[Comment] Sierra Leone: a Nation Taken Hostage By Poverty

From All Africa

Idrissa Conteh

The sad story of Sierra Leone is the main focus of discussion in any gathering of Sierra Leonean expatriates working abroad. As a matter of fact, Sierra Leoneans would like their country competing with other African countries in all facets of development.

They would like Sierra Leone to be respected by the international community if for nothing else but for good governance, economic prosperity, provision of basic social services and infrastructural development. Back home, the musicians have taken a lead in criticizing authorities for the current state of economic stagnation. Where is the opposition party? Sierra Leone is the only country in the world where the opposition only exists in name.

After being away for almost a year, I found a whole nation taken hostage by darkness and filth. When I was a student, I had always argued that the UN that had put the country at the tail of the Human Development Index was treating Sierra Leone unfairly. My arguments were not based on facts, but merely on patriotism.

However, now that the doors of Africa are open before me, I know why Sierra Leone has been repeatedly attributed the least developed position more than any other country in the world.

I have had the opportunity to travel and exchange views with top government officials on the state of affairs in our country as compared to others. In Abidjan, I asked one Minister as to why they as authorities were seeing the high level of infrastructural development in such cities like Abidjan but could not make an effort to emulate them.

"Young man, do you think this is the work of Ivorians?

The Minister retorted, "This is not their work. This city was built for them by the French colonial administration", he argued. "The French colonial administration, as you know, was more development-oriented than that of the British".

We then flew from Abidjan to Accra from where we were both scheduled to travel to Addis Ababa the following day. I had not forgotten the argument our previous discussion. "What would you say Minister about the high degree of infrastructural development in Ghana which was also colonized like Sierra Leone by the British"? The Minister remained silent for some time as he gazed through the marvelous flyovers and the 3km-long roundabout in the city.

"This country has gone through a more devastating economic situation that sent Ghanaians across Africa and the world at large. There was a time here in the 80s when Ghana could no longer import basic commodities like paste and soap. They had gone through more turbulent economic times than what is experienced in Sierra Leone", the government official pointed out without answering to the question.

I cannot understand why we Sierra Leoneans could not look at the positive side of other societies and try to emulate them. No country can develop more than the mind of its people. The level of development in any country is a direct reflection of the aspirations of its people. If Sierra Leone therefore remains deprived of every aspect of development, it is because there are no great minds to move it forward. Failures always find excuses for their predicaments. It was therefore not surprising that the Minister tried to justify our backwardness by pulling down the other countries or pointing at their awkward past.

There is poverty in every part of the planet earth but there is no part of the world where it has overcome a whole nation to the point of taking its people hostage. Contrary to our Minister's view as reported here, Sierra Leone has no excuses to be the poorest country in the world. My arrival in DR Congo has further provided me with a better picture of the smallness of our country in size and population. Here in DRC, UN officials have always taken Sierra Leone as the finest example for a successful UN mission. Ituri District where I work is about 65,800sq km; almost the size of Sierra Leone which is only about 72,000 sq km.

Ituri District has a total population of about 6 million people with 17 tribes. The UN argues that it has only about 4,000 peacekeepers in Ituri District whereas it had about 17,000 in Sierra Leone, which covers almost the same geographic area.

The DRC is the third largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria. It covers a land area of about 2.4 million sq km (the size of Western Europe or 33 times the size of Sierra Leone). The DRC has a population of about 60 million inhabitants and 450 tribes. It has two time zones; the eastern region is one hour ahead of Kinshasa. I am merely stating these examples to illustrate the fact that because of our small size in land area and population, we have no excuses for not being able to govern our country. DRC has satellite facilities and people here in the east are able to watch TV programs with excellent pictures broadcast from Kinshasa. The flight takes in total about 3hrs:10 minutes from Kinshasa to my duty station - Bunia (situated near the Ugandan border). I travel on board two flights: a UN Boeing from Kinshasa to Kisangani and another from Kisangani to Bunia. Electricity is the cheapest service here in DRC. We pay a flat rate of USD4:00 per month (four dollars). There are no meters. The city's huge hydro electricity provides Kinshasa and neighboring countries with a 24-hour electricity service. We Sierra Leoneans could not stop expressing our astonishment here over the wastage of such a precious service like electricity. Streetlights are left on for 24 hours. It is the first time in my life that I am living with 24hour electricity and water supplies. This is happening all the way in Bunia about 3,000 km from the capital.

The city of Kinshasa has a population of about 9 million inhabitants and you may drive from Freetown to Masiaka, you are still in the city!

We have treated our country unfairly. We have no excuse for not providing our people with first class tar mark super highways connecting Freetown with the rest of the hinterland. We have no reasons for living in garbage-infested communities gripped with darkness.

How can anybody listen to us for taking three decades to construct the Bumbuna hydro electricity dam? How can anyone comprehend our present situation where only less than a handful of persons can afford electricity while the rest of the population sleeps in total darkness? Our children and those yet unborn will not pardon us not being part of the civilized community of nations as they would like to see us taking part in the prestigious African Nations Cup and the World Cup finals. What explanation do we have for exposing our people to poor living conditions? How can we explain being surrounded by fresh running rivers, creeks and streams filled by abundant rainfalls but no drop to drink?

It is really sad to note that we have still not learned our past mistakes after the brutal civil war.

Today, I see people just drinking and drinking as if there is nothing to think about. We have forgotten that in a time of peace, we prepare for war; and in a time of war, we prepare for peace. We have no reason for not having a formidable army with enough manpower and logistics like the Guineans who have capitalized on our weakness to steal our land in broad daylight.

Guinea has a sizeable air force with several alpha jets and a few naval ships whereas Sierra Leone cannot boast of a flying object. There is corruption everywhere in the world but it has not prevented nations from building strong armies and affording basic social services.

If we are as backward and as primitive as we are today, like I mentioned earlier, it is because we do not have great minds. The mind of the typical Sierra Leonean big man revolves only around money, alcohol and women. If I am wrong then explain to the people of Sierra Leone why the government cannot manage garbage, provide water and electricity supplies and develop the country's infrastructure. You may also want to explain why the country is at the bottom of the UN Human development Index.

Despite the hostage taking and all the odds imposed on our country, I will never disown nor dislike it. In fact, Sierra Leone is constantly on my mind and I will never be satisfied until I do my own small contribution to its development. After all, there is no place like home. All we need is a radical change of attitude. Our problems are man-made and can therefore be solved with our own very hands.