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You can never do too much drawing. Abbas Jalloh hasn't stopped since he drew his first diagram in primary school. By high school, he had broken free from lines and drew a picture of Justin Bieber so well that he became one of the most popular people at school. "To be honest, I cannot say my work is priceless,” said the now 22-year-old mass communications student at Fourah Bay College. "I love sketching and drawing because it looks realistic after the work is completed," he said. He doesn't do exhibitions because he doesn't have a space to showcase his work. However, there are people who sponsor him. Some pay fairly well too for their sketches.  "Artistically, my drawing mentors are many,” he said. “ Aliya, a Sierra Leonean who did lots of the paintings at one of the biggest nightclubs at Calabatown; Theophilus Boateng a.k.a. TheoPencil, the unmatchable Ghanaian artist and millionaire as well, who specializes in pencil; and  Olusegun Olumede, a N...

As the elections draw closer,  young people in Calaba Town are getting ready to vote on March 7, 2018. This Saturday,  November 25,  many collected their voter registration cards.  I got to meet and talk with a few of them. They want to vote for people they believe in, people they know can help bring about a better Sierra Leone. One vote is all they have to make that change. Saya Turay, a 24-year-old hairdresser,  said that she's happy to have acquired the card because she'll be able to vote in her candidate. Her wish is to make the right choice while placing her vote, as she favors someone that she thinks would add more meaning to the lives of young people. "If we the young people are given a chance, then Sierra Leone will be a better place," she said. Twenty-year-old Idrissa Koroma, a shop assistant, will be voting for the first time in the 2018 general elections. He hopes that his vote is going to help bring in the right person. "The people need someo...

Over the past month, numerous reports of sexual assaults have rocked the world. People in Freetown are not immune. Here are a few real-life stories from young men and women in Freetown. "I was 12 when I moved into my uncle's house and I still remember how his wife assaulted me," said twenty-two-year-old Samson Jalloh . “After every shower, when my uncle was out, she'd ask me to apply gel on her back. That's how it continued until one day she started sneaking into my room, demanding I take off my pants and climb on top of her. I knew it was wrong, and that she was my uncle's wife. One day, I decided to tell my uncle because I couldn't take it anymore. My uncle didn't believe me at first but a week later he caught his wife seducing me in the courtyard when he came home one afternoon. He was very pissed and he divorced her.” Seray Khan , a 24-year old woman, said that in high school one of her teachers repeatedly harassed her. "When it was t...

My name is Inyilla Borteh Conteh. I was born in Sierra Leone to Fula and Susu parents, who are both Muslims.  I'm a 20-year-old mass communications student at Fourah Bay College.  Over the years I've tried to understand what it means to be a girl child growing up as a Muslim in a small and peaceful African community. Here's my experience.  When I was five, I was told in many different ways that I couldn't dress like a boy. My mother would often say, "you're not a boy; walk gently; don't sit with your legs spread apart." When I celebrated my tenth birthday, my dream was to make lots of friends, be it a pack of boys or a yoke of girls. One day I tried to play football at school, and my teacher said " football is a game for boys. From now on, you must stop playing with boys and start being cordial with the girls. I shouldn't have to tell you that liquids find their levels."  I wanted to try lots of things, like climbing trees to p...

Foday Melvin Kamara is the Sierra Leonean inventor you've never heard of. One of Kamara’s most recent inventions is a multi-purpose dryer. “The invention help(s) farmers to dehydrate produce before storage,” he told 9RiverMedia. “Over a year ago, we designed and constructed an electrically powered version that was installed at Lion Mountain Company in Bo and has been in operation for over a year,” he added. “The technology is adaptable for drying of produce such as cacao, coffee, ginger, etc... Before now, a dryer of the same magnitude was imported,” he said. During the raining season, when there's little sunshine, Sierra Leonean farmers face lots of problems in drying rice, corn, cacao, cashew nuts, pepper, cassava chips, onions, groundnuts, soybeans, corn/maize, and Moringa leaves. “The FINIC invention will meet the pockets of the farmers. Instead of diesel fuel to generate the heat required for the dehydration process, our technology uses burn oil, which is five ...

