My First Journey to China: A Story of Firsts and Wonder

Around this time last year, I had one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life — my very first trip outside Africa, to China. It was not just another journey; it was a story of firsts, excitement, and discovery. Before that, the only country I had ever visited outside Sierra Leone was our neighbour, Guinea. So when the opportunity came to travel to Hefei, Anhui Province, China, it felt like a dream. 

The news came suddenly. My boss at the China-Africa Institute informed me that I had been selected to travel — but the notice came very close to the deadline. I was overjoyed yet panicked. There was no time to waste. I rushed to prepare my documents, took my passport to the embassy, and make quick arrangements at home before leaving. Every step felt like a race against time, but my excitement gave me energy. I couldn’t stop imagining what China would look like — its people, the streets, the food, the culture. 

Lungi International Airport

When it was finally time to travel to the airport, I had mixed feelings — joy, curiosity, nervousness. I couldn’t eat much, though my darling had prepared me a delicious meal. I was too excited to have an appetite. Since the airport is across the sea from Freetown, I took the ferry from Freetown to Lungi, a one-hour ride. The sea was calm, and my mind was full of thoughts. At Lungi, I hired a motorbike (or okada, as we call them here) to take me to the new airport. A part of me felt a little sad that I wouldn’t get to travel through the old Lungi International Airport — the one I had so often visited to see friends and relatives off. I had always dreamed that one day it would be my turn to walk through its gates. But now, the new airport was the gateway to my dream. 

Where Have We Gone Wrong?

Where Have We Gone Wrong?
When over 200 Years of Slavery Stripped Us of Our Human Dignity,
And over 150 Years of Colonization Came Tantalizing Us with a Semblance of Relief.

Where Have We Gone Wrong?
When Thirty Years of Self Rule Starved Us of Our Daily Bread,
An Eleven Years of Senseless War Added Salt into Injury,
And Fear, Horror and Uncertainty Illuminated the Entire Land.

Changes to Our National Anthem

The British, our Colonial Masters pray to GOD for their Monarchs in their national anthem and I agree with them. Is the Queen not a symbol of national unity? The Americans, the greatest nation of our times say: "In GOD We Trust", and SELDOM shall their leaders end a speech without saying: "God bless you, God bless America", although they have so many atheists. Aren't they great? And so many nations call on God in their national anthems.

National Economies

Photo snatched from the facebook group: "Leh We Talk". 

Sometimes, when I hear from my one and only news outlet, (the radio) people in other parts of the world grumbling that their economy is tough, things are hard, and bla bla bla, then like a flash of a lightening, I would get out of my house, stand akimbo, and looked at the sky and marveled at it beautiful stars: some so bright and shining, others not too bright and others very, very dim and some even invisible to the naked eyes and then I would begin to imagine some of the long queues we had overcome during the day:

The early morning queues leading to the latrines, the most disgusting of all the queues.

What a mysterious and seemingly imperfect world?!

What a mysterious and seemingly imperfect world?!
Sometimes, I just look at the world and perplex at it mysteries and its seeming imperfections.
A very mysterious and seemingly imperfect world that throws both pebbles and manna at its inhabitants.
And I oft said to myself: 'since this is it nature, as occupants, to be in harmony we must learn to escape when it chooses to throw pebbles at us, and we must learn to catch, when it throws manna at us'.

Eid-ul-mubarak

Like he who continues to deny the existence of HIV and engages in unprotected and reckless sexual conducts, regret will be his, if he is later tested HIV positive. But if he believes in God, repents and continues to obey His Commandments, his regret will be a trillions times smaller than he who denies the existence of God only to one day wake up to hear a voice announcing:
"Today, today is the day of regrets for both believers and non-believers alike".

Birthday Celebrations in a Unique Style

Birthday celebrations are everywhere and we hear about them every day. Millions of dollars are spent each
 year by individuals, families and friends in celebrating birthdays.  Indeed, a person’s birth day is a very unique day in her/his life, a day she/he was born on planet earth. It is thus the most unique day in her/his calendar and it therefore calls for unique celebrations and thanks giving.

The Demise of a Cultural Heritage - The Lapper is Yielding

Earlier, putting on a trousers is a sign of immodesty, society looked at such ladies with different eyes. But with all this, the trousers was resilient. And today it has conquered, it’s the most preferable clothe for majority of the ladies. There is now a silence acceptance of the trousers, even by the most conservative religious folks. But why has the lapper (wrapper) been treated so unfairly by the younger generation?

No Short Cuts to the Top of a Palm-tree

There is a lot of wealth at the top of a palm-tree.  Many would like to reap the benefits it possesses.

The palm-wine taper wants the palm-wine, the palm-oil producer wants the palm-oil, the mats designers and broom makers want the palm-leaves – even the snakes and rats want to feed from the palm fruits.

There are no rules about who is allowed to try to climb and reach the top of the palm tree to get what they want,

BMT "Ninety Percent of Sierra Leoneans Lie"

I am sorry but I know I have offended you a little when I say: “Ninety Percent of Sierra Leoneans Lie”. But thanks to God, those of you reading this article are part of the ten percent that do not lie.

BMT (Black Mans Time) has ever since being the official time zone of Sierra Leone. No serious known efforts have ever been done to switch to other time zones.
Probably, this is because ninety percent of the population prefer it. It is perfectly in line with their nature.

Family Settings

If all of us put hands on deck and toil the land, we are sure to have the little we eat. Even if we cannot rightly kick out poverty, but we won’t let it marry us.

Poverty has been part of us simply because we have held as truth the wrong ideas. And until we take drastic moves towards expelling wrong traditional practices, which are devoid of science, proper reasoning or logic, the circle of poverty will keep moving from one generation to another.

Ignorance, more than anything else is widely responsible for our current troubles. Imagine a brother, sister, aunty, uncle, cousin, grandpa and all sitting at home waiting for help from the one who has taken up the initiative to toil the land. Traditionally, he is obliged to support the others. But where did they draw this tradition from?

Foreign Importations

In Africa, Sierra Leone in particular where I was born and bred, and have lived my whole life, we import virtually everything. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the language we speak, the civilization we practice and you name them. I am afraid, soon we will begin to import the water we drink and the air we breathe. Indeed, is this a mark of greatness, a blessing or laziness? I think this is laziness to the utmost.