AWE Media Sierra Leone

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson Since independence, politics has gradually infiltrated every facet of society in Sierra Leone as bad governance has a rich history emanating from post-colonial administrators whose political activities pioneered regionalism, nepotism, favoritism and sectionalism that is experienced in modern politics of the country.   This deeply entrenched menace has eaten every fabric of society thereby affecting the lives of the ordinary citizens as party politics has undermined the positive sense of national identity needed to build a strong and unified independent nation. The Media Reform Coordinating Group-Sierra Leone (MRCG-SL) with support from Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) towards this piece to uncover some of the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) identified as root causes for the underdevelopment, political divide, hatred, nepotism and tribalism ravaging the people of Sierra Leone.  This is further to shed light on the latest ...

Freetown | 18th Dec. 2020 Opening Courtesies... Mr. President, it is the season of Christmas and that time of the year when we get to socially interact with you. It is also that time of the year when as little boys we used to go around the community singing carols and playing funny games. But the world has changed, and that tradition is slowly fading. Yet, even during this COVID pandemic which has prescribed a "new normal" in the way we live, dress, and work, we have seen how Mr. President has arranged his choir men and women to sing to us carols of their achievements, packaged in well-designed project albums under different record labels. In this 2020, dubbed ‘the year of accelerated delivery’ by the Government’s Strategic Communications Unit, - the leading Choir group - our President has launched some 30 project albums ranging from Social Investment Fund and Insurance Scheme for Health Workers to Sexual Offences Model Court and Garbage Trucks. In the last three months alon...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson The 2019 UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) puts Sierra Leone in the low human development category—positioning the country at 182 out of 189 countries and territories.   This means that a bulk of the population live below the poverty belt despite efforts made by successive governments to transform the lives of citizens for the better.  The lack of basic infrastructure such as electricity, clean water supply, health care, schools, roads, housing, sanitation, income generating facilities, etc. have negatively impacted the lives of many Sierra Leoneans especially those in rural communities. Findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as stated in paragraph 249 that: “Even before the start of the civil war, public service delivery had ground to a halt in much of the country.  The war devastated public infrastructure and almost totally emasculated government’s ability to deliver service to the people. Most Sierra Leoneans do not have access to clean w...

By: Hawa Dauda  Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in West Africa with a population of approximately seven million. It has beautiful beaches, natural resources, sixteen tribes and rich cultures. Despite these unique attributes the country is facing lots of challenges, ranging from poor health facilities and malnutrition to lack of basic necessities and amenities.  Especially for those living in the slum and other deprived communities as a way to give back to his country, Leone Stars right back, Mustapha Dumbuya is set to give a little bit of joy to deprived communities this Christmas season. According to Dumbuya, he grew up not too far from the Kroo Bay area in a country rich with rivers and rain fall but challenged with numerous atrocities. "Those living in developed countries take these issues for granted but here in Sierra Leone malaria, child mortality and malnutrition have plagued us for decades. I have witnessed families struggling   for basic human necessities, he...

By: Ibrahim Jalloh – (Jallomy) Reports monitored in Freetown and other parts of Sierra Leone suggest that the planned and trumpeted demonstration in Sierra Leone today, December 01, is a complete stillbirth! Nor Sierra Leoneans have graduated from the tricks and antics of Political megalomaniacs. The Political moment is sour for many who find it difficult to accept and submit to the reality of democratic transition in Sierra Leone. The culture of Political denial and resistance to change is thinning out. Change is permanent and those who dare to stand the tide of change will be swept along. What is more disturbing and insulting is when significant Unknowns in foreign lands call for their compatriots to go out and riot while they ensconced in their comfort zones in faraway lands. We cannot fall for that deception anymore.

By: Sahr J. Bangah The presiding magistrate, Magistrate Peter Brima Gogra has committed to high court a case of raped involving a seventy five (75) years old woman; name withheld who was allegedly raped by a twenty years old bike rider Sheku Mansaray at Majofunia village in Falaba District, northern Sierra Leone. According to court evidence, it was revealed in court that the complainant suffered from deaf and dumbed since childhood and it was recalled that on the 12th August 2020, the complainant was in her house alone when the accused came and took advantage of the surrounding situation and forcefully had sexual intercourse with the seventy five years old woman. It was also revealed in court that the accused Sheku Mansaray did not only have sex with the victim but squeezed the her throat and forcefully put his cloth in her mouth not to shout for help wherein she sustained wound in her mouth. Four witnesses testified in court with collaborative evidence that that they met the victim cr...

