First Impressions

While preparing to give a talk on my experience working in SIerra Leone earlier this year I jotted down a list of the top impressions I had on returning from my trip, here goes in no particular order.....

1. Lack of wildlife - SL has a beautiful lush landscape of forests interspersed with rivers and I had expected to see a wide array wildlife once leaving the urban areas, as is the case in many other parts of Africa. Apparently during the brutal civil war much of the wildlife escaped the country to avoid being slaughtered and herds of elephants are now returning in recent years. Their former homes have since become inhabitied and these herds of elephants are destroying the villages that now stand where they once lived. Unfortunatly bushmeat is another reason for the small numbers of monkeys swinging from the trees.


2. Pollution - Coming from the west this is one of the most striking impressions that hits you the second you get off the plane. On the ferry ride from Lungi to Freetown as we neared the port the workers took the rubbish bins and simply emptied them into the sea. In Freetown there are no rubbish bins and people freely throw garbage at their feet and continue on about their business. On the beautiful beaches some clever business people have invested in makeshift bins and ensure on keeping the beaches clean but this is the exception to the rule and most people do not understand the importance of protecting their environment.


3. The Development "Industry" - Sierra Leone is pretty much the size of Wales and there are over 140 NGO's operating in the country. Many well intentioned people are investing their time and money in supporting and developing this country and many people are making a living from this industry. It's difficult to describe but as you drive down the roads you pass a multitude of rusted signs for various projects sponsored by almost every country in the world. If you see another white person there the liklihood that they are involved in either mining or development is a fairly sure bet. Development seems to be it's own self sustaining ecosystem here.

4. We are all the same - This is a bit of a wierd one, not sure what I was expecting :-) but I was slightly taken aback to see that regardless of major differences in material wealth, health care, infrastructure, whatever, we all just want the same things, to feel loved, like we belong, to connect with people, to be respected, to be noticed by the boy down the road....


5. Corruption - Without a 'reasonably' honest government in place to look out for the people's interests a country stands little chance. Corruption breeds corruption and deters Foreign Direct Investment. The people need to understand this and demand more accountability from their leaders but this is clear to see from foreign eyes....

6. Happy with little Versus Unhappy with lot's - After a few weeks in SL I began to wonder what was wrong with me? why didn't I constantly feel devestating sympathy for these people who live in a country that has scored bottom of the Human Development Index since the 80's? The reason is simple, they smile and laugh and have more fun that most of the people I come into contact with on a daily basis in Europe do, makes you wonder.....


7. Aid breeds Dependency - It's heavy in the air and the only answer I can find is that the decades of aid have created this feeling of dependency. It is as if you could take a bum from the streets in Europe, dress him/her up and bring him to SL and because he is white people would look to him/her for the answers. It's time for a paradigm shift in the area of aid and development, one that empowers the people to find their own answers.

8. Religious Tollerance - One of the most shockingly positive aspects of SL a country that is aprox 60% Muslim, 40% Christian is that they live harmoniously together, even intermarrying. I am not sure the reason for this accepting attitude, perhaps the adversity towards haterd brought about by the civil war, but whatever the reason this unique situation should be held high as an example for places defined and destroyed by their intolerance.

9. Chinese presence in Africa - They are buying up the continent! While you don't run into many Chinese people on the beaches or in the streets their presence is felt. They are involved in much of the road and construction sector, not to mention mining and exportation of resources such as sea cucumber. So while much of the west are involved in aid and development projects the Chinese and Indians are busy doing business in Sierra Leone. If only there was a government in place ensuring that the country's resources were being valued accurately and the profits were going to the people and the development of the country.

10. Time has a different value - Anyone that has travelled to Africa should be able to relate to this one. Coming from Germany was probably the most extreme jump as time has a very different value in Sierra Leone, punctuality is not one of the most highly valued characteristics. It takes a while to adjust but soon you realize that 'small small' is not such a bad tempo for a change :-)


I'd love to hear your first impressions, if you haven't visited yet, do!

6 comments:

  1. Kusheo,
    I'm a former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer who spent two years near Kenema. " they smile and laugh and have more fun that most of the people I come into contact with on a daily basis in Europe do," I'm still wondering!

    Keep writing as I enjoy reading any news from beautiful Salone.

    Nine dot,
    RasMichael

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    1. hey rasmichael,
      what years were u in salone . . . i live in bo

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  2. Thanks for the comment Kusheo, I am heading back out to Salone next Wednesday and will certainly share some more stories and pictures once I'm one the ground.

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    1. Tenki o, cousin Eimer! Mek God bless you en you fambul.

      One of the reasons you are becoming one of my favourites on the internet, my dear Eimer, is that you are not like the usual self-righteous white folks who leave their precious cocoons to go pity "those who are poor because they happen not to have a Mercedes". I like it that unlike others, you seem to know the difference between pitying and helping.

      Ar tink RasMichael bin dae try for say kushe o. :-).

      Oh, speaking of having things in common...I could think of the uncanny lack of "Th". You've gotta LOVE it:-).. no reference to the Irish, at all. :-)

      Frankly, if it comes down to it, you are becoming more of a Salone titi than moi-meme. You know more about Salone than I do. I first heard of John Obey beach from you.

      Anyway, take care en enjoy good ol Salone, my dear Salone gial.

      Who knows, our paths might cross eachother in Munich... Ich geb' einen aus.

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    2. ps, you can catch me on FB: adastra.venustius.

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  3. good job kusheo.
    and thanks for loving salone . . . we will continue to push for more accountability to make salone a better place for all mankind.

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