Travelogue: From Freetown to Dar es Salaam
The centre of Dar es Salaam
The journey to witness the Airtel Rising Star / Manchester United football clinic in Tanzania was long; it took us almost twelve hours in a flight that saw us stopping over in Accra and Nairobi, but it was one that I truly enjoyed. Even though we kept waiting for almost two hours at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi to get a flight to our final destination; I savoured every moment of it as I kept surveying the striking savannah landscape that contrast with my mountainous and usually forested backdrop in Freetown.
This trip to East Africa was always set to be an interesting and insightful one, on crossing the Freetown River on our speedboat we bumped into one of Sierra Leone most famous guest of recent years, Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal who was visiting Freetown for the first time. In her company was her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Princess Royal, who is the second child and only daughter of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visit means so much to Sierra Leonean. The visit showed that our country has moved forward and such visit is an indication of the progress we have made in attaining peace and post war development. As both boats crossed path, Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal and her husband waved to us with smiles.
We reached Ghana around 20:00 GMT, and although and there’s no doubt that Ghana is a country moving forward. Even from the skies you can see that the gold coast had come a long way and a Ghanaian who joined us on his way to Australia gave me an indication of why Ghana has been soliciting the attention of many across Africa and beyond. Democracy, he told me his country is on a march towards people’s power since after years of dictatorship and military rule, “We are clearly moving forward and I have a strong belief that in five years time we will overtake Botswana as the emblem of democracy in Africa.” I agree, Ghana have decriminalised libel, there’s a freedom of information act, opposition knows that they can get to power if it’s the people’s will, a free and open society, et al, above all else this has brought stability and growth in a country once ranked as one of the least developed in the continent.
The flight to Nairobi was the longest of the journeys but yet still I could hardly sleep and upon reaching the Jomo Kenyatta Airport. Kenya is a country that impresses me too, take a look at Kenya Airways, it’s an example of an African business working, they have some shortcomings but overall they impress me and the scale of their operations across Africa is unimaginable and they are undoubtedly an African success story. Kenya is a country that cannot boast of the many resources that has been a curse to countries like mine – but notwithstanding this they are functioning and the country just bewitch you. It pains me that Al-Shabab want to create problems to the hub of East Africa, I hope they do not succeed because that will have unforeseen consequences. The immediate eye catcher are the duty free stores, but when the exterior became conspicuous – the landscape gives you a fine view of Nairobi.
My biggest disappointment on this trip came when the pilot on flight KQ 481 heading for Dar es Salaam showed us Mount Kilimanjaro, the view is one of the best natural scene I had ever seen, the camera wasn’t with me and I failed to capture a view that was so fascinating. Now I am in Tanzania and like the others it’s a country that impresses me to. I’ll be here for the coming days so expect more from my travelogue diary, stay tuned.
Lovely Kenema, Sierra Leone Eastern Hub
I am currently in the bustling eastern town of Kenema, Sierra Leone and fortunately for me though I was on a different mission – my visit coincided with the arrival in town of SLPP presidential aspirant Julius Maada Bio in Kenema a day after he was reportedly injured in Bo as a result of political violence. Elections 2012 promises to be an interesting elections but I hate it when anything turns to violence in our country. We have gone through many things and I do not think we can stomach more negative news for this country. The people of Kenema, Bo, Makeni, Kambia, Kono et al are all lovely folks. We really do not need to turn to violence to express our political stance, remember this is the land that we all love.
