s convenient… they’re there when I need soap, cassava leaf or notebooks. I’d rather spend my few Leones with them than the bigger shops, which are usually foreign-owned and operated. When I buy something from a woman on the street, I know she’s going to have food on her table that evening… and can possibly send her children to school by paying the school fees or the lesson charges proffered by the so-called professional teachers. BTW, teachers are often not paid or paid very, very little by the government. I’d rather buy my dozen shrimp from Musu on Kroo Town Road than in the grocery store… buying local supports the local economy. I’d rather buy my Dettol soap from Fatmata on Siaka Stevens St. than in the shops. I’d rather buy my fish from F.A. in the Aberdeen Market. I’d rather buy vegetables and fruit from Isha, a little girl who sells for her mother. In fact, I have friendly, neighbourly relationships with the women who sell on the street… and I like that.

The government’s rationale, apparently, is these same street traders block traffic, which they do. The rationale continues to accuse these street traders of littering and “messing” the streets, which they do. The street traders are a hazard to pedestrians, which they are sometimes. But I insist… they work hard, are responsible and are the heart and soul of the city. And, I want to support their efforts.

They also pay taxes everyday to Freetown City Council workers (or friends of friends) who go around collecting 500 or 1,000 Leones for selling on the streets. They contribute to the hustle and bustle of Freetown. They earn very little but manage to put food on their tables, send their children to school, support extended family members, etc.

So now… many of those same street traders have gone mobile. I saw Musu strolling along the street with a basket of shrimps on her head. I’ve bought soap from a young woman carrying a bowl. The man selling extension cords, cables and electrical supplies now carries his load. The street traders are now “head traders” doing business from the supplies they carry on top of their heads.

Okada men… the guys who ride the motorbikes that people use to zip around the city… are, in my opinion, essential to the transport system in Freetown… and certainly in the provinces of Sierra Leone. These guys have been banned from plying their trade in Freetown. Most of these bike riders are young men… some are ex-combatants… but most are unemployed and under-educated… but they are “trying” (as they say around here) to manage their lives… earning a small bit to feed their families and send their children to school. They are regularly victims of police extortion and their “masters” who own the motorbikes they rent on a daily basis. In fact, many of the motorbikes plying the streets are owned by police personnel or government officials… sometimes called, “big men”.

There are the “bad ones” who break the laws, ride without licences, zip up one-way streets, carry two passengers instead of one, don’t wear helmets, etc. In my opinion, those “bad ones” are few… No sense throwing out the whole basket of mangos when only one or two are spoiled. For the countless young men in Freetown, riding a motorbike allows them to earn a small bit… when there are no other “legal” alternatives available. Oh sure… they could rob and steal… or sell drugs but they’re sitting atop motorbikes for hours and hours whisking passengers through the congested streets of Freetown. It’s a very hard, tiring job… believe me, I know.

Today, as I rode my private, licenced and legal motorbike through town, I noticed increased tension and longer line-ups for transportation. When the bikes go… the demand for public taxis, buses and poda-podas (mini-vans outfitted with benches that can accommodate up to 20 passengers) increase dramatically. And those alternatives are just not readily available.

So here’s the thing… these two groups, who apparently supported the present government at the polls, are now being punished and put out of business. In my opinion, slightly older women and unemployed young men are vulnerable. Yet, someone has decided to put an end to their meagre attempts to make do… in a difficult situation under tough conditions. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any alternative to street trading… the government hasn’t provided more commercial space. The government hasn’t provided more buses or transportation alternatives.

Maybe one of the solutions is to pair these okada motorbikes and riders with the former street traders selling from baskets on their heads. We could call them “okada traders” and they could ply the back roads and alleys of Freetown without undo police harassment.

From a Sierra Leonean...

This is written by a Sierra Leonean... and it's not "nice" but almost 100% true. Wanna know more about what Sierra Leoneans are like? Read on...

