The passion of politics...

Student elections here at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone (where I teach part-time) have once again turned violent. Two years ago was bad... last year was relatively "okay" but this year it's bad - again.

Last night, at the presentation of candidate manifestos, things were passionate and heated between the "white camp" (supported by the national APC party) and the "black camp" (supported by the national opposition SLPP). Fights were intermixed with dancing, shouting, posturing and promoting.

Today, voting day, things are riotous. Election results haven't been announced but the passion has erupted into violence and riots. Students are on the rampage... and I'm very worried about "my" great group of students who are trapped behind riot police lines and barricades. I have my fingers crossed... and will venture onto the campus in the morning... Good grief - the face of young politics can be ugly.

Politics is everywhere... for good and for bad.
S/

Good news...

I might as well announce it now… It looks like I’ll be staying in Freetown, Sierra Leone for the next year to 18 months as a Knight Fellow – on a journalism fellowship out of the International Center for Journalism in Washington… Yes, very prestigious… and I’m so pleased. I’ll be working with the transition of SLBS (state-owned broadcaster) to SL Broadcasting Corporation – a public broadcaster. I’ll help through the 50th anniversary of Sierra Leone’s independence in 2011 and hopefully through the next general election in 2012. It’s a tremendous opportunity to be involved in a historic, never-before-done project in Africa. Should be “interesting”…

I'd applied to the Knight Fellowship program waaayyyy back in August 2009 and am just now seeing some fruits to that labour or results from that application.

This is from their website…

The Knight International Journalism Fellowships make tangible changes that improve the quality and free flow of news in the public interest around the world. Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation , international media professionals work in countries where there are opportunities to promote reliable, insightful journalism that holds officials accountable. Knight Fellows are establishing new journalism associations, launching journalism schools, creating online databases to track corruption, establishing news delivery services via cell phone and creating digital platforms to share content. With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Knight Fellows are developing a corps of journalists in Sub-Saharan Africa whose work is leading to better public policies and a better quality of life. The program’s Health Journalism Fellowships help media in five countries produce in-depth and investigative coverage of health issues such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. The new Africa Development Journalism Fellows will work with journalists in four countries to give them skills to report on poverty-related issues such as agriculture, rural development, sanitation and microfinance.

Some other background:

I've been in sporadic contact with the Knight Fellowship folks over the intervening months as my work with jhr- journalists for human rights, and on the transition from the state-owned SLBS to a public broadcast corporation has progressed. It's obviously taken many months and hours of work to get the process to this stage - meaning the government of Sierra Leone has passed the Bill to create the broadcasting corporation, a Board of Directors has been nominated (the Chair appointed by the President), some UN consultations and funding proposals created, technical consultations, etc. etc.

We (a whole bunch of folks from the UN, BBC, Fondation Hirondelle, DW in Germany, etc.) finally have a plan, which should be finalized with UN Radio, SLBC, the government, etc. in mid-June. That "plan" will be the basis for the re-structuring and funding proposals which will go to the IMF, World Bank, Peace-Building Fund of the UN, etc.

In this plan, a position of "training director" or "training facilitator" was created... to help coordinate technical, managerial, board, editorial, corporate and public training... everything from classroom programs to teach basic typing skills to mentorship models for journalists in the field. It's a very big and important position in which I'd coordinate trainers, programs, etc. and also do hands-on training. I'd also be developing policies for the corporation around production values, ethical principles, codes of conduct, and so on.

The new broadcasting corporation, with the transition management team, wants someone with independence yet with inside knowledge of the field, the media environment in Sierra Leone, the people, the politics, etc. And, that's where the Knight Fellowship comes in... I'd be able to maintain financial, political and editorial independence because the International Center for Journalism/Knight Foundation would be paying my salary and expenses. The training position would be for a year or more... with the plan to create a sustainable foundation/policies to the training of staff, Board, etc. In other words, I'd be creating the policies and then mentoring someone in the personnel dept. to take on this role.

I'm really looking forward to this work... not just for the prestige of working with the Knight folks but also because I firmly believe in this project. It's huge... going from "state-owned" (think dictatorial USSR or communist china) to public broadcaster - (think CBC and BBC). And, it's "history in the making" - literally. Quite exciting, I’m sure you’d agree.

So, there's lots going on... and huge opportunities afoot.

I'm hoping to pass through Toronto on my way to Washington for an orientation week with the International Center for Journalism but I don't have exact dates or plans yet... They'll come shortly and I'll be in touch.

Wow... this is exciting.
More later,
Stephen

One Year

It’s been a year… and sometimes I wonder where the time’s gone. At other times I dread the slow ticking of the clock and languid fluttering of calendar pages. A year ago, I left Calgary, drove across Canada to Toronto, boarded a plane and arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone. And now, I can’t resist a bit of reflection – on a year in Africa – on a year away from home.