A guest house in Kenema
Kenema Hangha Road from Capitol Hotel view
Local residents of Kenema go about their business whilst others go to rally
Kenema motor park
Sierra Leone Maada Bio Faces Huge Challenge
Sierra Leone is a country that has gone through many dramatic events in the past two decades and this past Sunday another modest drama unfolded at the Miatta Conference Hall in Freetown – this drama was much more controlled and played out well according to plan. The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), which is now the principal opposition party voted former Junta leader Brigadier-General Julius Maada Bio as its candidate for next year’s presidential elections. Bio who scored 238 votes as against Usman Boie Kamara’s 186 votes has a huge challenge in hand. Firstly, he has to come clear about his image – as leader in the notorious National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) military regime which ruled Sierra Leone from April 1991-1996, he has many questions to answer. His past will come under more scrutiny than at any other time since he handed power back to civilians in 1996. Bio overthrew fellow coup plotter Captain Valentine Strasser as head of Sierra Leone military government in January 1996 and went on to rule before handing power to Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. The regime that he was part of detained, tortured and summarily executed Sierra Leonean nationals at a time the RUF rebellion was raging in the countryside, but Bio has a place to lean – he has consistently stated he never ordered the execution or arrest of anybody and was not happy with some of these things that happened. And thankfully for him, the much heralded Truth Commission for Sierra Leone never named him in any abuse cited during his tenure. One thing that is sure is that he remains a popular figure in the SLPP strongholds of Sierra Leone and can count on their support and much more importantly for those in the south that believed the vote for Charles Margai was a NO vote against Solomon Berewa in the last general elections. There is a belief that Bio will likely reclaim what has come to be known as the SLPP’s lost vote in the south of the country. There were nineteen persons vying to lead the SLPP, but it was clear that Bio was far ahead of them because he simply won the hearts and minds of the strong SLPP caucus. They moved his campaign and without spending much money compared to the likes of Usu Boie, he simply won the vote. Staking himself apart from former SLPP flag bearer, Solomon Berewa, Bio knows that unlike his predecessor he has legitimacy and he can proudly unite his party: “I implore all of you to work closely with me so that we can achieve our goals together,” Bio said after his clear victory was confirmed by the party. This will surely be the strength of Bio, he can count on a united party this time round. However, it is surely not going to be easy for the ex serviceman, since 2007, President Ernest Bai Koroma has embarked on road and energy development and put together large-scale mineral deals, but it has not been rosy, Sierra Leone still face huge challenges of poverty and unemployment and like most global economy there has been a considerable rise in basic commodities and food price. The problem in Sierra Leone is that income is still very low and rise in prices have not matched others in the sub region. That said, Ernest Koroma is a very popular figure in Freetown and the North and many of his supporters believe that he needs to be given time to bring more development to the country. Will Maada Bio give him that chance, elections 2012 is just round the corner and Sierra Leoneans will once more decide.
African Sports’ Search For Quality And Sponsorship
The passion for sports in Africa is undoubtedly enormous, from Cairo to Cape Town and from Freetown to Mombasa there is an unwavering love for a variety of sports ranging from football to athletics. However, this massive public support and love for sports in Africa have not been translated into massive commercial sponsorship for the continent’s most loved sporting disciplines. There is a dearth of corporate sponsorship of sports in Africa, and the situation is so serious that even the continent’s most loved sports of football has not been spared. Many football leagues across the continent have faced standstill or serious delays and disruptions to the league because of lack of funds.
One of the greatest concerns to African sports organizers, football associations and other bodies is how and from whom to secure financial and material assistance. According to Gbenegbara Amos Deemua, a Nigerian PE Scholar, in Nigeria, despite the presence of big companies the Nigerian government and indeed many other countries in Africa have for a long time remained the sole sponsor of competitive sports. In other poor countries such as Sierra Leone wherein the government lack enough resources, sports organisers are forced to rely on very slim hand-outs from companies. For instance the Sierra Leone Premier league was delayed for six months this (2010-2011) season as a result of lack of sponsors, at the end two companies came in and gave some money which was far below the projected cash the Premier League Board needed, Sierra Leonean FA officials privately told journalists that they accepted the money because they had no other option but in reality the sum given to them was very embarrassing for a whole top division league.
A few years back, Ugandan boxers used to share gum shields, eat sugarcane as refreshments and train on empty stomachs. It was almost the same story in club football, athletics and all other minor sports in Uganda, the reason for this was because there was not sponsorships or enough of it.
The story across the continent paints a very ugly picture at the lack of sponsorship or enough of it, but analysts are portraying a very favourable picture of the future prospects of sports in the continent. They believe businesses are seeing new potential as the number of satellite viewers in the continent grow and the increase of internet users is viewed as many as a strong lure for businesses that hopes to capture the imagination of the public. There is a threat though, and it comes from the professional leagues of Europe, many in the continent are turning for pleasure to Europe and even now as I write this story – African companies are sponsoring television programmes that broadcast European leagues just to target the African public and millions of Africans are flocking to video centres every weekends to watch the English Premier leagues and Spanish La Liga. Some say this is the reason some African companies are not eager enough to pour cash in the country league.
Renowned British sports business consultant, Mr Graham Hollins, says Africa needs the support of business and trained professionals in various areas of sports business to change the face of sports on the continent and also tap into the huge resources and opportunities available for exploitation.
