The Returnee Files – Q and A - with Dr Sylvester Nicol

I’ve been talking about doing a series on those of us who have decided to return home to chart a new chapter in our lives. What finally got me going is my recent trip to London and talking to folks out there. There are so many of us who want to return home but are either unwilling, unable or just don’t feel like they have enough information or understanding in order to do so. Some are just plain scared. So I’ll be doing a series that hopefully sheds some light on the experience of those who have returned in the hope that it will help others make the decision.
I start with a man who has to be commended for what he has done and created. Also, because of the sector he has chosen to do this. Health. One of the sectors in dire need of trained personnel and good facilities. Also it is probably one of the most difficult to attract our doctors in the Diaspora to come back to. Obviously because, let’s face it.. many make a good living. A lot to sacrifice. He had that too, and a practice in the US. Yet, he opted to come back home and set up the Davidson Nicol Medical Centre. A Physician Specialist trained abroad, he is without further ado, Dr Sylvester Nicol…



When did you move back to Sierra Leone? How long were you out of the country?
DSN: I moved back in 2008 having been out of the country since 1996. I am now permanently living and working in Sierra Leone.
Why did you decide to relocate to Sierra Leone? Did family and friends try to discourage you from returning home? If yes, can you share some of their concerns?
DSN: I decided to come back because it is my home. I had a lot of concerns raised by family and friends but also some encouragement. Their concerns were the usual, infrastructure e.g. electricity and roads, level of poverty etc
How and what steps did you take to prepare your move/relocation to Sierra Leone?
DSN: I have always planned to live and work here. Moving to Sierra Leone I believe requires a particular mindset. That which says come what may, home is home. Also if you don’t fix up your home who will?
So what do you do?
DSN: I am in full-time self employment as the Proprietor and Medical Director of the Davidson Nicol Medical Centre. The DNMC is a brand new medical facility comprising of an inpatient and outpatient department. The outpatient component consists of consultation rooms, pharmacy, a full service lab, Xray and ultrasound/Echocardiogram. Our inpatient facility consists of 3 ICU beds, 2 private rooms and 10 general beds. In the near future we plan to open our surgical floor which will consist of an operating theatre and 9 surgical beds.
Did you move to establish your business? How did you go about setting up the business and how did you find the experience?
DSN: Yes, I moved to establish the Medical Centre. As I said, I had been conceptualizing the services we wanted to deliver so it was a matter of finding the right people to do the job and bringing them up-to-scratch to perform their duties.

What culture changes did you experience after your move? What surprised you the most about life here?
DSN: The most surprising thing in Africa is how people make do with what little they have and still remain hopeful and even cheerful. It’s amazing!!
Have you adjusted to the Sierra Leonean lifestyle or are you still living like you did abroad?
DSN: Maybe surprisingly, I have adjusted quite well here in Freetown. There is very little I miss, living abroad.
How have you handled the infrastructure limitations, including electricity, provision of water, sanitation, etc.?
DSN: You do what you can. For any business, electricity is a major line item in the budget. We’ve been lucky with water. Sanitation is improving generally and we keep our hospital clean!!
What’s the best thing about returning home?
DSN: The best thing about returning home is being home.
The worst thing about returning?
DSN: You miss family, friends and co-workers. Relationships that one has developed over time are difficult to sever but the internet does help!
Do you think living abroad--education, work experience, culture-- have enabled you to contribute to the development of Sierra Leone
DSN: Absolutely. However, I look at it as a two way street. Indeed, living abroad has been enabling in terms of education, work ethic and a different perspective on life in general. However, aspects of our culture imbibed at an early age here is Sierra Leone including dedication, respect for authority, tenacity etc definitely helped one significantly to contribute to the development of our host countries while we work and live abroad.
What challenges do you face in Sierra Leone? For example: at work, with friends and families, lifestyle?
DSN: Well, one faces numerous challenges wherever one lives. Professionally we have trained a lot of our health care workers in the use of our equipment. Power supply is a source of concern and of course there is the extended family!!!
Will you return to the country where you relocated from?
DSN: No, I do not have any plans to do so at the moment.
How can folks get in contact?
DSN: The Davidson Nicol Medical Centre is located at 3 Bright Lane, Cole Farm off Wilkinson Road, Freetown. Tel: +232 78 998 866
What is your long-term vision or hope for Sierra Leone?
DSN: My hope for Sierra Leone is for maximum employment for young people, peace and stability. Also, I wish for Africans in general and Sierra Leoneans in particular to come to the realization that as a people we can do well if we organize and optimize our considerable resources.
If you were asked to encourage others to return home, what would you do/advice? Any regrets?
DSN: By all means Sierra Leoneans need to come home if at all they can. In my opinion, it is best to set up a business, provide services of some kind, think up innovative solutions to the myriad of problems we have, go into manufacturing or farming. The list is endless. However, one needs to know the ground well and that can only be done through cultivating credible professional and business relationships over time. Also, one has to research and refine ones ideas well before implementing them. If possible, it helps to start small, work out all the kinks and hitches before ramping up.
Regrets? Not yet!!

What will become of a nation…

… that doesn’t treasure its past?

Is it that we don’t have much to be proud of in our history? Or is it that we have ‘other priorities’? Is the saying “know your future you must know your past” just another tired cliché?

I know I didn’t pick up much about Sierra Leone history in school either, probably because it was taught with such boring manner that ‘kekking’ to go play stopper football seemed a much more attractive proposition. The thing is, history should not only be taught in schools in the first place.

This topic has been on my mind for quite a while. I have previously gone on about a need to have a recognisable memorial to pay due respect to those of our fallen during the conflict which would also serve as a reminder of a place we never wish to revisit.

