Fleeing the Jurisdiction

Seeing as there will be no more visual accompaniments due to the loss of my camera, the following few fleeting glimpses will have to serve. On reflection, they probably do give a passable idea of the place, but it’s a shame not to be able to share the sight of the fishing nets being pulled in at Lumley; the mosque at Tombo, rising above a sea of wind-rent shanties; or even the white armoured personnel carrier that dominates the vista at my usual workday lunch spot. Nonetheless, I hope this fills in some blanks, especially since I’m all too aware Salone has, of late, rarely made for sufficient headlines to register a profile in the minds of most.

Above: Whilst Africa is obviously far more complex than this quite stereotypical image, I just thought this particular effort was too impressive not to memorialise.

Above: The view of the Atlantic from my balcony, albeit hazy already from the Harmattan, is a reason to smile at the end of a long day.

Above: This graffiti, the political correctness of which I leave an open question, was near some new roadside stores in the slum area by Kingharmon Road.

Above: Notwithstanding the religious fervour of this message, one of Sierra Leone’s successes is the complete lack of antagonism between animists, Moslems and Christians.

Above: A view of Tengbeh Town showing the river that is both their greatest natural resource and the social hub of the community.

Above: This injunction against the common practice of carrying a personal arsenal was not so appropriate out front of an amputee settlement.

Above: A public health campaign notice; this one less confronting than those enjoining soldiers, as ’a force for good’, to wear condoms.

Above: Lakka Beach – reached by the worst road on the Peninsula, but nonetheless a great place to rinse off the sweat and cynicism.