Notes from

Sierra Leone

Is This the Outside World?

16 July 2005

I’m watching CNN.

“We’ll be back with the headlines in just a few moments. And we’ll leave you now with more images of Harry Potter fans in London at the release of the latest book in the series…” Pre-teens in witches costumes and sorcerers lined up on the screen, clutching their editions of Harry Potter VI.

A few more images and the newscaster’s voice was back covering a blurry image of dark men with beards stepping onto a tube train. “… police recently released these images from surveillance cameras…” A close-up of a different man on the screen. “M----, an Egyptian bio-chemist, is being questioned in relationship with the recent bombings in London. He denies all connection with the bombings.” Bright torn metal with a watery backdrop. “An American and a British woman were among the dead after a bus bombing in Turkey.” A map of Iraq. “Over fifty people died at a suicide bomb attack in M----, in the latest of a spate of bombings today. Six died a police station in ----- in a suicide bomb attack. A car in ----- blew up, killing the two passengers inside and injuring bystanders.” The newscaster appeared on the screen again, grinning her pink lips. “And those are the latest headlines from CNN. We’ll be back with more in thirty minutes.”

Is this what is happening in the outside world? In the past two years I have hardly seen a television, and much less read a newspaper. I even stopped listening to the radio by May last year after I lost both of my shortwave radios. All I know is there is still a war in Iraq, President Bush is still trying to rationalize dropping bombs across the Middle East as a necessary “War on Terror” in the name of liberty and democracy for all the oppressed people of the world, Condaleeza Rice is buddying up to Russia (weren’t they the dirty Reds I heard about in my childhood?), and a tsunami tore from southeast Asia across the ocean to Sri Lanka.

There’s a television here in Kenema in the house I stay in with Wennie and Lanick, and suddenly I’m hearing about the widest selling children’s book on earth and bombs, bombs, bombs. I can’t make any sense out of it. It’s somehow easier to think about here and now. And frankly I feel safer in Sierra Leone than just about anywhere at this point…!

Rebecca commented a couple of weeks ago over a bite of fried calamari, “You know, Julie, everyone back home gets so impressed and thinks I’m so courageous to be staying in Sierra Leone. But actually this is probably about the safest place in West Africa right now! I mean, Liberia is barely out of war and demobilization was a disaster; things are still hot in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea is growing tense and who knows what will happen when President Lansana Conteh finally dies; I’ve even heard that there’s something flaring up in northern Ghana; Nigeria is so overcrowded that there are always problem and they’re still fighting over the oil; there’s that succession question since the death of the president of Togo… and here we are working peacefully in Sierra Leone, with some of the friendliest people on earth! Granted there is constant disgruntlement about corruption and people are still terribly poor and some still traumatized, but generally most of them are super-friendly and you hardly hear of violence or even violent theft!”

Now I’m watching TV5. The French newscaster is standing in front of throngs of people facing an outdoor stage with a banner reading “London United” as its backdrop. The camera zoomed in on the man on the stage. “… and we will show that we will not be broken by Terror!” The crowd cheered.

Next article: A Short, Glittering Tale

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Copyright © 2005 Julie Greene