Sports, especially competitive sports require huge amount of money for its organization especially in the sphere of purchase and maintenance of sports facilities and equipment. The good news is companies like Castle Lager, MTN, Glo and SAB Ltd are getting to terms with the reality of pouring cash in sports tournaments in Africa. In a deal facilitated by MEGAPRO, it was announced on recently that Castle
Lager will sponsor the newly renamed Castle Tri-Nations Rugby series, all test
series in South Africa and the overseas tours by the Springboks making Castle the largest sponsors of sports in South Africa which has the best sponsored sporting franchise in Africa.
In Nigeria companies like Coca-cola, Nigerian Breweries, Guinness, Mobil etc have contributed to the improvement of sports preparations recently and studies show that sponsorships are on the rise. Other corporate bodies and business institutions like Globacom, Shell, Nestle, Milo and Africell are also increasing their sponsorship budget of competitive sports across Africa.
While Castle Lager’s presence has been largely felt in the Southern part of the continent where it has it’s largest market, MTN has succeeded in having their presence felt in almost all part of sub-saharan Africa. MTN has been CAF leading sponsor in all major CAF tournaments including the Champions League and Confederations cup, MTN are also sponsoring other sporting disciplines, MTN started sponsoring basketball in 2004 in East Africa, in Uganda MTN is the main sponsor of the national basketball league that have about 12 teams (eight men) and four (women).
However, it has to be noted that despite the rise in sponsorship, football has been the main receiver of funds and many other disciplines including athletics have been receiving less. This is perhaps because most Africans are mainly interested in football and sponsors are definitely looking for areas of massive public interest.
Magnus Rex Danquah, President of Ethel-Jane University, noted “Sports business is an emerging industry with a strong financial base and if we do it well there will be integrated business for professionals in various fields. There is a lot more business in sports than we can imagine,” he said. Most experts and sports organisers African Sports Magazine contacted expressed their belief that despite the good work being done by many such as Castle Lager and MTN across Africa, more needs to be done by other profitable companies such as mining companies and mobile telecoms.
Africa surely needs sponsorship to enhance the level of its various sporting disciplines and attract quality and huge public interest. Surely, more needs to be done on the part of sports bodies and organisers to wipe out corruption and make competitions much more organise and efficient to attract corporate sponsors.
Sierra Leone Premier League Kicks Off After Long Delay
Local football fans turn out at the launch of the 2011 Sierra Leone Premier League
After a delay of about six months, the Sierra Leone Premier League finally kicks off tonight (26 February, 2011) at the National Stadium in Freetown after a much protracted delay. The nation’s premier football league has been postponed several times and because of the delay, the league will be played on a one match basis. Teams will not play on a home and away basis and instead they will only play on a one leg basis, according to John Konteh of the Premier League board the one-leg basis was chosen because the league wanted to enable Sierra Leone to present teams in time to take part in CAF continental tournaments.
The league which is co-sponsored by leading mobile company Africell will once more put to test the progress Sierra Leone football has made in recent times. In earnest, football in Sierra Leone is still struggling and the main reason for the delay was due to lack of sponsors. An executive of one of the leading company that turned down an approach for sponsorship told me her company refused because they do not trust the efficiency of the board and the Sierra Leone FA, the source who chose to be anonymous because she has friendly ties members of the Premier League Board (PLB) and the FA noted that as long as Sierra Leone football fails to portray a genuine corporate and corrupt free image they will always struggle to get a good sponsorship deal. In launching the league, new minister of sports Paul Kamara insinuated this concern and said they are working to give the nation’s football a facelift and bring back those glory days when football was not only a revered sport across the country but also when football was run by reputable people. New PLB head, Rodney Michael in his opening speech today pledged to do exactly that and promised that they will surely try to give credence and success to Sierra Leone football. That will surely be a tough bet that all of us will be looking towards.
In the league opening fixture, Ports Authority takes on Mighty Blackpool and the match had a frantic opening as both sides tried to take advantage early on. Halfway into the first half Blackpool keeper made a huge misjudgement when he elbowed Port’s Muhahid Sesay inside the box, the referee wasted no time and pointed for the spot kick, Blackpool goalie Banjou was lucky to escape a possible red with the referee choosing to give a yellow card instead. Port’s however took the lead after Donald Wellington stepped up and coolly sent the keeper the wrong way. Port supporters celebrated the first goal in the 2011 Premier League season.
