So much more to give

So I had my bags packed like two weeks before (sad I know), ready to go! The journey home is always an interesting one, and every year there is some drama or the other. This year it started out with Gatwick and the travel agent that has invisible horns. We paid 870 smackaroonies for a flight where the only perks were tap water and one lousy meal that tasted like dog food. Everything else had to be paid for on the flight, which was accompanied by rude flight attendants who kept telling us to go and complain to the proprietor. There was uproar on the plane, which resulted in angry passengers signing a petition. Fair enough, Salone man l3k beaucoup tok, its time to take decisive action, we are being exploited because there are a lack of options. We shouldn’t sit back and accept substandard treatment especially when we fork out so much money for a service that is so far from great.

Anyway, I arrived at Lungi airport, met by the welcoming humid air that lets you know you have arrived, got on the ferry, I wanted to get on the helicopter since it’s the fastest way to get into Freetown, but the fear of God was put in me before I could say ‘Jack Robinson’. There are various people running different airport transfer services, and on my return journey I took the new boat service; Pelican that leaves from Aberdeen. It cost $40 and lasted about 25 minutes; its not a helicopter type situation where you have your heart in your mouth, but its a little rocky and sort of feels like it’ll flip over at the mercy of some huge wave. You are also ‘blessed’ with a flat screen television blasting the latest in African Music videos. All in all an efficient service that does what its supposed to do.

Highlight: For the second time(awful I know) in my life I visited the provinces, this was definitely a highlight of my holiday. We drove to Makeni, Magburka, Binkolo, Bumbuna and back to Freetown. It was beautiful, I kept having to pick my jaw off the ground, the mountains, the colours, the virgin lands, valleys and the fresh air was breathtaking. I felt so relaxed and left very puzzled as to why people don’t visit the provinces more. I stayed at Wusum hotel, and it was a very positive experience, if like me, you like your stomach, it’s a must visit!

The chef is Italian and boy does he do the Italians justice. The staff are like most staff in Sierra Leone, unfortunately, customer service is not their forte (there are some exceptions however). The hotel has its own club called Apex. The rooms are of a good standard, fully air conditioned, mini fridge and television, and I really have to commend the owner for his efforts. It’s always positive to see a Sierra Leonean give something back to his country. It’s a little bit pricy at $88 per night, but it’s definitely worth seeing if you are in Makeni.

Wusum hill: This awesome piece of rock which is only a few centimetres shy of being called a mountain, was a treat. We climbed to the top of it, put our blanket down and were greeted with fantastic views spanning across the whole of Makeni, it was picturesque. It was like Makeni was couched in a ring of mountains and later on we watched the sun set. The sky that was laced with pink hues that turned to a royal blue, it felt like a scene out of the Lion King. To any Gentlemen thinking of proposing, forget the Eiffel Tower, do something different, Wusum Hill, maybe? A word of advice when climbing the hill, make sure you wear appropriate footwear, no fancy sandals ladies! When we got to the foot of the hill we were welcomed by an array of children who injected a sense of humour into the evening. One very brazen little girl said “Opoto (White person/stranger) gi we ten thousand nor?” It was hilarious, not only was this girl who looked like she just got out of nappies asking for money, she was being very specific about how much she wanted.

That night, we returned to Wusum Hotel and attended a fashion show. It was a very interesting night, I won’t spend much time on the revelations that followed or the delay in the start of the show. Instead I will say that it was an opportunity for me to see some of the talent that Sierra Leone has to offer on many levels! The clothes on show were designed by our very own Jenneh Amara-Bangali of ‘Swank Couture’ and Adama Kai of ‘Aschobi Designs’. For those of you like myself who are fashionistas, both these women have some amazing clothes for the modern African woman who dares to be different and envisages fashion as a statement. I was also privileged to see Alonso, Queens of the North and Dry Eye Crew perform. Alonso really got the crowd going, and had everyone on their feet ‘spraying’ him with money. He is a true star, maybe our own answer to Usher?! His hit ‘Angel’ was even better live than on CD, I get the feeling that many girls in the audience wanted to be his ‘angel’. Dry Eye Crew were reminiscent of Elephant Man, a high-energy performance with some politically conscious lyrics. They even soldiered on when the microphone failed them. Last but not least the stage was given to Valentina; our very own booty shaking she man. Oh what a night!

The next day, we drove to the Rokel river which was so peaceful and serene, and then we went onto Magburka where we stopped off and had a look around the town. From there we drove through Binkolo, the hometown of one of Sierra Leone’s ex-presidents. We went onto the Bumbuna hydroelectric plant, a project has been going for many decades, it was magnificent to see something like that made by man. Hopefully when it is eventually up and running it will help to alleviate some of the electricity problems that we have. Some sources suggest that the delay was due to the discovery of gold in the same area, so the focus was diverted...but who knows...

The drive back to Freetown was a treat, I felt a strange sense of fulfilment combined with a hunger for more. As we drove past the immense palm trees and infinity pools of green, my desire to see more of Sierra Leone was fuelled. The air was clean, pure and unpolluted, I felt proud, that a country that we haven’t given much, has so much more to give to us. It was a contestation to the never ending bad press that Sierra Leone receives; ‘Sierra Leone better known for its barbaric civil war’ or ‘Sierra Leone, one of the poorest countries in the world’. I suddenly realised that it would be possible for these negative associations to change for many people. Firstly Freetown is not Sierra Leone, the war is not the only event in our history. Instead we have vast lands, beautiful and endangered wildlife and stunning beaches that can be explored.

