We count the costs of war in lives lost, people displaced, money spent – all very important measures. But by listening to stories from friends here, by observing both Sierra Leone and Liberia, I realise so much more is also destroyed and not just by the conflict itself, but by the aftermath. For example:
Environment - The jungles of Sierra Leone used to be heavily populated by monkeys and chimpanzees. However, these animals were either killed or fled during the war. Seven years later they are only beginning to return.
Food Security - The land people farmed was left unattended and the jungle quickly grew over it. Without any modern farm machinery, farmers are still struggling to reclaim their land. As a result they cannot grow enough to meet their basic needs.
Education - The University of Sierra Leone was once considered one of the best universities in West Africa, with students coming from Nigeria and Ghana. Now the university is still struggling to recover and Sierra Leonean students try to find a way to study elsewhere.
Culture - Both Sierra Leone and Liberia were once famous for having the most intricate masks in West Africa. Few such items survived the war. Even less of the knowledge, expertise and culture still exists, so now such mask are a rarity. Similarly, Sierra Leone used to be known for its beautiful gara-dying of clothes. This art is just beginning to be revived by women’s groups.
The Youth - In rural Liberia I saw villages consisting of only small children and their grandparents. The youth had all left of the big cities. They felt no historical ties to the land, as their parents had done, having been torn from it by conflict. They were looking for paid employment, not farming opportunities. This is logical of them – but who will grow the countries food, who will care for the young and old, what will this do to the African concept of family?
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Kailahun's First Canada Day
My two Canadian roomies and I decided that as the only Canadian representatives in all of Kailahun, it was our duty to through a Canada Day party for our friends and collegues that would not be forgotten.
We insisted that the party be Canadian in its totality, but certain exceptions did, in the end, have to be made. First, the food..... we managed to serve pancakes, which we felt was truly Canadian. There was also guacamole, which certainly wasn’t Sierra Leonean. But the rest of the dishes (friend plantains, tropical fruit etc.) was very local. We also insisted that, unlike Sierra Leonean parties, we would not have an agenda or speeches. However, the whole process (or lack thereof) was so confusing to our Sierra Leonean friends that we did have to say a few words in the beginning.
This was interrupted by one friend reminding us that there is a tradition that if they eat strange food without changing their names they will all get bloated bellies – this affliction will particularly affect the hosts of the party. So we all went around announcing our new names which ranged from ‘All Questions Will be Answered Tomorrow’ to ‘All the guests’. This obviously created interesting conversations.
After names were given there was a brief interlude for dancing, a necessary requirement for all Sierra Leonean parties, and which we were happy to adopt as a new Canadian tradition. Unlike in Canada though, it is the older men that lead the dancing – and can they ever dance!
Once everyone was very much warmed up it was time for the first game (we argue playing games is very much a Canadian pass time). – Canadian Trivia. Our friends were divided into three teams and asked a series of questions relating to Canadian culture. For example, they were asked what was Canada’s favourite sport, to which the closest answer was ‘snow ball’. They were then shown a picture of snowshoes and asked to guess what they were used for – straining cassava leaves, playing tennis....?
One team appeared to have an unfair advantage, including people who had worked most closely with the Canadians, so when they started to crow too loud about winning, we introduced the Canadian tradition of rewarding the underdog by presenting the prizes (two bags of candies) to the losing teams. This caused a great deal on conflict, which required some typically Canadian diplomacy.
After more dancing, so the Sierra Leoneans could sweat out any remaining frustrations, we introduced them to pin the tail on the donkey - once again maybe not necessarily a Canadian game, but definitely a novelty here. This was a huge hit, and even resulted in plans to include it in future SEND workshops.
The night ended with more dancing, as is only appropriate at the first ever, but not last, very Sierra Leonean Canada Day Party.
We insisted that the party be Canadian in its totality, but certain exceptions did, in the end, have to be made. First, the food..... we managed to serve pancakes, which we felt was truly Canadian. There was also guacamole, which certainly wasn’t Sierra Leonean. But the rest of the dishes (friend plantains, tropical fruit etc.) was very local. We also insisted that, unlike Sierra Leonean parties, we would not have an agenda or speeches. However, the whole process (or lack thereof) was so confusing to our Sierra Leonean friends that we did have to say a few words in the beginning.
This was interrupted by one friend reminding us that there is a tradition that if they eat strange food without changing their names they will all get bloated bellies – this affliction will particularly affect the hosts of the party. So we all went around announcing our new names which ranged from ‘All Questions Will be Answered Tomorrow’ to ‘All the guests’. This obviously created interesting conversations.
After names were given there was a brief interlude for dancing, a necessary requirement for all Sierra Leonean parties, and which we were happy to adopt as a new Canadian tradition. Unlike in Canada though, it is the older men that lead the dancing – and can they ever dance!
Once everyone was very much warmed up it was time for the first game (we argue playing games is very much a Canadian pass time). – Canadian Trivia. Our friends were divided into three teams and asked a series of questions relating to Canadian culture. For example, they were asked what was Canada’s favourite sport, to which the closest answer was ‘snow ball’. They were then shown a picture of snowshoes and asked to guess what they were used for – straining cassava leaves, playing tennis....?
One team appeared to have an unfair advantage, including people who had worked most closely with the Canadians, so when they started to crow too loud about winning, we introduced the Canadian tradition of rewarding the underdog by presenting the prizes (two bags of candies) to the losing teams. This caused a great deal on conflict, which required some typically Canadian diplomacy.
After more dancing, so the Sierra Leoneans could sweat out any remaining frustrations, we introduced them to pin the tail on the donkey - once again maybe not necessarily a Canadian game, but definitely a novelty here. This was a huge hit, and even resulted in plans to include it in future SEND workshops.
The night ended with more dancing, as is only appropriate at the first ever, but not last, very Sierra Leonean Canada Day Party.
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