Mighty Blackpool star Lamin Suma gave his team a glimmer of hope after he levelled the score with a spectacular forty yard strike that rifled into the net giving the Port’s goalie no chance. Ports Authority, the team who had dominated this match surely got the advantage after Mighty Blackpool’s Baimba Kamara was sent off. In the 80th minute Muhahid Sesay took advantage of a defensive blunder in the Blackpool defence and bailed the ball over the advancing goalie. It was the final goal of the match, but Port’s known here as the Water Front Boys surely deserved this victory and they will look on to build on this for the rest of the season.
Another Positive Image For Sierra Leone
The first thing that came to my mind when I heard on BBC news that a Sierra Leonean cab driver in New York city found a bag containing $100,000 worth of jewellery, photographs and cash in the back seat of his taxi, tracked down the passenger who left it and gave it back, I said wow, for a long time I haven’t heard such a good news for my country in the western media. This appealing account of a modest immigrant’s frankness was aired and featured in many western news outlets. But in Sierra Leone, many are still unaware of the pride the 42 years Zubiru Jalloh has brought to his beloved homeland: to me he is something of a national hero, who has done his own path to portray the good image of Sierra Leone around the world.
Since he handed over the bag of valuables, Mr. Jalloh has been the centre of attention, from the news media onslaught to the phone calls from friends and family to his newfound fame among the community of cabdrivers, who constantly tease him that he was a fool to return the loot. According to US press reports, a couple who recognized him the day after the story broke gave him $20 for a $7 fare. A mechanic who repaired his taxi knocked $20 off his bill.
To many who visit our country, this will not be a surprise for them, but to millions out there who have never set foot here – this will go a long way to tell who the average Sierra Leonean is. To my surprise, the local Sierra Leonean media has largely missed this story. I think they should pick on this and use it to portray the truly kind and generally loving and candid spirit Sierra Leoneans have for strangers and foreigners. In a truly frank way, this is a story that will make you proud to be a Sierra Leonean. At a time the country is trying to rebrand and let people know that Sierra Leone is ready for business and tourism, I think the APC led government should pick on this as a marketing tool and celebrate this great and candid act.
Footballer Returns To His Community With Charity
Rodney Strasser will attempt to take on a new challenge off the pitch in helping his countrymen
After only three years since he left his modest KroJimmy/Fourah Bay Community to play for Italian football giant, AC Milan and Sierra Leonean international Rodney Strasser is returning back to his community this December with a charity to help children and disadvantaged people in Sierra Leone.
Rodney Strasser revealed to me that his main aim will be to: “Support under-privileged Sierra Leoneans such as children, amputees and the handicapped through care and hope.”
To start this Rodney Strasser hopes to begin no further than his local KroJimmy/Fourah Bay community where he began his football career that has now taken him to the Rossoneri where he plays football and dines with world football stars like Rohnaldinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. “I will never forget where I come from, it was only about three years ago that I used to rub skin with these people now I feel a desire to help them and offer them something that can help improve their lives.” The Sierra Leonean international hopes to kick off his charity at the Fourah Bay field, where he will have a charity match on Wednesday 22nd December.
The charity foundation that has been coined by the football star as Supporting Under-privileged through Care and Hope (SUCH) is set to be launched with a press conference in Freetown immediately when the Italian Serie A takes a Christmas break on the 19th December and Rodney revealed that he has a lot to donate and this is something he feels obliged to do. “It’s a responsibility and trust me I do not see this as a favour, but I view it as a moral responsibility to my countrymen.”
Born in Freetown, Strasser joined Milan from local club FC Kallon in 2007, and coming back to Freetown the player also hopes to pay respect to people who have contributed to his professional career like his dad and FC Kallon owner Mohamed Kallon.
During his time in the AC Milan youth system, he was a member of the under-20 side who triumphed in the Coppa Italia Primavera in 2010, 25 years after the team’s last success in the competition. He also made his debut for the AC Milan first team in a league game against Udinese on 21 December 2008, coming off the bench in the final minutes.
