A wonderful visit to Freetown 10 years ago and a yearning to return.
You don’t have to visit but you can enjoy the thrills through my words.
Nothing could have prepared me for Freetown. I expected to see lights, tall buildings, and lovely Infrastructure but I was shocked.
- The Arrival
First, the airport was too small to be an international airport. Then l took a cab to the ferry terminal where there were only 3 ferries, a couple of canoes, and a speedboat.
The "port rats" practically snatched passengers from the shore to drop us into the speed boat for a few thousand Leones.
The next canoe that came by had not reached the shoreline before they jumped in and snatched up passengers too.
It was a bumpy ride even on the sea and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I was anxious to see the town itself and as I got off the boat and drove into the city I was speechless.
All words from my mind vanished, only one thought remained: “Lost City”. Had I found a city lost in the past, a city that was paused in the past?
- Initial impression
At first, I appreciated that considering the war the country endured but as we moved deeper into the city, I felt my heart sink further. There was poverty in the land.
There was undevelopment and a resignation in the air that it couldn't get better.
The roads got narrower, stray dogs littered the streets. People, both young and old seem to have taken to sitting outside doing nothing as if waiting... watching.
- Freetown growing on me
Despite My First impression, | learned something from Freetown; they loved to relax. From Friday evening to Saturday, they hung out at nightclubs. Don’t be surprised to see skimpy dressed heavily pregnant women dancing in the clubs.
Sundays are spent on the beaches. And oh did they have lovely beaches.
Each day we rode to town from our hilltop 5-star hotel and I saw the squalor they felt all around.
Yet a piece of me started to fall in tune with the town, the rhythm, the people. I was very reluctant to film this city, to expose these people, where they live, how they lived. It was like defiling them.
Sierra Leoners are a proud people, they love their land, they love their freedom, they love nature, and the sunshine on them.
They love the cool breeze of the beaches and their FREEDOM.
- Blending in
One night we drove back from the beach and I was surprised to see lone figures walking the road at almost midnight, making calls on their phones without fear of harassment.
I was at the beach around midnight, it was bubbly with life. Cars parked on the curb, people on the beaches just relaxing.
Some sat on their cars alone, others came with friends but there was a feeling of purposeful fun making.
A club across the road was blasting oldies and some of us danced on our seats, swaying gently in the moonlight. The stars were few, and the moon had just been born.
Some people sat by the beach watching, some smooching, while others just enjoying the view. All was peaceful and fun.
I was also informed I could make a political connection there, ministers and other powerful people come here to hang around. They blended in nicely in their simple jeans and shirts, breathing in the same sweet air.
- Who they are
An average Salo wants you to be happy, and funny, but maybe after the war they realized, there is more to life than hustling. Working for them was an art, a savoring of the action itself. They seem to be content. Life was no do-or-die affair, you find young adults with kids as single parents; ask for their spouse and you’ll be told almost without rancor that she’s living with another man.
After seeing so many of these wonderful people we had to ask, what was the cause of the war? The people are peaceful, friendly, and content, so what caused the war? I came to conclude that they are an independent people, strong in what they believe in, and were willing to die for it.
- The Future
I try to imagine this land in ten years, I try to imagine what it will look like. With the constant influx of expatriates into the 'blood diamond' city, it might become a gold mine.
Honestly, there are so many untapped resources and opportunities in this land. Already people are building ferry terminus
to cater for transportation from the Lungi to whatever exotic island or beach the visitors favor.
The financial landscape is heating up with a lot of Nigerian banks taking root in the capital. I hear a lot of African businessmen
are already coming around for visits.
The Chinese have taken over the hotel business. The Lebanese are controlling the superstores and I wonder where the Sierra Leoners stand in all of these.
- In conclusion
I walk the street and each day I fall a little more in love with these streets, with these people. I am amazed by the patience they exhibit; some roads are so narrow that the drivers willingly wait for passengers to get off the buses, they’d patiently wait for a stray dog to cross the street, and they do not honk their horns.
I have fallen in love with the spirit of Sierra Leone, the spirit of peace and love. Now you'd understand why it is so hard to expose these humble proud people in their squalor to the world.
A piece of me dies every day as I think of the hawks already gathered, already scrambling for the wealth of the city.
Will these people survive the silent war approaching, of hoarders and financial willpower?
Will they still be able to maintain their freedom, so bloodily won!!
Thank you for reading
If you liked reading this as much as I loved writing it, please drop me a comment.
You can read my other writing on my medium.
