Peace Diaries Workspace

V. Sierra Leone
	Chapter 6: Freetown Conservationists Sierra Leone: Awada Primary School, Services Primary School, King Independent Primary School Teacher: Lamina Feika

	Aminta F. My name is Aminata. I live in Sierra Leone, a country in Western Africa. I am a student and I am ten years old. I have always dreamed of changing our society to not be so full of violence. I want to make everybody live in a violent-free society because every human has the right to live on planet earth. Our cities and towns are not free of violence. Violence is everywhere - in our schools, in our homes and even in our places of religion. However, it is unfortunate that I am in a disadvantaged position as a result of the 10-year rebel war, which took place in this country. In order for politicians to meet their political dreams they decided to take weapons against each other. Because of this war thousands of innocent people were killed. Thousands of people became displaced and many of them had no food to eat. All the rebel forces used children as child combatants during the war. Children were forced to join or else they would be killed. There are also a number of countries that are still facing such problems in Africa, such as Liberia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and recently the Ivory Coast. Women and children are always the victims in conflicts and war. Education dwindled down during the war. Schools were destroyed. Even in government-controlled areas children could not feel safe. Their security was at risk. As a result people became displaced. Some of them were traumatized because of the violence and the things that they faced during the war. Some children's parents were killed right in front of them. Some of them became slaves for the rebels. In order for people to make a daily living most of them were going to the forest to cut down trees as a means of selling fire wood to have income to pay their bills. Deforestation resulted as a result of this. Most of our animals were killed because people had to eat. People are facing all these things because of violence. People use violence to please their human feelings and in the course they harm other people. If we all want to live in a world of paradise which god created for us, we should all put hands together to eradicate violence on planet earth. If I had the power, I would discourage military coups or rebel wars in Africa. I would implement and adjust our laws to punish people seriously who do harm to women and children in our communities. Since every one has the right to vote and to be voted for, we all should be democratic. We should respect ourselves so that we can respect others.
	Fanta T. My name is Fanta T. I live in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Human culture has been in existence since God created the world. Culture can be defined as a particular behavior or practice of humans. It also tells us about the present, past and future events of our communities. It also tells us about our various cultures. For the purpose of this essay I am going to focus my attention on the African culture. The British or the French colonized most, if not all of African countries. When they came to Africa they saw us practising our culture and they too had their culture which they were practising .The food we eat, the way we dress, our language and even our behavior can tell people who we are, where we are from and the kind of person we are. Since both the British and the French controlled most African countries, we took most of their culture, known to us as civilization. The world wide culture influenced the kind of food we eat, the way we dress - even amongst nations and tribes. Culture is so much part of Africans that we have what we call the "security society". Once a male or female is part of any of the groups, that individual is considered part of the group for life. For the women, most get married after their initiation. Years ago, Africans were well known for their costumes and dress but because of the influence of Western Civilization, most young Africans are now wearing fashionable Western clothes. By doing so, though, we are eradicating our own culture for another man;s culture - the culture of the West. One might even think that is the future of African culture - practicing living another man’s culture. If we all do not join hands to influence Africans in Africa to be proud of their culture it will be lost to our yet unborn children. We must enjoy the wonderful culture of our land and our leaders should encourage their people to get used to it as it represents who we are and what we do.
	Jane P. My name is Jane. Mrs Liz Barrett, a project manager with Peace Diaries has asked me to tell you all a little bit more about my country so that you can have a better understanding of my land and culture. Sierra Leone is located in West Africa; it shares boarders with Liberia and Guinea. The Portuguese explorer, Pedro De Cintra, found this coastal country and later it was governed by the British during the colonial era. Sierra Leone is a small, mountainous country and this is represented by its unique green, white and blue national flag .We got our independence on April 27, 1961. Our national currency is Leones. I live in the east end of the City of Freetown with my parents and my seven brothers and sisters. We have various houses in Sierra Leone — wooden houses, clay houses, huts, cement and concrete houses. Zinc houses are commonly known as pan-body. One can also find big houses in the central of the City. There are also very historic and colonial buildings in my country. In most remote areas there are zinc or clay houses and I live in a zinc house. Sierra Leone is rich in many natural resources and minerals like diamonds, gold and oil, yet still we remain the poorest country in the world because of the selfish greed of politicians. Sierra Leone also has a natural harbor. Our beautiful natural beach has drawn hundreds of tourists from all over the world. Recently, our country was classified as the poorest country in the world, despite all our mineral wealth. Most families are poor and are farmers or petty traders — about 75% of people in Sierra Leone live on less than a dollar a day. My family too is a victim of this poverty; sometimes when things are bad my family has to go without food for the day. Our staple food is mainly rice and others, which include the cassava tube, yams, fu-fu, potato and gari, which are all grown here. The rice, however, is imported .In the area where I live there are many petty traders selling different foodstuffs. In most areas there are containers where people open up provision shops. There are also supermarkets in town, but they are very expensive for the ordinary Sierra Leonean, so we cannot afford to buy from there. Most people prefer to buy food from the streets vendors because they are cheaper and there are plenty of them around. You can buy items singly