Freetown Planning Dilemma
View of Freetown's skyline from above the hills of Signal Hill
It is no secret that Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown is currently in a planning dilemma. From the upscale suburb Hill Stations to the far eastern sections of Lumpa in Waterloo, there is a massive rise in construction of houses and new communities are sprouting up everywhere. There is also an unprecedented expansion in areas that are reserved for future development by government and areas once deemed as very unsafe to live, just at the back of Bishops Court on the wharf adjacent to Queen Elizabeth II Quay, there is a whole new community just about few years old. The small portion of beach that existed before has been covered by new houses banked against the flowing tide from the ocean. The roads that lead to many of the houses there are as dangerous as the position of the community itself, narrow footpath and rickety foot bridges. The houses, most of which are built of dirt clay and zinc are so crammed against each other, that in an event of a fire accident in a, there is very little chance that any of the houses could be spared. It is interesting to note that this was an area once slated for an expansion plan of Freetown harbour. In Lumpa, Waterloo, there are over two hundred new houses being built and the majority of the houses are being built in a scattered manner. Despite the vastness of the new communities, there are very few roads and there are little signs of gutters and sewage system is almost non-existent. Some of the houses do not even have toilets or bath rooms. Travel further west and even the upscale suburb of IMATT or Regent, the home of the magnificent US Embassy; there are new communities sprouting up around the beautifully built houses in the area, and in the midst of beautiful residential quarters there is a big building material store in what is suppose to be a purely residential community. Almost everywhere in Freetown, there is a clear evidence that the city is not planned to modern standards says Joe Doherty, a Sierra Leonean scholar at the Department of Geography, University of St Andrews. “Go up to the peninsula area and take a look downtown, you will hardly spot road networks in all the communities, spontaneous expansions are the order of the day. Everyone go about putting structures virtually everywhere without proper coordination and planning with the authorities. Something is definitely wrong.” He says. In a scholarly article published in the UK, he argues that the perpetuation of housing problems in Freetown and the failure to implement housing policies cannot be attributed merely to bureaucratic inadequacies and resource limitations. “They can only be fully understood by reference to the way the main agents of housing provision, the private market and the state, operate in the specific social and economic conditions of underdeveloped capitalism.” In an exclusive interview with Sierra Eye, Minister of Lands, Country Planning and the Environment, Dr Dennis Sandy acknowledged the huge planning problems faced by Freetown such as the rapid growth of structures and new communities everywhere. He expressed dismay about people blocking access roads in areas such as Waterloo and his main concern was people are consistently breaking and flouting building regulations and the Freetown Improvement Act. But he said that there are concrete plans by the incumbent government to change this scenario by expanding the current road networks and making the city a much better place to reside. Citing the current hill side road project in the eastern part of the city as one of the first move in that direction, he also revealed plans to expand other roads in the city such as Wilkinson Road to a four lane. “We are trying to see how best we can give a facelift to the city, and of course we are also trying to decongest Freetown and emphasising the planning aspect and the enforcement of the laws governing lands, housing and planning,” said Dr Sandy. The Minister angrily reacted to any thought that Freetown is becoming a slum, saying that view is a very insensitive one. “We are seriously working to improve the current state of the city despite moves to enforce the law in achieving this we expect people to heed the call of the president to accept altitudinal change and stop illegal act such as building structures in the SLRA right of way and the illegal occupation of government lands,” he concluded. However, further afield there are little signs of change as many developers struggle to put up variety of structures in the deforested areas of Juay, in the eastern part of the city. The houses most of which are not crammed together are being built in a scattered manner, and for Lamin Sesay who started building a one flat structure last year this is the dream of his life: “I have worked for over fifteen years now and now I am thankful to Allah for letting me achieve my dream of building a new house for my family. It’s really not easy for me, he said. Despite the virtual non-existence of basic infrastructures such as roads, electricity and water near his site; Lamin is visibly a happy man as he watched workers put his house together. When Sierra Eye put it to Lamin that he might not get the correct papers to build on that land or permission from the authorities to put up the type of structures he is putting up, Lamin reacted with utmost confidence showing series of papers which he claimed was given to him by survey and housing officials who parade through most of these communities. As Lamin tried to explain to us, some of these officials were approaching a nearby land where workers were unearthing the ground for a new foundation to be laid. Lamin pointed to us, these are the officials and they monitor all these new structures around here. We approached them and tried to talk to them but when they became aware that we were journalists, they backed off and quickly disappear from the area. They claimed they are not officially permitted to talk to the press and despite us trying to squeeze through a question why are they giving building permit to people even when the structural arrangements looked so shabby and