A Brief Glimpse into Sierra Leone

Note: Please note this relates to our visit in 2009, we are not aware of the conditions on the ground there at the moment.

Well, Africa has a funny way of producing the unexpected, and I’ve certainly had a bit of that in the last few days. Turns out I’m not actually in Senegal waiting to go to Bissau, but have ended up having to come back to Europe before going back out…not helpful for me and not helpful for the planet. Idiocy really, but excrement happens sometimes!!

Anyway, a couple of days out of Africa means a blog update amongst other things... herewith we hope you are interested by our latest piece. While Sierra Leone still has a long way to go before it is on a par with the Costa Brava for tourism, there is no war there anymore, the people are some of the most hospitable in West Africa, there are (more and more these days) tourism facilities and much wildlife and culture to see.

Tell someone you’re going to Sierra Leone and you’re likely to get a response along the lines of “isn’t there a war there?”. It is true that for close to ten years a gruesome, brutal war disfigured and destroyed this country, along with neighbouring Liberia. The story of the conflict in Sierra Leone is a sad story indeed, it was not their war, Charles Taylor vowed they would ‘taste the bitterness of war’ when they contributed troops to an African force fighting against Taylor in Liberia in the early 1990’s.

Bitterness doesn’t begin describe the horrors of a war where children were forced to torture their parents, amputations were commonplace and the drug crazed rebels seemed to not even know what they were fighting for most of the time. The stories you  hear from all sections of the population are too horrific to bear description here (if you want to know about life as a child  soldier in the war read Ishmael Beah’s ‘A Long Way Gone’) but what was equally stunning was the stoicism and dignity of people when they talked of their experiences, and often ongoing hardships from the war and its legacy.

Poverty and corruption are endemic ongoing issues of course, and based on precedent from other states in the region the people should not rely on the recently discovered oil to help them anymore than the large reserves of high quality diamonds and gold have in the past. Regardless of this, sometimes right besides the ruins of the healthy pre-war tourism industry we found many small scale tourism projects being started, often by local communities.

We were very impressed by the continuing work of the communities managing the Banana Islands Guesthouse and River No.2 Beach Eco-Chalets. Of course you wouldn’t come here expecting cable TV and a jacuzzi, but you can find clean rooms with water and a friendly management for whom nothing seems too much trouble (even swimming clothed through a river to find a canoe to come and take us back to the hotel!)

That’s enough text for now, more on the mysterious Bafodia will follow..

Old Fourah Bay College, an island of colonial architecture in the sobering impoverished urban sprawl of Freetown.

Outside Freetown, some of the most busy food markets seem to be at otherwise isolated road junctions.

The city of Kenema, where the streets are paved with chocolate! Kenema is also a center for diamonds.

Our guides were kind enough to be our sponsors so that we were invited to see the wares of one local diamond trader. Sitting in a corrugated iron shack looking at thousands of dollars of rough diamond someone just pulled out of their jeans wrapped in a worn piece of writing paper from an exercise book was one of the more unusual experiences..

Beyond mineral wealth, Sierra Leone has much wildlife wealth in the remoter areas.

You can get a close look at the chimanzees in the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary just near Freetown. You're looking at 98.6% of our DNA...see anyone you know?!

On Tiwai Island, close to the Liberian border, there are 11 species of primate on one small island.. as well as pygmy hippos!

Aside from primates there are some nice birds to see like this bee-eater. If you are committed enough, you can also see the famous but very rare Picathartes bird...

The beautiful butterflies also deserve mention.

Our most unusual wildlife was without doubt a baby pangolin. Interestingly, in the local language of Krio this animal is called 'shame beef' as it rolls up into a ball and hides its face if surprised!

Outside of Freetown the children are always keen to make contact. You're sure to learn the word for 'white man' in quite a few tribal languages!!

'Greens' are a staple village food, often pounded up and served with palm oil.

Local cloth is often colourful.

Islam is a major religion in Sierra Leone, with an African touch - without loudspeakers they use a tribal drum instead.

Local muslim women - we were invited to take their picture, we didn't ask.

Some houses have old photographs on their walls from colonial times, here section chief Al-mami Hadi displays a picture of his ancestor - a famous chief.

Paramount Chief Al-Haji Al-Mami Hamidu I of Wara-Wara Bafodia chiefdom with his older brother.

Paramount chiefs have certain articles of office. His Highness Hamidu I has a staff with a brass topknot embelished with the British royal seal from colonial days - a real piece of history. Before becoming paramount chief he had a distinguished 38 year military career and fought in many African conflicts including Congo, the Biafra war and Liberia.

Away from the towns and villages, another tribe called the Fulani live a nomadic cattle herding existence.

The inside of a Fulani house is amazingly cool due to its clever construction to minimise the heat absorbed and trapped inside without air currents. Walls are made from cow dung mixed with dust plastered onto woven twigs.

Doesn't look like cow shit huh? (And no it doesn't smell..). The smooth colour and texture sometimes gives a strangely artistic feel.

Great organic food too.. fresh eggs and (unpasteurised) yogurt aplenty from the cows.

What 'Salone' is maybe most famous for in tourism terms are its beaches, such as River No. 2 Beach.

Further along the same beach we came across the muslim fishing village of Tokeh.

Sardines are the common catch, many of which are dried and then sold in Freetown.

Networking, Salone style!