In Freetown, there are improvements, it definitely looks a lot cleaner and there is a lot of construction going on. In terms of development, I am not too sure, superficially yes, but in terms of health and education we are still doing pretty badly, although I guess it takes a lot longer to see significant changes in those areas. The electricity situation isn’t solved totally although it was nice to have light during the day sometimes. There is so much construction going on, and I went to have a look to get an idea of what was on offer to prospective ‘returnees’ or anyone looking to rent or purchase a house. I must say I was impressed by the US style gated communities such as those being built by Regi Emanuel at Goderich. They are of a modest size, nice family homes with pretty gardens and lovely ocean views. Something similar but on a grander scale is being developed at Leicester. They are a lot bigger that the houses at Goderich and cost much more, however it was interesting to get an insight into the future of housing in Sierra Leone. Nassit is also building gated communities along Lumley Beach which serve to give the beach a more colourful look. More and more people are moving back home for good, and it is a great testament to the love we have for the country. Hopefully they’ll take their skills and experience and contribute to the development of a nation that needs some serious nurturing and hard graft.

I also did what i’d like to describe as a beach marathon. I walked from No 2 River(my favourite beach) all the way to York. It was an amazing walk, Sierra Leone definitely has some of the best beaches that I have ever seen. They are natural and untouched, mostly anyway. I did something that I wouldn’t advise, I crossed the infamous no. 2 on foot and it was fine on the way there, but on the way back the river basin was full. We had to get a little fishing boat to get back. No 2, is where in my opinion God left his fingerprint in Sierra Leone, it is absolutely gorgeous, the long stretch of white sand surrounded by luscious green mountains and the silvery blue water. Tokeh was a bit a of a hidden treasure, there were quite a few beach houses couched in the hills looking onto the beach and some just on the beach, (mostly owned by Lebanese people or expatriates from bygone times). Tokeh is the darling of Sierra Leone’s beaches, with the palm trees leaning into the open armed ocean, it’s the stuff post cards and travel brochures are made of. We then crossed over to York which had more beach houses and abandoned mini resorts dotted over the beach, it was truly beautiful. Sitting on the rocks and looking into the green/blue ocean, contemplating my life, the hot sun caressing my skin, it was blissful!

This year was a lot quieter, the ‘JC’ crowd was somewhat depleted and the house parties and general hype of last year was absent. Old school is an absolute sweat fest, but still plays a good range of tunes, old and new. There is a new bar/club called the Office, which I really love, its got a great ambience, good crowd and isn’t overcrowded(yet?). Akon is still reigning supreme in town, there is also a new song called Baxneme (Temne meaning ‘bear me’) which is a hit. I never made it to Paddys this year, shocking I know. However Someone I know had his car stolen outside. Listen and listen very carefully because its sounds like something you’d see in some gangstar movie. They parked the car outside Paddys, along the road, and when they came out, the car was gone, obviously they thought they must not be looking in the right place. The car was gone, announcements were made in the club, and the staff reassured them that it had never happened before. When they went outside, the car had miraculously reappeared, parked differently but there anyway. They were told to calm down, since his car had returned. Shocking! Rumour has it that, cars are stolen, sold in Guinea if they can make it there in time, if not they are simply stripped for parts. It is a new phenomenon and one to watch, so a word to the wise, be careful! On a much lighter note, the owner of the car was in tears, shouting ‘ey mi benz’; a testament to the African man’s real love for the Mercedes Benz, like the love a mother has for her child. Thankfully the child was returned safely to its mother, and hasn’t stepped foot in Paddies since the incident.

The president of Libya, Muammar Gaddaffi was in town, and he came with about a 500 large entourage, who literally took over the town. He drove past me and the signal was knocked out of my phone. What was Gaddaffi doing in Sierra Leone? Many are speculating that he was there because of the Coup d’état in neighbouring Guinea. Yes he has invested in Sierra Leone, providing us with tractors, rice and buses as well as money, but I’d like to know what his real interest is in Sierra Leone apart from having a close ally in Africa. On a slightly controversial note, he is a man to be admired, he has been in power for donkeys years and is a man that many in the West are weary of, he is a revolutionary who has outlasted many of his opponents. He has developed his country significantly and should be respected for that. It was interesting to see the signs welcoming him everywhere and the children dressed in their hijabs, thanking him for his assistance.

The reason behind my writing this piece, is simply because I have been going back to Sierra Leone for many years now, and it had become a bit routine. The same beaches, the same clubs, and almost predictable holiday. This year however, I promised myself that i’d do something different. Seeing new places in Sierra Leone this year was definitely the highlight of my holiday, and I left with a yearning for more. Sierra Leone has so much more to give than she gets credit for. I hope that those of you who haven’t been outside Freetown will be inspired as I have been.So another year has come and gone, and so the pining for Christmas 2009 begins. Where will my travels take me this year? I hear Sulima and Lake Mabesi are must sees...