Sierra Leoneans on my mind
Author
By Khadija Mansaray
We have a very beautiful country, fertile soil, abundant rain, rich minerals, natural harbour and more. Our population is about five million yet with all this we are one of the poorest countries in the world.
Why is Sierra Leone poor amid all the riches it has been blessed with? The answer: The people. We are unpatriotic, dishonest and hate each other. The fundamental values, or lack of them, ensure that the country remains poor. Some may say this is a harsh conclusion but the evidence speaks for itself.
Good governance is anathema to us. We continuously elect bad governments and ensure they stay in power for too long. We cry for law and order but detest discipline and make enemies of those who enforce it. We frustrate good people. We fight them, accuse them, humiliate them and if possible physically harm them. The Sierra Leonean sense of right and wrong is completely twisted. We steal from our bosses and think it is ok because they have more than we do, they are wicked and evil if they decide to discipline us.
A woman finds her husband cheating and she is unreasonable not to have expected it. The Sierra Leonean way of life is to rip the other off. Honesty and integrity are seen as weaknesses and not virtues. From the top to the bottom to cheat and lie is normal. In the markets we fiddle the meat scales, we dent the measuring cups, we add other substances to Gari and palm oil. We lie and cheat at every opportunity and all of this is acceptable business practice.
In management they talk about win-win situations but the Sierra Leonean only knows win-loss. We are always out to get one up on the other. Using and hurting people to get ahead is ok and sometimes even applauded. We completely abuse goodwill and shamelessly say ‘nar wey you fool’
Exploiting people in vulnerable situations is also ok. We have no respect for poor people and treat our domestic servants in the most appalling manner. We feel we have the right to verbally abuse poor people just because we have given them some food and shelter. We do a small good deed and follow it with numerous acts of cruelty and wickedness and expect to be loved for it. What we do to poorer relatives living with us and the so called ‘men pekin’ – ward – is disgraceful. We turn them into slaves for our children. We deny them the opportunities that would make them progress. We verbally, physically and even sexually abuse them and we scream ingratitude when they walk away.
We waste our energies on the silliest prejudices ever. Every group of Sierra Leonean thinks they are better than the other and that only they should progress. We make it a mission to hinder the progress of others. In institutions – academic or otherwise – we seek to further the interest of our own only. We believe that good things should only come to certain people and woe betides someone we look down on rise to a certain status or position. We scoff and laugh and fervently pray that they fall from grace so we can justify our prejudices. We have not yet learned that a humble beginning is no crime and that the people we should admire are the ones who achieve in spite of poverty. We are hung up on status and do the most disgraceful things to achieve it.
We are callous and heartless. We never really cared about the war and the sufferings of people until it came to our doorstep. Yes we were quite happy to keep partying in Freetown until our homes were burnt down too. Until we realised that our sons could be abducted too, our daughters could be raped and our husbands killed and that being elite was not going to save us. We all pretend that all the evil things in the war were done by rebels. But we know the homes of the privileged were swept clean by their neighbours, friends and family who moved in when the rebels left. How many of us lucky to have our homes untouched then proceeded to buy goods we knew were obviously stolen. The ‘item’ became commonplace in Freetown. The streets were flooded with stolen goods and it was ok. We were buying looted goods like they were going out of fashion.
In the aftermath of the war security became an issue and checkpoints sprang up all over the place. Now we had power over everyone. Now was time to humiliate our wealthy and snobbish neighbours. Get them down their cars and make them walk, search them in the most humiliating manner and let them know they were at our mercy. How many people did we point as rebels or collaborators because of personal vendettas, grudges or just plain envy? Those of us fortunate to escape to Guinea or Gambia, on our return we embarked on the most vicious witch-hunt ever. Everyone one left behind was a collaborator and must pay for it. To hang the collaborator became our mission. We give the impression that all rapes were committed by rebels but how many of our “respectable” men abused the women who came to seek shelter in their homes. How many displaced men abused their fellow displaced who were more vulnerable?
The Sierra Leonean is hungry for power. And it is a power to suppress and oppress the other especially the vulnerable. We are happiest when we oppress others. The teacher with the cane taking out his frustrations on a pupil, the manager with the promotion that beautiful girl wants, the lecturer with the marks yet another beautiful girl wants, the officer who allocates market space, the government minister with the lucrative contracts, even the school prefect. The list is endless and it’s all about power and exploitation.
We’ve perfected gossip and turned it into a national pastime. A person decides they’ve had enough of being overweight and opts for a healthy life style and lose weight. They become fit and slim and we say they have HIV/AIDS. I have never seen a people who rejoice at others’ misfortunes like we do. A woman is widowed and we smirk. A man abandons his wife and kids and we jump for joy. A family loses their home and we’re happy and laugh because now they shall suffer like us. We openly make fun of disabled people. We rejoice when people suffer loss or misfortune and cannot bear to see others happy and successful. We can’t help ourselves; instead we have to bring them down.
Our tendency to bury our head in the sand would be hilarious if it weren’t so serious. All of our leaders are good it’s the people around them who mess things up. Our husbands are not uncontrollable perverts it’s the women out there desperate to get them. Our uncle can afford that swanky car despite his meagre salary because his boss made a generous payout last Christmas. Our beautiful 21-year-old daughter is not dating that short and balding 56-year-old for his money. It’s the devil in the bush who takes the Downs Syndrome child away. The state of denial makes it easier for us to turn a blind eye to everything.
Then we come to the diaspora. You think we would learn something instead we take our wickedness to another level. The blatant exploitation and lack of regard for others becomes even worse. You would have thought the loss of status and the cleaning and care jobs would have taught us to appreciate people. But no! You would think the discipline we are forced to practice in our jobs and day-to-day activities would become ingrained. Again no! The speed with which we revert to type when among our own is phenomenal. We turn up late at parties, hardly give presents, talk down to people helping behind the bar, leave the toilets in a mess, steal what we can and go home. We really are a bunch of savages. We are among the world’s greatest litterbugs.

We teach our daughters chastity at 13 and encourage them to be home-breakers when they turn 20. And now we have Facebook, a brand new platform to show how ugly we can get. While other communities use it more positively we do our usual thing. We bully and abuse.
But we have two good things. We are warm and hospitable to foreigners. We welcome them and make them feel at home. The Sierra Leonean will open his heart and home to anyone. We also have a very high religious tolerance. The Sierra Leonean will kill you for your property, your wife or your money but never ever for your religion. Although that itself begs the question, do we really care about God?
Every Sierra Leonean reading this knows we need to embrace the good and let go of the bad.