disorganised? There was no response from them. A house owner in the area who prefers to be anonymous told us that these officials are clearly not interested in anything apart from the money that they collect from builders. “They only come so that they can get money from us,” he said. However, he claimed that house owners are trying to ensure that there are spaces for roads so that they don’t end up having a crammed up community. Another planning dilemma in Freetown has been the absence of an efficient waste disposal system; most gutters across the city are blocked throughout the year and as a result of this most streets become over flooded during the rainy season. In the east of the city, it is far worse, some inhabitants throw their waste at night in street corners when the gutters are filled. Although, the Freetown City Council provides waste disposal trucks and carts, the city is just too vast and some communities are off limit making the task of waste management a serious problem. Areas that once catered for waste disposal now have houses or other structures standing on them, almost all the waste disposal sites in the city have vanished. Most observers have in the past warned about the imminent dangers and over-congesting and rapid rise of structures in dangerous communities in the city, Councilor Mr. Mohamed Kargbo in a drive to save lives and property the Freetown City Council has been issuing warning notices to the people living in various dangerous communities in the city to quit those areas but they are not getting any cooperation. Of late there have even been fatalities in these communities especially during the rainy season. Last rainy season a huge rock at the edge of a ravine at Culvert along Bai Bureh Road, a few yards from the Bumeh dumping site in the East end of Freetown collapsed killing four people and injuring nine. Inhabitants within the vicinity said the incident occurred at around 1:00 am during the torrential rain when almost everybody within the neighbourhood was asleep. The huge stone with a mass of loose earth crashed down upon a structure positioned underneath it burying all the occupants. Neighbours and security personnel rushed to the scene in a desperate bid to rescue them but the mudslides, torrential rains and lack of proper rescue equipment made it very difficult. The Member of Parliament representing Constituency 102 Hon. Eustace King said the Freetown City Council had already issued warning notices to the inhabitants to quit the area but they did not heed the advice. He referred to the situation as pathetic and heart-breaking taking into cognizance the catastrophic dimension and further stated that he was again warning those dwelling in such a deadly spot to move forthwith as the area is a hazardous zone. Some of the inhabitants of these areas are pointing the fingers on government. At the back of Prince of Wales in the Kroo Bay slum, Morlai Turay living at No 2 May Street who happens to be one of the unfortunate slum dwellers said he is living there not by his choice. “I knew living here is risky and dangerous for me and my family, but I clearly don’t have another option.” Morlai whose house is banked on the sea and having a rock hanging just above the cliff behind said he chose to live there rather getting back to his village where his three children might have had little chance of gaining education. Morlai said it is not their fault, but that of the government who has failed over the years to provide low cost housing estate for poor people like them. “When was the last time the government embarked upon a programme to build low cost houses in the city? We are being forced to live in these places even though there are dangers to us and our children because our leaders have no strategy to develop the city,” said an angry Morlai. When a city is overcrowded and lack efficeient housing, even the dead feel the effect of the pressure, many of the cemeteries in Freetown have been encroached by dwellers. Houses are not only being built on burial grounds from the Circular Road to Kissy Road Cemetery, but overcrowding means a clear interaction between the dead and alive. During the day, it is not uncommon for group of people sitting on top of graves at Kissy Road Cemetery, traders and women selling foodstuff can be seen right in the Cemetery selling their food items and cookeries. At Race Course Cemetery it is almost the same situation but made far worse because of it nearness to the Bomeh waste disposal site. Nonetheless, there are huge new building structures at the back of the Cemetery. And most inhabitants use the Cemetery as their route. Whilst the Freetown City Council has succeeded in closing the gates at Kissy Road Cemetery at nights, they are struggling to do the same at Race Course. Isatu Kamara one of those living at edge of Race Course Cemetery said that since the war brought them to Freetown they have struggled to find a place to live in the city. “We know this place is not safe for us and healthy for us, but my brother where can we go?” She asked. Living between the dead and the massive pile garbage of Bomeh is a way of life for many here. The situation is made worse by the usual smoke from the burning of garbage which hangs up like cloud in the air. But many of the children in the fog of the smoke joyfully kicking socks ball in the area are clearly symbolising the acceptance spirit of staying put in the area, despite the hazards. The UN-HABITAT, a UN body seeking improvement for people faced with dangerous housing conditions has called for the improvement of slum and informal settlements in Freetown. In offering a solution for the rising problems, they called for the proper identification and mapping of all slum and informal settlements in Freetown, carrying out of an extensive review of the literature on the housing situation in Freetown, and also the analysis of the housing, environmental sanitation and socio-economic situation in a selected slum/informal settlement in Freetown. But for the moment, housing, waste management, traffic and planning difficulties mean that even if appropriate measures are taken it is going to take time for Freetown to have a normal face-lift.