By: Sahr J. Bangah The family support unit at Tongo Field police station in the Lower Bambara Chiefdom, Kenema District is investigating a case of sexual penetration against a fifteen year old minor who is tipped    According to police evidence, revealed that the 15 years old suspect is a relative to the one year old minor. Sergeant 8809 Barrie Hassan disclosed to this medium that on the 29 November 2020 at Ngeema Dodo Chiefdom, Kenema District the suspect who is in police custody took advantage of the one year old minor when her parent went to farm when he sexually assaulted the minor.  It was further disclosed that when the grandmother of the victim came only to her dismayed she saw the one year old minor crying with blood oozing from her two legs.  Sergeant Barrie further stated that the said suspect immediately ran away but after thoroughly search he was arrested and brought to Tongo Field police station for questioning. While at the police, Suspect has admitted that indeed he has ...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson Health Workers from the North, North West including the Western Rural and Urban Area districts and NCRA Staff has on Friday, December 4, 2020 received training from the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) on the authority’s newly developed mobile registration application, at the Bombali District Council hall in Makeni. Supported by the Government of Sierra Leone and UNICEF, the day’s training of trainers according to Roselyn Massaquoi, the Training and Capacity Manager at NCRA is meant to build the capacity of NCRA Staff and Health Workers on the newly developed NCRA mobile application that will be used to register all births and deaths geared towards minimizing the paper registration at health centers in the country. “The training targets 200 trainers comprising of NCRA Staff and Health Workers stationed in all sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. They will in turn train community health workers at districts level which will grossly improve the registra...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) through its National Governing Council on Wednesday, 25th November, 2020 organized a day’s long targeted review on Health Governance and Corona Virus in the Republic of Sierra Leone for northern region stakeholders. The consultative engagement was held at the Makeni city Hall and attracted a number of stakeholders from Bombali, Koinadugu, Falaba and Tonkolili districts including top officials and local staff of APRM. “I and colleagues are here to hear from you all the steps you have taken as a nation to combat Corona virus precisely for your region at the same time let us know the challenges and successes you are faced with, said Janet Mabwa, the Coordinator Principal and Evaluation committee at MAEP. The discussion was co-moderated by Mr. Alusine Koroma and sought from attendees a number of responses about the various strategies implemented in each of the four northern region districts, the good, bad and ugly between govern...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson Regardless of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) imperative recommendations for the abolition of the death penalty and the immediate repeal of all laws authorizing the use of capital punishment and amendment of section 16(1) of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone without delay, death penalty remains a daunting challenge for the respect of human life and dignity in Sierra Leone. Over the years, there have been robust debates in many circles on the issue of capital punishment which some refer to as ‘an eye for an eye’ whilst others refer to it as ‘the ultimate punishment for taking another person’s life’. Human right activists firmly hold the view that the law is draconian and on the other hand law enforcement authorities strongly believe that the death penalty is both a corrective measure and a deterrent. Recurring crimes emanating from land disputes, political rivalry, aggravated jealousy of husbands and wives and many more have sent people to thei...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson For any right an individual enjoys there is a corresponding responsibility and limitation. Since Sierra Leone attained independence on 27th April in 1961, there seem to have been great absence of awareness regarding the rights and responsibilities of citizens.  This has impacted the attitude of people towards their country and fellow citizens and thereby putting patriotism in question. It has been viewed that the only panacea to this deeply entrenched bane is civic education. Introducing Civic Education as a core subject in the school curriculum will give a facelift to patriotism and informed citizenry for peace and development in the Sierra Leone. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommendation 94 states that: “…human rights and peace studies should be introduced into the curriculum at schools. The teaching of Tolerance and understanding should start as early as possible in the education of children’’.  In response to the fulfillment of the TRC re...

By: Umaru Fofana I’m not ashamed to say this - and if you’re struggling right now as many young Sierra Leoneans are, please don’t give up: The first time I came to Freetown was to apply to enter university. The first time I travelled out of Kono District was to rewrite my school-leaving GCE O level exams in Makeni - after skipping a year because my parents couldn’t afford it. The first time I switched on a TV set or made a telephone call was after university. I didn’t even have a cassette player let alone a CD player which I’d marvel at but wouldn’t touch in my friend’s room. My mother had taught and always reminded me to be content with what I had. My parents never went to school. Nor did their parents or their parents’ parents. And on and on. And to say they struggled to bring me and my siblings up will be an understatement. As a child I had to do what only adults should be doing. But I never had self-pity. When I fortuitously entered FBC, after mining for diamonds in Tongo and getti...

