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Aw yu du? Hardly anyone would have missed the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the Slave Trade. The BBC even ran a range of programs looking at the history of the slave trade and has a dedicated site to the abolition. I caught the documentary “Rough Crossings” which is an fascinating story of how the “Province of Freedom” was formed. Being one of those people who leap off the couch every time Sierra Leone is mentioned in the news, I was quite happy that Sierra Leone was getting this publicity. When Simon Schama declared that Sierra Leone was the first country in the world where women were given a vote (the slaves were electing leaders/representatives), my amazement could not be disguised. Don’t tell anyone - but I was already dreaming up new taglines for Sierra Leone’s re-branding campaign. “Sierra Leone – The Birthplace of Democracy” :) Inevitably my thoughts turned to what Sierra Leone did to highlight this rather unique part of our history to the world? Ok, so the mayor changed the name of some streets but not much else springs to mind. So whilst, Ghanaians, Jamaicans, Bajans etc worked hard to use this event for some positive PR - and to reach out to potential tourists – the Sierra Leonean voice seems rather quiet. Yet another missed opportunity for Sierra Leone? The British Council in Sierra Leone is organising a series of events to commemorate the event but I would have loved to see an official Sierra Leone event. Maybe it’s just me…
Flights to Sierra Leone & other African destinations? Get in touch with Unique Travel, Agents for Astraeus, Bellview & a host of other airlines. Other Updates: Helicopter Services resume The helicopter service schedule between Freetown and Lungi have now resumed. There are two operators and a third one is rumoured to be starting sometime in April. See here Image Gallery Update The image gallery has been updated with some photos from my trip in December. There will be more updates as time permits so please keep checking. See here American Embassy issuing visas After about 10 years, the US embassy has restarted issuing visas from Freetown. The visas being issued are non-immigrant visas: business trips, tourists, students, family visits, diplomats and government officials. See here Blog Nataša's Sierra Leone Adventure - Part 10: I went to the market, which was lively, and bought a pineapple, I had some more tea. Then I went to the school next door to my compound, and wanted to take some photos of the children. All of a sudden they swarmed around me, several classes of children of various ages. They were lively, some a bit wild. I had to use my teacher authority to make some order, they all wanted to stand right in front of me to be in the picture, all wanting to be in the front row. I spoke louder, in a more determined voice, showing them with my hands where I wanted each of them to stand, the smaller ones in front, the bigger at the back. If I moved back, they followed me like a big hive, giggling and chattering. A teacher came, helped me control the crowd, and posed for the picture as well. Wonderful pictures of children with so many different expressions, brown faces, big eyes, all in blue uniforms. Great colours...Read the blog Welcome to new subscribers Welcome to our new subscribers to the newsletter. Expect it delivered to your inbox once a month. It is a good idea to add our address to your safe list to avoid missing future issues. Visit the newsletter archive for past editions: There is so much more to come but that's it for this month. Until next time, take good care of yourself and each other. Bimbola |
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March 2007 |