What strikes me first are the significant changes I’ve gone through on a personal level. Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks… and I’m certainly still learning. That’s good… I’ve learned to be more patient, more resilient, more assertive, more direct, more in control – while at the same time feeling out of control most of the time. I’ve learned to see the world in a slightly different way. I’m positive… about a lot of things. I’m sure of several things I wasn’t sure of before. And, I’m directing things I wasn’t directing before… Perhaps it’s confidence. Perhaps it’s maturity... although I think I still have a lot of growing up left to do.

A year ago, I came to Sierra Leone as a facilitator/journalist to work with local reporters and media development folks on human rights awareness issues. I’m still doing that – now as Country Director. I still consider myself a journalist although I’m a “non-practicing/teaching” journalist. My circle of friends has changed. My connections to the world have changed. My living arrangements have changed significantly. And, it’s true… change is sometimes a good thing.

My life is almost completely different than it was a year ago. I won’t bore you with the comparisons… but rather I’d like to reflect on things as they are now.

I sleep under a mosquito net… sweating into pillows of chewed foam salvaged from the insides of discarded car seats. It’s “recycling” to the max yet when it’s a necessity it’s called “making due or making a living”. Everything is well-used, used again and then recycled into something else. I covet power… especially when I can turn on a fan and sleep in the breeze of circling blades.

I still have my morning cup of coffee but it’s now Nescafe instant with powdered milk. I wake at 6:00 a.m. and sit outside on the verandah watching the sunrise through the coconut trees and palm leaves in my fenced, razor-wired and glass shard-topped courtyard. I shower in cold water, or sometimes rely on bucket-baths, which isn’t so bad when the temperature hits 90 degrees by 7:00 a.m. I use a strong anti-bacterial soap… because even minor infections here can be deadly, as I’ve recently learned.

My days are varied – sometimes I’m teaching at Fourah Bay College, formerly the “Athens of West Africa” and now a long, long way from being the “Athens of anything”. It’s disheartening but also incredibly rewarding… influencing the next generation of reporters and journalists before they develop the predominant bad habits of those “downtown” media folks. I use chalkboards and white boards while students sit in dilapidated desks and chairs without backs. And today… we had to close the windows because the rain came so hard – and loud. Gotta love “higher” education in Sierra Leone.

I climb the stairs and hill out of my Freetown “oasis” to catch an okada (motorcycle taxi) at the junction of Aberdeen Road and Kosy Williams Dr. where I can also get “diamonds” (little hard candies) or a dried fish and gravy sandwich from a woman named Boah. My regular bike-rider’s name is Mohamed and he’s a very young guy who shows up precisely in time to usher me through traffic to work on time or class on time. I’ve acquired a reputation here as the “white-okada-rider in the African dress” – no, not literally a dress… but I regularly wear African suits – long shirts down to my knees and matching pants.

I have to say, I’ve made progress on my attempts at institutionalizing punctuality. Most folks rely on “BMT” or “black man’s time” which can be either ten minutes or three hours late. It’s a very common term/condition around here and it’s frustrating to this punctually-compulsive Canadian. The problem is… I never know when I can be late… When I’m in charge – lecturing or leading a workshop – I’m on time – and my students know this… and make every attempt to be in class when I start. But, when I’m a participant, I have to gauge what the event is, who’s running it, who’ll be there, etc. For example… if it’s a local event – I can be an hour late. If it’s an event hosted by the BBC or the UN, I can be ten minutes to a half hour late.

I was invited to a wedding reception recently and the invitation said, “Reception, arrival of bride and groom – 7:30 p.m.” Well, not gauging time and not understanding the tradition, I was there at 7:30 – only to wait till 10:00 p.m., when I couldn’t stay awake any longer… and headed home. I trust the reception went on at some point… and hopefully people showed up. When I left there were only about 10% of the guests sitting at long, lonely tables – wondering if or when we could crack open the bottles of wine.

Riding an okada is an interesting experience… we’re often on the “wrong” side of the road – the faded, sometimes non-existent lines are merely guidelines… Or we’re zipping between lanes of traffic – one coming towards me and the other travelling in the same direction – but usually at a standstill because the roads are so congested. I’ve taken to reading the fronts of the approaching poda-podas – minivans crammed to the rafters with people, chickens, fish, charcoal, etc. The poda drivers are very creative when it comes to painted slogans… and I have to smile as “John 3:16” or “Allah be Prazed” comes barrelling towards me. My thinking is I’ll never end up a hood ornament on a poda-poda with “God is the lit”, “Praze Allah”, “Shine the lite” painted on the front hood.

Okadas are the quickest, riskiest and most exposed form of transport around… but they are essential to the transportation community. Without them, the roads would be even more congested… and it would literally take me 1.5 hours in a taxi to get to the office where it takes me 20 minutes on the back of a bike. Of course the rains will dampen my okada-spirits significantly… and I’ll have to resort to a crowded, steamy, shitty little taxi when it’s pouring with rain.

