S – is for stating my ancestors’ home. I’m proud to say I’m from Sierra Leone! I – is for improving the country’s narrative. There’s beaches, there’s culture; a great place to live. E – is for Enlightenment, let’s share our culture Our art, our fashion, and architecture. R – […]
I first went back home to Sierra Leone in 2010, for Christmas and New Year. This was after 11/12 years of living in London. I travelled with my mom, dad, and three younger sisters who are British born Sierra Leoneans. I was 21 at the time and my sisters were […]
Outbound: Solid Air I remember, about half my lifetime ago and halfway across the world, I woke up suddenly from sleep. I crawled out of the tent that was my mosquito net and stood for a minute or two listening. The air had a certain heaviness to it. Something was […]
When Kanye West released “Diamonds from Sierra Leone”, I felt like my two worlds were colliding. I’m an avid hip-hop fan and in 2005, Mr West was arguably the biggest hip-hop artist in the world and here he was about to release the most anticipated album of the year to […]
“If we don’t talk about and celebrate our culture, nobody else will!” I came to the UK as a young child and as much as I missed home, I found settling in to the Western way of life a seamless experience. Growing up Sierra Leonean in the UK was culturally […]
If you’re a young Sierra Leonean who’s grown up in the diaspora and you love Sierra Leone like you say you do, there should be no reason why you shouldn’t learn to read and write standardised Krio. This book is a beginner’s guide to reading and writing Krio, written by […]
For 16years, I had no idea I had been homeless. Granted, I had clothes and a roof over my head, never missed a meal or slept rough but my heart, my heart had never been at ease… until I rediscovered home. Returning home 16 years after departing, you find that […]
Pray Day, commonly known as ‘Eid’ al fitr, is a celebration by muslims all over the world, marking the end of Ramadan, or as Sierra Leoneans call it ‘fast month.’ As a child growing up in a muslim household, this was the most exciting month. The community buzz was high as […]
Imagine being on a working-holiday in a hotel that’s more luxurious than your home has ever been to you. You generally enjoy the experience of many necessities that’s lacking in your home, but from time to time, you’re reminded by other staff that even with your indefinite leave to remain […]
16 years. Yes 16 years. Not one, not two, not even 12, but 16 years. That’s how long I had been away from the place I refer to as home. I moved to England at the tender age of 12 years old. I had always been a bubbly child and […]