By: Ethel Sillah Sierra Leone is a beautiful country along the West Coast of Africa with lovely beaches and mountainous landscapes. The country is proud to have a very rich biodiversity with amazing wildlife and touristic sites. Loma Mountains located in the North of Sierra Leone are the highest mountain range in the country. The peak, also known as the Mount Bintumani, is the highest in West Africa with 1945 meters.  Loma Mountains National Park (LMNP) in Koinadugu District is one of the touristic sites for hikers in the country. Sierra Leoneans, as well as foreigners, take trips up the mountain during the dry season to not just enjoy the view, but nature in its originality. The country is recognized as a critical biodiversity hotspot in the western African region and can boast of having a population of forest elephants and western chimpanzees. The mountains on the other hand are said to have the highest density of wild chimpanzees in West Africa. The Park is home to approximately 100...

By: Abdulai Mansaray The great American country has always prided itself as the High Priest of democracy and even prescribed it as its major export commodity to the world. We all know how very many dictators and other leaders have risen and fallen; thanks to coups, uprisings and political interregna that have been fuelled in distant lands by this great nation- all in the name of democracy.  But is America democratic? Has America ever been democratic? If democracy is government by the people, for the people and of the people, then America in the strictest sense of the word has never been democratic. American democracy is the biggest fallacy open to mankind.  Donald Trump took tenancy of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 2016. Among many other firsts, it will be remembered as one of the elections where the candidate with the majority vote, Hillary Clinton was the loser; thanks to the Electoral College. It will also be remembered as the election during which the right of Americans to choose the...

Commentary   By: Abdulai Mansaray Last Sunday’s polling day in the Republic of Guinea has passed with relative calm, but it is the coming 72 hours that is causing jitters in this high-stakes presidential elections.  There is no question that the stakes are high, and this has been marinated by ethnic tensions between the two dominant Malinke and Fulani tribes; with both Alpha Conde and Cellou Diallo accused of gas-lighting the tribal fissures for their political advantages. Both have been accused of using hate speech to cement their appeals in their respective camps. With almost 5.5 million eligible voters for roughly 15,000 polling stations, the results are not expected for several days. But as if that was not incendiary enough, Cellou has reportedly declared himself a winner even before the ballots have been counted.  It is nice to be self confident, but it could be an entirely different case to dance your lame, when the main dance is yet to come. This is especially so, when you consi...

By: Sumner Kongbap In furtherance of his support to his people and the vision of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, to promote Kono District and the country at large, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, with accreditation to Italy and Austria, His Excellency Dr. Mbaimba Lamin Baryoh on Saturday 31stOctober 2020 donated two sets of complete football jerseys to the Diamond Stars Football Club (DSFC) for home and away matches at an impressive donation ceremony at the Koidu City Council Hall, Kono District. At the well-attended ceremony, the chairman of DSFC, Hon. Paramount Chief Paul Garba Saquee commended all for attending the program; highlighting that the event is to encourage others to emulate the sterling example of Ambassador Dr. Mbaimba Baryoh to promote youths and sports not only in the district but nationwide.  He recalled that when Ambassador Dr. Mbaimba Baryoh was in the country last year, he visited the team while in training, that the tea...

By: Amadu Wurie Timbo It was all great on Sunday 18th October, 2020 at the premises of the Destiny College of Management, Theology and Technology situated at 35 Azzolini Highway in Makeni where various dignitaries including Staff and Students of the college converged for the inaugural ceremony of Shebora Kanu, the institution’s newly elected student leader. Shebora Kanu, haven won the highest support from the institution’s student body, becomes the second student union president elect to be inaugurated by the college since the institution was established in 2016, the Acting Register at DeCMaTT, Mr. Gibrilla Turay remarked. He further remarked that “the occasion ends the government of Patrick M. Dumbuya who is set to write his NCTVA examination along with his colleagues in the final year of study  with Kanu been handed a mandate of stirring the students affairs for one year.” A Higher National Diploma student from the Human Resource Management department, Kanu defeated Philip B. Mansara...