It’s true what they say about “sweet Salone”… the people are incredibly friendly. I’ve been welcomed into people’s homes, lives, workplaces and families. It’s remarkable how willing most Sierra Leoneans are to share their lives. I’ve met some wonderful local folks… Elvis, for sure, our initial contact with everything Sierra Leonean – a very good man who knows everyone who’s anyone. Momoh, who works in the JHR office and continues to amaze me with his stamina for my frustration and wonderment at passing parades, the VP who’s motorcade zips by, the prisoners transported to the courts and back to Pademba Road prison, and other mundane things that happen in front of the jhr office. My landlords, Mala and Kishen, who welcomed three wayward journalists off the street a year ago, into their compound… although I’m still waiting (6 months now) for them to fix the mini-fridge. They are lovely people and upon Kishen’s return from a recent business trip, he surprised me with a gift set of “smelly stuff” – shower gel and a spray-thing of perfume. Guess I don’t smell too good lately… and he’s trying to help.

I arrived in Freetown with four others… trainers and journalists from Canada, the U.K. and from India. It was a pleasure getting to know these brilliant, talented, hard-working and enthusiastic folks. Yes, I became a bit of a “father-figure” to the group but it was all very good… Staying out late with Jordan, “the popular guy”. Commiserating with Chris-Bo over stomach issues and malaria. Talking photography and journalism with Allison. Trying to keep up to Sulak and her busy life. It was good… and although a couple of folks had to leave early, it was still a great experience. I’m thankful to the group for supporting and for being here.

People come and go in Sierra Leone – UN missions change, NGOs recruit and young people leave for greener pastures, contracts end, contracts begin, etc. etc. And, with this successive turnover of folks around here I’ve had a number of other roomies with whom I’ve become close friends. Lyla, Greg, Leah and Collin, Paul and Caroline, et al are wonderful people… whom I’m lucky to have gotten to know.

Yes, my life is almost totally different than it was a year ago…

·      I eat rice everyday – sometimes twice a day

·      Cassava leaf, potato leaf and groundnuts are my staples

·      Mango season is a celebration of juicy, ripe, delicious fruits

·      Nescafe I can live without… but can’t live without…

·      Fish – from giant barracuda to snapper to “minas”

·      Buying lunch from a bowl on the street from a dubious “chop shop”

·      Loud distorted music from “sets”

·      Star beer… locally brewed and dangerous after two

·      African peppers… enough to kill parasites, tingle the tongue and feel the next day

·      Powdered milk – where are the cows?

·      Buying provisions from Aminata and the Aberdeen market

·      Street stalls that sell everything from air fresheners to steering wheel covers

·      Beer and “burgers” (so-called) at Roy’s Beach Bar – close enough to the Atlantic to taste the salt water.

·      Watching Premier League “football” at Alex’s Sports bar – or at a shack in my neighbourhood

·      Malaria – and learning to become a mosquito hunter

·      Mould on everything during the rainy season

·      Police who openly and actively take bribes at almost every street corner

·      International phone calls that won’t go through or can’t come in

·      Struggling with hand-washing laundry

·      Politics in everything… if it’s not political – it’s not news and not life

·      Generators that don’t work… and inferior products dumped into Africa

·      “Jonx” or second-hand goods from the west – thank you Value Village and Sally Ann

·      Heat rash – sweating – carrying a towel at all times – fans…

·      Tan lines

·      No sweets – no twix bars or snickers bars

·      In your face religion

·      Horrible journalism

·      Paperwork

·      The UN – UNDP – UNPBF – UNIFEM – UNICEF, et al

·      Beaches and oceans…

Life is different… and the biggest adjustment of all – unreliable power and SLOOOWWW internet connections.

I’ve written blogs, reports, financial statements, letters, grant proposals, protest letters, journal entries and even the odd recommendation letter. It’s been an “interesting” year… and there’s more to come.

Never too old to learn a new trick or two… and I’ve learned a lot this past year. Thanks for coming along with me…

S/

Independence Day - April 27, 2010

Sierra Leone celebrated it's 49th anniversary of independence from "our colonial masters", the British, on Tuesday, April 27, 2010. A national holiday... and a day of celebration, rumination and anticipation. The word on the streets - and from the President himself - "Wait. Things are getting better."

I spent the day at the National Stadium photographing events for the Ministry of Tourism - in preparation for the big 50th anniversary planned for 2011. Here, President Ernest Bai Koroma, inspects troops on the field of the stadium.

Later that day, the stadium cleared in preparations for a live concert featuring Akon, a Senegalese hip-hop performer now living large in the U.S. Of course, it rained... and after sitting for hours, soaking wet in the stands, I went home... but did get to the concert the following afternoon.

Akon was followed by several local performers who danced, lip-synced and gyrated around the stage to the delight of thousands... An event like this is rare - and so is the opportunity to celebrate something positive in Sierra Leone. It was good to see...

Still hopeful... and still working hard.
Yours,
Stephen