Presidential get together for JCs, BC, JCs from Kalangbai and Returnees

When the invitation from His Excellency the President and the First Lady was dropped off for me I was quite impressed. "Wow.. the President requests the pleasure of my company?!" but then I heard the event was advertised on Radio 98.1, and I fell straight back down to earth, it wasn't an exclusive affair. The event was the "End of year Holiday Makers get-together". Interesting. Anyhow, I turned up armed with my camera and was promptly told by a security guard that I shouldn't cross this imaginary line here. Same dude, who later said that the government will soon sell off Celtel along with some other 20 odd parastatals up for privatisation. That provided some light relief, and was also probably the first time  I laughed heartily without a sound... for fear of being told I'd crossed that line and kicked out.

Anyway, the event itself was quite a spectacle and the turnout was massive. I got there a bit late and the President had done his rounds going round for some chit chat and shaking hands. There were about 6 speakers before the President himself had the final say. The ministers for the regions all had their say in addition to the ministers of Finance and Employment. I enjoyed listening to the Minister for the North. He sold the North quite well and I had to agree that the North is one of the most beautiful areas in the country with very promising tourism potential. It is unfortunate that the past APC regime, in power for 27 years had neglected this region even though they are perceived to be a Northern party. Maybe this administration will do different.

All speakers reiterated the role of the Diaspora in aiding the economic development of Sierra Leone and according to the Finance Minister's calculations the Diaspora currently send back just under a billion dollars a year, through remittances. Another common theme was that they'd delivered on their electricity promise.

When the President spoke, he didn't disappoint. He is a good speaker and a charismatic individual at that. The ladies in particular seem to love the man. He speech was concise and to the point. My only pet-hate is that Presidents of this country never seem to stand up when they give their speeches. I had watched Kabbah and Berewa do the same thing during the investment forum. I had also seen Koroma do it on December 20. I dislike it. Firstly, you are less visible to most of the people you are addressing and secondly there is no opportunity for non-verbal communication. You should be up there showing folks you are energetic and up for the challenge.. hell, some people will even feed off the energy you emit. Like I said, it's a pet hate.

He spoke about the challenges facing the country and reaffirmed his commitment to the cause.

The response from the Diaspora came from Akie Deen who among other things talked about the airline industry and called for a national airline. Interestingly this prompted Alpha Kanu then declared that the National Airline (SNA) will be reinstated by Easter. Why no one had mentioned this earlier is still a puzzle to me. I also doubt the amount of thought put into that statement before it was made as the SNA saga is an entirely different can of worms.

At the end the President again went round shaking hands with folks and this time I got lucky. I told him I was happy with his plans for tourism in Sierra Leone but I doubt he heard me. There was noise, mostly from women, all clamouring for the hand of the special one.

 

Note: JCs = Just Cam (Sierra Leonean holiday maker, just arrived)
BCs = Blant Cam (Frequent Sierra Leonean holiday maker)
JCs from Kalangbai = (slang, came from a song, I think it refers to wanna be JCs)
Returnees = Members of the Diaspora who have returned home