History, Hospitality, and The "P" Word (In Reverse Order)
>> 6.15.2008
As I promised Carol- here is a picture of my hands after a long day of fund raising. My hands may be dirty, but Carol's new gardens certainly are beautiful!
I'm sure many of you are saying "the 'p' word? I don't know any four letter p words." Well let me reassure you- I have found a new one. Packing. All of my clothes are currently sprawled out across my deck, letting the permethrin dry. I have a feeling that using such massive amounts of chemicals in such high doses isn't exactly environmentally friendly- but I don't really have a choice. Hopefully they'll dry quickly so I can finish packing, as it is a very unpleasant activity.
I got to meet a lot of wonderful people from Sierra Leone last night at the Rebeca's house. They were some of the most hospitable people I have met- all very friendly and helpful. They were speaking in broken English (Krio) for a lot of the time- which was completely over my head, but very fun to listen to. They taught me (or did their best to teach me) a few words and had lots of great advice. I was especially glad to meet Reverend Shaka, who is leaving for Freetown this week and will be there for six weeks. When I told Rev. Shaka I would be staying at the YMCA hostel on Fort street he said "Oh that is right by Pastor Ngobeh's." I had to turn the name over a few times in my head before I remembered where I knew that name from- Pastor Ngobeh runs City of Rest. I told Rev. Shaka that we were going to be working with City of Rest and with an infectious laugh he said "Oh you don't even need my card then- Just tell Pastor Ngobeh you know me!" A woman named Matilda was also incredibly sweet and helpful. Overall I heard two things from just about everyone...
"We are very friendly people," everybody told me that they love foreigners/strangers and are a very hospitable and friendly nation (which, if people in Sierra Leone are anything like the people I met I believe).
"You'll love it."
Another favorite comment was when I was told I will "come back a better human being for it." Everyone was friendly and supportive- I can't wait! When Rev. Shaka was leaving he shook my hand and said (in a voice with a growl and bounce that reminds me of Louie Armstrong) "I'll see you in Freetown." How cool both that I'm actually going to Sierra Leone (which is still sinking in) and that I know somebody there.
If you remember from the last history lesson- Sierra Leone had many factors creating civil unrest- a weak president, a corrupt, single party government, a economy that was getting worse and worse, illegal arms trade, drug use, strong opposition and poorly managed natural resources. These factors had be stewing for many years by the time war broke out in 1991. As I learned last night- between 1976 and 1980 there was a significant downfall in the economy and things were becoming less safe. In March 1991 The Revolutionary United Front (the opposition army) launched the first attack on Eastern Sierra Leone. The RUF used mutilation extensively as an intimidation tactic- basically they were brutal. One year after the first attack there was a military coup with overthrew President Momoh (which ended up being about as ineffective as Momoh had been). By 1995 the RUF had captured most of the countryside, burning villages, killing and mutilating civilians, and "recruiting" child soldiers. So the new government hired several hundred mercenaries from a private firm and within weeks had pushed the RUF to the boarders of the country. But this is only 1995, and the war didn't officially end until 2002, so what happened in the mean time? All the more incentive to check back later!
1 comments:
Good Luck Annie!
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