AWE Media Sierra Leone

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy) I read, I followed, I reflected and now I concluded that the leaks from the Africanist Press and the obvious debate generated are not only nearing but are at the end of the road and effectively sterile. Leaks and whistle blowing are conventionally acceptable! They may be abhorred by functionaries in the corridors of power but the generals will always make something out of them to broaden the scope and depth of a countability. In this case, the situation is different and hard to fathom: the Africanist Press leaks and whistle blowing are poignantly ladened with progressively organized malice and hate with the overall objectives to defame, dishonour and discredit the regime and key functionaries of the regime.  It is obvious that the established generation of rappers and looters of the previous regime are up for scores settlement. This is not only sad but regrettably dumb founding and characteristic  of a country sliding down the slopes. But we cannot contin...

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy) Nineteen years today on February 18, 2002, one of the world's most brutal and severest war came to an end.  That day, February 18 2002, was a mixed bag of sorrow and happiness. Happiness for the seemingly dramatic end of a war that bears the hallmarks of the end of civilization, the darkness of man's heart, the horrible irony of liberation and the conspicuous tendency of man's brutally and madness in the pursuit of power, fame and glory.  It was an anti rural war, a war of blame where the perpetrators became victims of their wrong headedness.  The peasants, agrarian people, the pastoralists and the rural people were subjected to elements of the greatest crimes against humanity.  It was the late President Kabba who saw the absolute need for peace and worked to achieve what history has documented as the greatest feat even gained by a ruling president.  His lieutenant, the late Solomon Ekuma Berewa, narrowed the elements and embodied the technica...

SLAJ@50 maiden activity: WORLD RADIO DAY 2021 Theme: The POWER of RADIO Date: 13th February, 2021 Venue: Harry Yansaneh Memorial Hall, 56 Campbell Street, Freetown. Statement by President of SLAJ, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, on World Radio Day 2021 Freetown: 13|2|2021 The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) today, Saturday, 13th February, 2021, joins the rest of the world in observing WORLD RADIO DAY. World Radio Day is here again – that day that UNESCO encourages the world to acknowledge and appreciate the role and importance of radio. Regardless of the fact that the new media seems to be taking the world by storm, we should stop and think that there are still 2 billion people in the world that cannot read – those people are part of the world and also need access to information – radio can provide that access. In Sierra Leone today, the new media- particularly Facebook- accounts for about 500 to 600,000 users. This number is still less than 10 percent of our population, whereas ...

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy) History was made today in the Tonkolili district Headquarter town of Magburaka. It was about a lauching but not just a lauching but a presidential lauching of a unique national microcredit scheme titled MUNAFA FUND.  The moment was great, significantly reassuring and a practical fulfilment of a Manifesto promise made by the president Bio while on his long and determined journey to the presidency. In a neat package, 4100 business beneficiaries, mostly youth and women in all sixteen districts, will benefit from a designated fund of one hundred billion leones over a period of three years starting now.  The scheme Will be superintended by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Association (SMEDA) and run through established and reputable Financial Services Providers FSPs). In his statement, JJ Saffa, the erudite, compelling and purposeful grasssroot Minister of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED) explained to the thrilling audience that bread and b...

By: Amadu Wurie Timbo A wild fire is reported to have left twenty six people homeless at Romaroh village in the Sanda Tendaren Chiefdom, Karene District in the Northern Province of Republic Sierra Leone. The sad event took place on Thursday 4th February 2021 at about 4:00pm when the community people were busy with their farming activities when the said wild fire makes it way through a nearby bush in to the village. The cause of the fire incident is not yet known but sources alleged that an unknown cattle-rearer’ is said to have set a fire in one of the nearby bush in order to have fresh grass for his cattle, which is part of their tradition during the dry season. Frantic efforts were made by community people in order to control the wild fire but to no avail and that all preventive measures were put but unfortunately the fire overcome. During the fire incident, properties worth million of Leones were destroyed leaving the entire community in a state of dilemma Pa. Brima Munu, eighty yea...

