AWE Media Sierra Leone

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson✍️ Apart from ancient beliefs that women are not entitled to family inheritance, discriminatory laws, customs, traditions and family bonds are the banes that affect the work of the Family Support Unit, Traditional Leaders, the Judiciary and other groups working to address heredity marginalization against women in Sierra Leone and Kabala in particular. This is confirmed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Recommendation 319 which states that, “Women and girls in Sierra Leone continue to suffer historic structural inequality on account of their gender. Gender inequality is entrenched in all spheres of social, political and economic life by discriminatory laws, customs, traditions and practices. Paragraph 320 points out that, “the Commission notes that the State has not yet taken the necessary steps to eradicate structural inequality against women that still pervades Sierra Leonean in the areas of marriage, divorce, land rights, inheritance and the ad...

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy)✍️ AR The London Burgees Park gathering of a sample of Sierra Leoneans in the foreign land is nothing more than a classic demonstration of the tourism of ignorance. It is not only worrying but equally disturbing to see monumental efforts by a group of people supposedly exposed and informed to betray such callous ignorance on developments back home. Our problems back home are noticeable but not exceptional to the prevalent governance challenges across the world.  While we note the absolute need to support government efforts at resolving those problems, we strongly believe that a touristic approach in solving our problems is not desirable. Regrettably, this is misdirected energy! Cash and time resources directed at this ignorance tourism are typical excellent waste.  We pride on and value locally generated and applied solutions to our problems.  Sierra Leoneans back home understand and appreciate the changing political and economic dynamics. Any deliberate a...

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy)✍️ The elements of Nationalism and loyalty to the state are paralyzed. Citizenship is conditioned and defined along the narrow and predatory lines of tribe, region and the political party. Governance has lost its space in the national discourse and in its place a gaping space for politics.  The national fabric is completely consumed by politics.  The stampede for political capital is horrible and on the rails a visibly disdainful disconnect from governance with a widening culture of political denial.  The professional class has withered and politics becomes a blossom and blissful garden. A sense of urgency needs to exist. Loyalty to the three elements of tribe, region and political party must deflate.  Our loyalty must inflate and upload on the side of the nation state. This is the road for a greater Sierra Leone.

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson – (AR-WILSON)✍️ Following the recent riots in Makeni that led to the lost of six souls, Campaign for Human Rights and Development International West African (CHRDI) and the West African Network for Peace Building in collaboration with the Government of Sierra Leone have held a day Public Advocacy and Community Sensitization with the people of Makeni, Bombali District in the Northern Region of Sierra Leone.  The day’s engagement which was held at the Makeni City Council Hall along station road, attracted the attention of the Paramount Chief of Gbanti Chiefdom, PC Masayali N’tham III, the Commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade, representatives of the Makeni Union of Youth Groups, the City Mayor, Political parties, PPRC, APPA, Journalists among other representatives were from Ministries, Agencies and Departments in the municipality unanimously added their voices to the discussion, mourned the death of the fallen souls at the same time condemned the actions of some ...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson – (AR-WILSON)✍️ With support from the Government of Sierra Leone, the National Commission for Persons with Disability-(NCPD) has disbursed the sum of Nine Million, One Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand Leones (Le 9,194,000) each to seven Disable Persons Organizations based in the North-East and North-West regions of the Country. The disbursement which took place at the NCPD Regional Office North situated along Frontier Road in Makeni city, Bombali District brought together representatives and heads of all seven DPOs that were rationally selected to benefit from the grant which is meant to support projects of Disable Persons Organizations during this time of COVID-19 in all seven districts in the Northern Region. In her welcome address, Madam Beatrice Koroma, the NCPD Northern Region Coordinator offered prayers for the National Executive, DPO Heads and representatives who have travelled from other districts to Makeni return home safely. She concluded her address ...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson – (AR-WILSON)✍️ As they make progress in improving the lives of farmers involved in Cashew cultivation and Honey production in Kambia, Bombali, Karene and Port Loko district, Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) with support from the European Union has offered four days capacity building training to nineteen (19) staff of the Produce Monitoring Board (PMB) Sierra Leone and two extension staff from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and two field staff from MADAM (a local NGO) in Bombali on Cashew and Honey Production Technology . According to COOPI Program Manager, Muhammad Monoarul Islam, the training which is conducted in Makeni city will end on Friday 28th August 2020. He mentioned that it is part of their agenda to accelerate production and productivity of cashew in the country. The Pro-Resilience Action (ProACT 2015) aimed at improving food and nutritional security status of their targeted communities in the northern Sierra Leone. “We have been ...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson – (AR-WILSON)✍️ With support from IFAD, the Agricultural Value Chain and Development Project-(AVDP) in collaboration with the Government of Sierra Leone has on Thursday, August 20, donated seed rice and farming tools to eighty-five inland Valley Swamps-(IVS) farmers groups at Robole Junction, Makoloh 1 and 2 communities located in the Tonkolili and Bombali district in the northeastern region of the country. A high powered delegation comprising staff of AVDP Bombali and MAFS Tonkolili led by the Deputy Minister-I of Agriculture and Forestry, Samking Koihinah Braima, who was on an evaluation tour visited and engaged group leaders in all three communities. The delegation upon arriving at Robole Junction community, proceed to one of the IVS farm site before a symbolically presentation of the seeds rice and other production materials to Pa. Joseph Kalokoh, a lead farmer, with 13 years IVS-farming experience was done by the minister, who admonished beneficiaries to o...