for your needs - not in packs, like at the supermarket. We have traditional activities which constitute a major component of our society. Our marriage ceremonies are very unique. Traditional marriages in Sierra Leone are very interesting to attend. What the West knows as ‘married’ is known here as "putting a cola". In this process both partners call their parents and inform them about their intensions. Thereafter they will invite family members and friends to attend the ceremony. The couples will be seated in the forum where the male parents will pronounce the purpose of the visit. "We have seen a rose in your garden which we are in need of and which we have come to collect". Then the woman’s parents will ask their in-laws, "Which roses have you seen and come to collect?" They will then call the woman’s name which they have intensions for. Thereafter the woman’s parents will have a word with her. They will then come out and say that they have talked with her, but that it is left to their daughter to make the decisions for herself. Then they will put wine in a cup and give it to their daughter and ask her to give it to the man she loves. During this process many young men turn towards the woman pretending that they are the one she loves. She will then walk through the crowd and give the wine to her chosen husband. After that they will give some amount of money and a wrapped cola nut to the woman’s family as a sign of the marriage. They will then eat and drink. Sadly, this ceremony does not always apply because in some cases young girls are forced by their parents to get married to elderly men in their communities. Girls get married as young as 13 years, and during the war many children became prostitutes and some of them got pregnant as young as the age of10. Many of them are still roaming the streets with no hope because of what has happened to them. In Sierra Leone HIV/Aids has caused the death of many citizens. Despite this some people believe that there is no such thing as AIDS and that the West only wants to reduce the world population by making use of condoms. By not believing in HIV and by not practicing safe sex, AIDS can only continue to increase in my country. Sierra Leone is a very poor country that needs help! We, the children of this nation, are suffering. Some of us do not have food to eat or clothes to wear and we have no way to help our parents with our schooling bills. We need each and everyone’s help to try and change this country so that we can all enjoy its wealth.
	Patrick C. I am from Sierra Leone, West Africa. I am a student and I am 13 years old. I wish to become a professional journalist in order to contribute in my own little way to make my country an ideal place to live in. Sierra Leone has gone through a decade of civil war. In fact, our country has had one of the bloodiest wars anybody in the world has ever faced. The scar of the war is still physically, socially and emotionally visible within the length and breadth of our country To me, ‘quality of life’ means the observance of the basic fundamental principles of Human Rights including education, food and housing. Presently, my country stands at a disadvantaged position as far as these fundamental basics regarding ‘quality of life’ are concerned. If I become a trained and qualified as a journalist, I believe I would ensure that the rights of people are realized in my country and the world as a whole. I shall leave no stone unturned to castigate any corrupt practices as long as I am convinced it is for the improvement of our societies and development in Africa today. Journalists are under constant threat from governments of the day when they feel that journalists are reporting against their dubious acts. No journalist should feel the threat of intimidation in the defense of their duty as long as it is of national or international interest. Corruption, I believe, is the main cause of much of the violence in our society today. I am convinced that violence triggers many conflicts. Lack of food is usually the most serious problem faced by the masses in a crisis situation as a result of corruption. All in all, corruption greatly hampers the security of the residents and almost all the fundamental principles of human rights are violated. Journalists are the brain of any democracy and therefore they should become a bone in the throat of corrupt politicians so that we can all live to see a happy world (planet earth).
	Sheaka F. My name is Sheaka F. I live in Bonth, the district capital of the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. I am 12 years and I am a student. To me, quality of education is a relative term in the sense that school may be defined as a particular building where people go to, to learn. Again, quality of education may also mean the kind of facilities available to students in a learning situation, and how best they make use of the facilities to be educated. My focus is going to be on my country, Sierra Leone, after the war. Quality of education was greatly hampered as a direct result of the war. About 60% of the entire student population were displaced and were sent to bigger towns in the country. There was insufficient accommodation, poor location of schools, lack of trained and qualified teachers, lack of basic school materials and an improper flow of teachers’ salaries. Education was at the brink of collapse. Even after the war, there is still need to revitalize the quality of education in this country if education is to gain its usual position. Sierra Leone once was the leader of West Africa as a result of good education. Sadly, nowadays it is directly the opposite and Sierra Leone and its children have lost the formal glory of good education. Wars have done this - we need to work together to get better education for all children in our country. The government needs to bring resources together to bring education back to its former prominence. The Government needs to provide basic school materials and a a basic, free education for all our countrymen so that we can build a better future together. Teachers need to get paid their salaries. There is one important fact the government should have in mind when making decisions on educational matters and that is that education is the backbone of a country’s development. In order to eradicate illiteracy, government should make education free in both primary and secondary schools. Also, the girl child should be encouraged to go to school- the government must advocate to their parents to allow them to attend school. Many African children are removed from school, or don't attend school, because they have to get married. In Africa as a whole, women have to stay at home for domestic reasons while the men go to work or get an education. My country, Sierra Leone is a third world country that needs development. With the strengthening of education of both girls and boys, our country will become a great nation and a leader in the world.