We are much better than you think Mninawa Ntloko
One of the most sickening aspects of journalism is when you see people that you expect much from misusing and degrading the profession. As a sports editor of your average South African newspaper, you expect that person to at least be a professional journalist that carefully observes and do cautious investigation before running to very degrading and flawed conclusion about a whole nation. Mninawa Ntloko is the sport editor for South African BusinessDay newspaper; he was among the Bafana delegation that came to Sierra Leone for last week AFCON. He spent about 36 hours in my country (most of which was spent at night) and yet still he has a whole bunch of conclusions and false perceptions. I don’t want to give credence to one of the most reckless piece of journalistic work I have ever seen so I won’t dilate on most of the bogus claims Mninawa made about my country.
For those of you who might like to look at his piece, here is a brief preview and the link;
Excerpts; {A short drive from Lungi International Airport — if you want to call it that — took us to the banks of the big Sierra Leone river at about 3am. We transferred to a waiting ferry and this thing then negotiated the dark waters in a journey that lasted more than 45 minutes. Another rickety bus picked us up on the other side and took us to Hotel Bintumani, which is situated at the peak of the hills around a suburb — again, if you call it that — called Aberdeen. The receptionist at Hotel Bintumani — which is run by the Chinese — claimed that this was the best and the largest luxury accommodation in Freetown and we were privileged to be guests in the establishment. The shocking condition of the sheets in my room told a very different story and it is anyone’s guess if the linen has been changed recently. Don’t even get me started about the condition of the towels! My word! We only managed to absorb the full horror of our surroundings when the sun came up, and I have got to say the effects of the decade-long civil conflict has ravaged Sierra Leone. Abundant poverty is everywhere and it’s no wonder that most women have no choice but to become prostitutes. Their currency — the Leone — is not worth the paper it’s printed on and our hosts from the Sierra Leone Football Association had to empty the contents of a big bag just to pay for our meals at a local restaurant. The hotel staff spent nearly 30 minutes counting stacks and stacks of money while we looked on in amazement. The Bafana players kept to their rooms and made the best of the situation. We got our first glimpse of the Brookfields National Stadium on Saturday afternoon and it is small wonder that football governing body Fifa has banned the place a few times in the past. Grazing fields in Tsomo Mission are opulent in comparison to the cabbage patch that greeted us.} (http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=123618).
What I will rather like to say is that Mninawa reminds me of what happened before the start of the worldcup in South Africa, there was so much bad press about South Africa in the western media that many people outside Africa thought that the worldcup wasn’t going to take place here. Such was the bad press that Jerome Valcke, Fifa secretary general railed against what he termed the “really bad and sad” reporting in Europe, and in particular Germany and England, which, he said, was skewing perceptions of South Africa and harming ticket sales then. The unique thing was that we Africans outside South Africa took this as a direct attack on us, we rallied and hope for the best outcome, even though most of us could not afford ticket to the worldcup, we supported South Africa as if it was our darling Leone Stars. During the worldcup vuvuzela littered Freetown and the noises it produced was a constant reminder here that Africa was having a unique event in which we affectionately feel a part of despite being far away from the venues. It is sad when you read Mninawa’s article to see how he degraded our country and our women especially, among other demeaning and outrageous accusations he referred to Sierra Leone as a place were “most women have no choice but to become prostitutes”. He basically turned a sport report into a very nasty attack on our country and more so most of the claims he made are incorrect. There is no doubt that Sierra Leone is still recovering after a devastating war, but to portray this kind of exaggerated and negative impression is too bad for the country, I really see some ignorance in the article because like someone mentioned Bintumani is not the best hotel in Sierra Leone, if they choose Bintumani, then it’s their fault because they had an advanced team here three weeks before their arrival. And like Mninawa himself mentioned in all that poverty and depravity, the SLFA managed to pay for their meals and instead of graceful gratitude, he sees it fit to heap criticism on the value of our currency. To add