By: Sahr James Bangah As part of its mandates to empowered communities members to know about their role and responsibilities and how to hold their duty bearers accountable in a transparent and accountable manners, Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDHR) one of the leading Human Rights Organization in Sierra Leone with funds from European Union has embarked on formation of Community Monitoring groups across Bombali District. Explaining the background of the project, the Director for Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, Gabriel Massie Bah said that the Bombali District Council awarded a consultancy service to his organization to train community-monitoring groups across Bombali District for efficient monitoring of all developmental projects within their respective communities. He concluded that the community monitors are to play a sacrificial role because it is not a paid job and therefore warned that they should not compromised their integrity for the sake of money but to put thei...

Statement by President of SLAJ, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, at the official launch of SLAJ @ 50 Date: Saturday, 6th February, 2021 Venue: Harry Yansaneh Memorial Hall, SLAJ Headquarters, 56 Campbell Street, Freetown IT’S A JOURNEY Salutations HOW FAR SLAJ HAS COME Some 50 years ago brave men and women came together and found an association that will serve as a torch for not only a profession that is called journalism but for society at large. At a time when the country had just introduced the one-party and critical voices were almost silenced and a law that was like an albatross on the neck of journalists had been introduced to silence a beautiful profession that comforts the afflicted, our SLAJ was born. TRIBUTE TO THE FOUNDING FATHERS AND FALLEN HEROES Mr Chairman, permit me to pay glowing tributes to our icons, ie our founding fathers and mothers some of whom are still around. These heroes and heroines deserve a special place in our association's history book. They laid a foundation t...

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy) The rancour and stampede around the normal and desired activities of the First Lady of the republic of Sierra Leone are not only unimaginary but ridiculous and revealing of a society in desparate and unexplained search for political capital. The truth is some innocent people and some ill didposed politicians find it difficult to adjust to the cultural shift in the conduct and activities of the First Lady in the State. Madam Fatima Bio has chosen to be not just a mere state decoration but an effective and functional First Lady with unpredictable zest to support her husband, President Bio, to fulfill his political commitments to the people of Sierra Leone with whom he signed a Social Contract in 2018. In that situation, some Sierra Leoneans stand in awe and bewilderment either out of ignorance or the supplanting of every effort of the state at nation building. First Ladies have come and gone from the days of Sir Milton to the last days of former president K...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson Eight players were crushed to death while returning from a rural football match at Batkanu town in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The incident took place between Makoth and Makarie axis along the Makeni-Freetown in the evening hours of Sunday February 28, 2021 when the vehicle carrying the players collided with a truck carrying timber logs.    A total number of sixteen players returning from a football assignment for Makarie community were involved in the fatal accident, eight died on the spot, one more has passed on at 17:05GMT on Monday, 1st March, 2021, five out of the sixteen have been referred to the Emergency Hospital in Freetown while the remaining three are still admitted at the Northern Regional Hospital in Makeni, a medic attached at the hospital told AWE Media Sierra Leone. Six out of the nine departed players have already been buried but all football activities in the region including the ongoing Second Division League in Bombali District ha...

The reckless exploitation of fuel dealers and "Jebu traders": By: Ibrahim Jalloh -(Jallomy) Fuel and its price have sky rocket today in the North Eastern Capital of Makeni City. Today, February 1, and days to come will be economic burden and social discomfort to residents of Makeni City and her immediate environs and, of course, the territorial communities of North East Region. A liter of fuel today in Makeni is costing between le 12,000.00 and 15,000.00.  The reason is hopelessly hopeless: Tanker drivers and mates heading up to Makeni from Freetown refused to take the test, the result of which is a major and absolute requirement to enter and exit the Western Area who has epidemiologically graduated as epi center!  Those violaters were refused entry and hence the shortage of fuel. The reckless situation is now being exploited by fuel dealers on the ground by facilitating a parallel market.  No action from any quarters: the police is complacently absent and a field day is comm...