COOPI has successfully launched “Media Engagement in Agriculture” initiative in July 2020 in operating district through organizing day long workshop with public and private media personnel in the targeted districts. 80 media personnel in 4 districts of Bombali, Kambia, Port Loko and Karene  participated in the workshops. COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale is implementing “Fostering Smallholder Agriculture in Sierra Leone” (Pro Resilience Action 2015”) project with funding from European Union to reduce the food insecurity, malnutrition and increase income for the farmers in vulnerable communities of Northern and North West Districts (Kambia, Port Loko, Karene and Bombali) of Sierra Leone. In last few years of implementation of Nutrition, food security and agricultural value chain interventions, COOPI has identified labour shortage as a big factor in terms of quality and quantity to perform smart and profitable agriculture in these districts.  This challenge can be overcome by engaging ...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson Forgetting or ignoring the past suggests that we are refusing to learn a noteworthy lessons as a nation and thus stand the greatest possibility of reverting to our old ways. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report points out that many of the dire conditions that gave rise to the 1991 conflict still remain... As in the late 1980s, (and up to date) many young adults continue to occupy urban ghettoes where they languish in the twilight zone of unemployment and despair. Thus, allowing the devil to give jobs to the idle hands and that has giving rise to sporadic act of violent conflict involving youth across the country and Makeni city is not an isolation.  Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) with support from Africa Transitional Justice Legislative Fund (ATJLF) enhanced dialogue with key stakeholders on the causes and impacts of youth violence in Northeastern city of Makeni. In Makeni, a bulk number of violence related cases in courts whether tried ...

Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy)✍️ Meet the Author It is a month now since the Makeni incident of horror took place but the wound of the distardly incident is still festering! The killings and destruction of public and private properties are still deeply entrenched in the minds of sons and daughters of Makeni with a mixture of bitterness, disdain and sorrow. Two of the remains have been buried but the remaining four continue to pierce the sad memories and bitter reactions of residents of a city that is yet to come to terms with the fundamental root causes of an action that has caused irreparable loss. The burial has been segmented and significantly delayed due to prolonged negotiations involving the security sector, bereaved families and local leaders, inclusive of the district representatives in Parliament. The security sector is concerned about potential eruption of violence that will jeopardize the fledging peace and stability. This is due, in part, to security intelligence gathered and, ...

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy)✍️ Meet the Author The clouds of sorrow are still hanging on the horizons of Makeni city following the riot, the killings and the aftermath. The conflicting element (the relocation of the old German made standby generator) is far smaller and lesser in scale and magnitude than the action and the horrific consequences. Six young people in the prime of their lives are no more, lost to an action that could have been effortlessly avoided.  Those Young folks could have been with us today to celebrate the International Day of Youth.  Their absence by death is a shocking reality and a brutal indictment of the commonplace calculated leadership failure of the adult world.  Those Young folks were callously stampeded to early graves by error of leadership application and conduct. This is an unbearable reality,  an unacceptable conduct and, above all, a moral collapse of trust in leadership. Much has been said and done but we cannot reverse the horror. We will certainl...

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy)✍️ Meet the Author Emmerson has become a generational singer, politically speaking. He prefers to use music as a medium for pointing at what he perceives to be the ills or shortcomings of a generation in governance. He seems to be taking the place of social critics and political analysts save that he harps on the seamy side of things. The fundamental question is how much has his songs changed over time. If anything, he offers, through songs, a spirit of relief and extreme exuberance to a generation in opposition. He has become a generational musical celebrity. Ironically, he has today ceased to be SLPP party pikin!  Not too long ago those who forgot his Borbor Belle Album classified him as having gone to his roots. Well, I am yet to hear what will be his new classification. As Emmerson mentioned Confusion.com, we are indeed a confused society. The prism is that it is wrong when not in our favour but right when in our favour.

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy) ✍️ Photo of the Author The Makeni riot and attendants consequences are pluralistic in definition, interpretation and discernment. Disproportionate apportioning of blame was heaped up and, most times, callously shifted! However, there are elements of convergence: condemnation of the entire debacle, call for justice, upsurge of humanitarianism and the commitment to "never again". In reverse order, there were outcomes and consequences     characterized by the killings and destruction of public and private properties.   There was a riot action that led to the outlined outcomes and consequences. The riot action was engineered by causative factors and/or fundamental root causes and this level is where we need to search for the beast! The chaotic ingredients of the Makeni riot can be outlined thus: 1. Ignorance 2. Break in communication 3. Misinformation 4. Failure of local leadership 5. Invisible political incitement 6. Disregard for the due process ...

Today from our Northern Times Archives we bring you a reflection of one of the tragic effect of Poro men on a young lady called Satta. Her biological sister a year ago narrated this to us (Northern Times Newspaper)✍️

PRESS RELEASE 28 July, 2020 Sierra Leone: IFJ hails repeal of criminal defamation law The Sierra Leone Parliament has unanimously repealed on 23 July, 2020 its criminal libel law. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) to celebrate a great victory for freedom of expression and press freedom. Parliamentarians unanimously approved on 23 July the Independent Media Commission (IMC) Act 2020 and repealed the 1965 Public Order Act (POA) that criminalized libel and sedition. In a statement celebrating the repeal of the libel law, SLAJ said: “the biggest beneficiary of the repeal of this bad law is Sierra Leone. Our beloved country has now joined the enviable community of progressive nations where free and responsible speech is guaranteed and protected by law. This is a huge milestone for freedom of expression and democracy in Sierra Leone.” The President of SLAJ, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, said: “Freedom comes with g...