What brought it even more forefront to my mind was after visiting some of our heritage sites as I decided to do a few weeks ago. These are some of the sites we take tourists to, and hope to continue doing so in the future. The sites I looked at where the ones in Freetown, and the neglect in some of these National Monuments is shocking. I can’t imagine any in the provinces is much better.

Take the Old Fourah Bay College at Cline Town, an institution which made great contribution to education not only in this country but also in the sub-region and beyond. Apparently, it’s now owned by the Ports Authority and they seem intent to let it waste away… of best I say, turn into a local market/drugs den/barber shop and Lord knows what else goes on there.

Haircut anyone?

This roofless abandoned no man’s land is what used to be the prestigious Fourah Bay College so called Athens of West Africa in it’s day.

A stones throw from what used to be a wonderful piece of architecture (apparently, the original roof was made from the timber of captured slave ships) – is the National Railway Museum.

This was a pleasant surprise actually. Maybe it’s the boy in me that came out as I took a ride on the pumping trolley..I felt like something out of the Benny Hill Show, looked it too. That was fun.

This is basically alive because of the efforts of a Colonel Davies who used to be took a Colonel stationed here with IMATT. This project was to restore trains that used to be in use in Sierra Leone. This includes the coach built for Queen Elizabeth II before her visit to Sierra Leone in 1961 as well as various other steam and diesel engines (one of which is in really good condition). There are some great photos from over 50 years ago – this gives you a sense of what it used to be like and the inevitable question of where/when/how did it all go wrong.

The usual story then unfolds, they are badly in need of funding to continue their work, so please pay a visit to this place and make a contribution. The guide was great!

This was also my first visit to the Martello Tower at Parliament in Tower Hill. Martello Towers where the sort of defence mechanism of the day (a small fort) and its counterparts can be found in Britain and other countries of the former British Empire.

Ours was erected apparently because of frequent attacks from the Temne, under King Tom. It was never used in battle and was effectively a white elephant (some things never change eh?! LOL). It was later converted to a water tank to supply early Freetown. It’s now falling apart.

As is the Wharf steps and Old Guard House constructed in 1818.

and finally, Bunce Island… a piece of Sierra Leone history which connects us quite strongly to a piece of global history - a point in time that the acts of men will never be forgotten and we are allowing it to slowly become rubble with no real attempt to save what is left.

Meanwhile other castles and forts in the region which arguably are not as significant as Bunce Island have been preserved and commercialised without disrespecting those who suffered in agony within their walls. It is as if all these monuments slowly disappear we can deny this was ever part of Sierra Leone’s history. A history which we should be proud of telling our kids and their kids. We cannot change it but we can use it as proof of how far we’ve come and as a reminder of the sacrifices of those who have got us here.

So what to do? Besides overhauling the school curriculum which I think is a must at some point.. the body in charge of protecting these heritage sites is the Monuments and Relics Commission. Woefully inadequate. Whether it be because of no funding or because they are volunteers, the bottom line is the current structure is not working. Money is required no doubt, which is why I think the Commission should be put under their various City Councils. The Councils have the mandate to collect tax and the various commissions whether in Freetown, Bonthe or Kono should benefit (and be accountable) for a portion of this. Now judging from the ‘Toilet Tiles’ scenario as with the Clock Tower, the actual task of preservation and restoration probably best remains the responsibility of the Commission. They need the funding and where else is it going to come from? They could go cap in hand to Western agencies I guess, but Sierra Leone is a part of all Sierra Leoneans and we have a responsibility of preserving our history. If we do not value this then I guess we deserve what we get, and for every bit of our history that dies, the same happens to our future.

Vickie Remoe Vs. Philip Neville of Standard Times

This week in Freetown
Monday
i called Phillip Neville editor of standard times to report a certain small but recurring issue that had been brought to my attention. A couple weeks ago a friend called "Vickie u know say u picture day na paper tiday" "R u joking" "Nope, u picture day na standard times relationship/advice section"

My heart began to pound as i wondered which one of my escapades could have landed me in the papers...hmm...i could think of only one.

Well it turns out that standard times has been using a photo of me with the eyes blacked out under the headline born to rule men. The article was generally on women who control men etc. and said nothing about me at all and my image accompanied the story. I was shocked and a bit confused and though i resolved to take it up with them, i didnt.

Until...

It happened again every friday for two weeks and i realized they may never leave me alone.I called the editor and explained to him that my picture was being used in the paper without my permission. Mr. Neville said that was impossible and that i should find a copy of the paper and tell him the page. I told him i didnt have a copy but that it certainly was me as several friends had recognized me and I'd seen it myself.

He told me to call him back once i had the paper i said ok knowing full well from the sound and tone of his voice that not only did he think i was lying but that he felt he had better things to do.

I was surprised when my phone rang some ten mins later with Mr. Neville on the phone. "Okay, i have the paper. where is your picture" I told him the headline. He flipped to the page and said "This can not be you. this woman is lightskinned and she has long black hair" I was almost going to go off on an outburst about sierra leone women etc etc but simply i said "no its me, standing on pa demba rd" "it is not possible that it is you we got this image from the internet" "Okay fine. i will send u the link to the site where u got the image and the original from my desktop".

He said send it as tho he didnt believe that i was going to send it or that i would send it and he would have the last laugh

I got his email address and sent the photo and the link to my blog. At about an hour later i got a call from someone from standard times seems Mr. Neville could not handle the defeat.

Someone came on the phone "oh hello my name is so and so and i am sorry oh. we did nt know it was someone here. i searched on the internet for sierra leonean faces sorry. Anyway where in town do u leave". Ignoring his advance i said "please confirm that u will not use my image again. thank u" "Yes we wont use it again sorry" "thank u"