Imagine a circular building with a stage in the middle. Open all the doors and windows. Give all the women fans. Have a balcony encircle the entire building. The place is packed. Women in print dresses and matching hats–big floppy ones. Men in white shirts and ties. Everyone dressed for a wedding—but it’s only Sunday. […]
Return to Freetown
Freetown has changed. In 2000 it was a place of U.N., ECOMOG and Sierra Leonean soldiers. Too many sneering boys in combat fatigues with fingers twitching along the barrels of AK-47s. A nation of people who hadn’t slept in a decade. The airport is still chaotic but there are fewer uniforms. Bags still fall off […]
Sumbuya days
I awaken to the muezzin’s call to prayers—still dark, 6 am. I hear the sound of chopping wood, voices around the cooking fire. I am staying with Madame Yeamah, the aunt of my friend Jose Tenga. Madame Yeamah is the mammy queen, the most powerful woman in Sumbuya. I am drawn to the three girls […]
Old Town Welcome
Sumbuya is divided into 4 sections, each with a chief. Today I visited the Old Town section—it was a day I’ll never forget. The Old Town chief is the youngest I’ve met—maybe mid forties–good looking guy with very pretty wives. I asked if I could take some photos of the chief and the kids. I […]