insults to injury, as if Freetown was a quarantined enclave he asserted “The journey itself was preceded by a pill-popping exercise that team doctor Ephraim Nematswerani insisted was absolutely necessary to counter the myriad diseases that we were expected to encounter in Freetown.” Yet still, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia warns Americans travelling to South Africa of the high level of risk for vaccine-preventable diseases like measles/mumps/rubella, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Typhoid and Rabies if they are interacting with open communities. There is a red alert for HIV/AIDS and many other diseases too in South Africa – I did all this research not to embarrass the decent and hardworking people of South Africa but to expose the unnecessary attack by Mninawa on my country. Tony Blair, David Beckham, Angelina Jolie, Madeleine Albright, Akon, Ryan Giggs et al have all come here after the war and interacted with open societies but they have not left with a scourge or disease. South Africa has the highest number of HIV/AIDS infected people in the world, the 2007 UNAIDS report estimated that 5,700,000 South Africans had HIV/AIDS, or just under 12% of South Africa’s population of 48 million, prostitution is rife and generally the cause of the huge spread of this pandemic and yet still this journalist ignores that and branded my country’s mostly hardworking career women as relying on prostitution. Most of the critical western visitors that have visited Sierra Leone have in no doubt cited the presence of poverty here (which is rife in South Africa also) but at the same time they have spoken about our unique hospitality, beautiful beaches and fine tropical foods. But for this sports editor called Mninawa, all those are non-existent and instead it is appalling fabrications and hyperbole and our money which is valuable than some of South Africa’s neighbours which captivated his attention most. Some of his other cheap lies included his false claim that the new Sierra Leone Manchester City Fan Club bus that picked them up from the ferry was rickety and shaking apart as they move. For those of you who know that bus, could you believe that? Another is his assertions that travelling to Sierra Leone was so gruelling that it was better they didn’t come with a commercial flight which would have lasted 36 hours, surely everyone who plies that route knows normal flight with stopovers only takes you about 12 hours from Johannesburg to Freetown. The people of South Africa surely needs a more better and professional reporter to give them the true picture of their beloved Bafana Bafana’s exploits in the continent not this Mninawa Ntloko.
Leone Stars Show Progress As Bafana Fight For Draw
Siphiwe Tshabalala tussles with Sierra Leone captain Obreh in midfield
Bafana Bafana held on this time round in Freetown and valiantly defended to get a well deserved draw at the National Stadium in Freetown. The home side knew they needed a win and with striker Kei Kamara and defender Ibrahim Marcel Koroma been the two changes that faced Egypt in Cairo. Leone Stars of Sierra Leone knew they needed to up their performance in the absent of the two Stars. The match which started in a heated Freetown was witnessed by a capacity full crowd cheering Sierra Leone and the presence of Vuvuzelas in the crowd at one point seems to bemuse the South Africans.
The much heralded and planned pot-cover versus Vuvuzela by Sierra Leonean fans never materialised as the Sierra Leone FA made it clear to Sierra Leonean supporters that they will not allow pot cover inside the National Stadium grounds. Leone stars were the more enterprising of the two teams and if it wasn’t for the animated and in-form South African Goalie, Itumeleng Khune the score line would have been 3 or 4 nil for the home side. The draw put South Africa are at the top of Group G with four points after today’s 0-0 draw against Sierra Leone in Freetown as Niger shocked group favourites Egypt 1-0 in Niamey. South Africa coach, Pitso Mosimane was visibly worried as his Bafana Bafana side defended deeply against a seemingly goal-desperate Sierra Leone. Itumeleng Khune was definitely the man of the match as he made strings of wonderful saves, Sierra Leonean stiker – Mohamed Pobosky Bangura was a constant threat as the home side threatened to take a lead that never came. The South Africans were very cautious and kept on wasting time as Sierra Leone pushed forward. As Mohamed Pobosky Bangura was left stranding for support upfront some Sierra Leonean supporters were asking for Mohamed Kallon saying his support would have been vital for the stiker. The largely popular Siphiwe Tshabalala known and cheered on by many Sierra Leoneans was very quiet in the match and was replaced but the pressure continued for Bafana and they held on to a draw that leaves them in the driving seat for this group G. Star Man of the Match – South Africa No 16, Itumeleng Khune