The rain in Freetown fell all day Sunday, 21st of May. There was so much rain it was difficult for cars and people to get around.  The video shows a minibus, also known as a "poda poda” at Congo Cross, struggling to make its way through the high water. Normally, Freetown does not experience such rains in May. Definitely not as heavy as those in July and August. But the driving rain that pelted down on Sunday came with lots of wind, lightning, and thunder. Most of the low-lying Western areas were flooded with runoff from Freetown's surrounding hills, which don’t have as many trees as they used to. Flooding is not unusual during the rainy season, but not many people can remember the flooding in the month of May.  Now, people are worried about what will happen in July and August, which have the heaviest rains. According to collected data, the wettest weather is in July when an average of 1190 mm (46.9 in) of rainfall (precipitation) occurs. For Young Life in Free...

S ince Monday April 3rd, when fire raced through Susan's Bay, hundreds are still coming to terms with the disaster. Thanks to the World Food Program (WFP) in Sierra Leone, survivors have gotten by on donations of rice and cooking oil. The WFP also helped put up makeshift tents.   Sanoh Yasaneh said she’s grateful to the WFP for giving whatever support they can. However, she said, not everyone got supplies. There also aren’t enough tents, according to Sanoh. "We're over fifty, sharing a tent,” she said. “What if there's disease, wouldn't we all fall victim? Eyes need to be drawn here or else, we might not survive this crisis," she said.   Momodu Turay complained that his family didn't receive supplies either. Momodu said getting a bed in the tents is difficult because they are so overcrowded. “We need help. It is not safe.  My family and I have given up,” he said.   Nancy Sowa said Susan's Bay  is a mess because there are no public toilets. ...

The death of a 33-year-old Sierra Leonean journalist has put healthcare under the spotlight. Arthur Ben Tucker, whose articles have been published in local and international newspapers, died Saturday while being treated for an unknown illness by a traditional healer, according to social media reports. A former reporter for The New Vision Newspaper, Tucker specialized in court reporting but covered politics, community and human-interest stories, a colleague said in an obituary posted in Native Think Tank’s WhatsApp group. Tucker’s death sent shock waves through the Native Think Tank (NTT) community and was trending on WhatsApp, where he used the handle @NativeIsatu. “Arthur hid behind a veil,” noted one obituary. “This veil turned out to be the most ignored of species— the female. In death, that decision has only enlarged his status.” Isatu is one of the most popular girl names in Sierra Leone. @Peebeck said in a news release that he watched Tucker grow from a young Four...

John Keita will vote for the first time in 2018 March 20 was the date set by Sierra Leone’s National Electoral Commission, or NEC, to begin registration for the 2018 Elections. All citizens of Sierra Leone who are 17 years or older have been asked to register. Only those people who are on the Voters’ Register and present a Voters ID Card will be able to vote in the 2018 Elections. Young Life spoke to young people in one electoral ward. Some of them voted in the last elections. Others are looking forward to voting for the first time.   Juliet Thomas voted in 2012 and she's hoping to vote again in 2018. She had just turned eighteen when she voted in the last elections. Almost six years on, is she better off? Juliet says she had plans to go to college but couldn't because her mother was out of work. Juliet still hasn’t been able to raise enough money to pay her college fees. She also said things were much cheaper five years ago. For example, a cup of rice used to b...

Many people sustain their lives through small business ventures. In Freetown, young people are starting their own businesses with little capital. Christiana Coker sells medicine around the city.  One of her products is Kofsil, which is good for whooping cough and sore throats. She also sells Alafia Bitters for Le2, 000.  Bitters are a tonic used as a cure-all for malaria, constipation, body aches, and pains. Christiana has a permit to sell drugs issued by the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone. The board is a regulatory agency and it ensures the protection of public health.  As a legal vendor, Christiana is able to advise her customers on the right dose for children and adults, and possible effects on the body. She said business is not always good. Sometimes she doesn’t make any sales because there are a lot of other vendors so there’s always competition. She has been trading for two years and makes about Le200, 000 a week. Her taxes average Le5, 000 each month. Christi...

The Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation works to empower women and girls. Their mission is to help communities live free from violence, to value and respect people in their households and in areas where they live and feel at home. Mohammed Jalloh is the founding director of the Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation.  He said the organization is named in memory of his friend, Ellen, who loved helping women and girls in Sierra Leone. Ellen was born in Norway in Scandinavia. She died in 2009 from complications with cancer. Mohammed said it was Ellen, who first came up with the idea of an organization set up to help vulnerable women and girls. Lady Ellen Women’s Aid ensures that, alongside women and girls, they sensitize men and boys on bullying and the penalties of crimes against the person. “Our vision is based on the premise that everyone has a right to live free from fear or intimidation,” Mohammed said. The organization also helps women and girls do savings and loans...

For many years, Sierra Leonean-made movies have lagged behind their West African neighbors. But movie productions are taking hold in Freetown once more, especially in local communities like Calaba Town. One reason filmmaking slowed down was that almost everything collapsed during the war.  Another problem was the absence of experts. There were few people ready to nurse young talent with initiative or creativity for movies. Most of the people who are actors, actresses, and, directors have never had any real experience. They just felt the urge and started up with what they had. Now, experts are available on shooting movies, sound recording and reproduction, editing, and screening, all helping Sierra Leonean moviemakers reach their peak. The government is also helping to boost the entertainment industry. Filmmakers in Sierra Leone are collaborating with partners in Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria. Many a time, production teams come to Freetown to do movies. Similarly, producti...

Every year, we celebrate Valentine's Day with people we love and care for. This year is no different. In Freetown, some schoolgirls picked Valentine's day gifts at school to give to friends and loved ones. Many young people had plans to go out with their pals and best mates. A few of them told me how they're spending Valentine’s Day. Esther Penyikie is spending Valentine's day with her boyfriend, Charlie, who she met last week. She said she chose Charlie as her Valentine because she knows he would make her day special. They went to dinner at the Hilltop Fast Food restaurant.  Abigail Smith decided to spend Valentine’s Day with her friend, Isha Bah (in blue Al-Amira). Abigail said that Isha is a true friend. They went on a school picnic during the day to celebrate their friendship. Adama Gbla said she's staying home. She has no Valentine so she is not going out. "I always find peace and comfort at home," she said. Nassiru Kabba...

Santigi Kalorkoh is a young father with a three-year-old daughter. Her mother died during childbirth. Santigi is a student in high school, and he works with a bike taxi service. Santigi makes about 50,000 Leones a day ferrying passengers on weekends. Santigi and his daughter live with his mother and stepfather. He doesn't pay rent, but whatever money he raises is used to pay school fees, take care of his daughter, and the rest is put aside to cover his five-year Okada license, which costs about 500,000 Leones. Santigi is sure that his daughter will have a good life because, by the time he finishes school, he would be doing big things. Kadiatu Sesay is a hairdresser raising an eight-year-old son, Benjamin. Her husband walked out on the family five years ago and she receives no child support. Kadi and Ben live in one room. She earns about 400,000 Leones each month. Her housing takes up more than half of her income, and the other half goes on food. A cup of rice costs about 1500 Leo...

Abdulai Sesay became a model in 2007. He was just out of school in Bo, Sierra Leone’s second city. As the athlete got better at keeping his pose for hours and hours, his fame spread to Kenema, the third-largest city in Sierra Leone. Before he came to the capital Freetown, Abdulai went to Makeni to show off his skill. He struck a pose for a full 9 hours on the roof of a car. In Freetown, he posed for 10 hours at the National Stadium, while people made fun of him. Abdulai poses for very long hours. Perhaps the longest stretch was in Bo when he stayed in character for 14 hours and 48 minutes. Abdulai has always been excited by Spider-Man, the superhero in American comic books. He often paints his body like one of the fictional characters. It takes Abdulai a couple of hours to transform into Amazing Spider-Man or Wall-crawler. Once he applies his makeup with water paint, it might stay on his skin for a day. Abdulai came to Freetown in 2013. While he settled into life in the...

Mr. John Brewa owns a five-unit apartment building in the Allen Town district of the capital Freetown. Mr. Brewa and his family live in one unit and he’s been renting the other four since 2010. Each apartment has three bedrooms, a sitting room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. Since the local council doesn’t collect trash for each residence, Mr. Brewa’s tenants dispose of their own garbage. Once a week, the children cart everything to a dumpsite. Everyone has to fetch water from wells or standpipes. During the dry season, people oftentimes get water from streams. Sahr Matturi of the Water and Sanitation Media Network said Allen Town, which is about thirteen miles from the capital city, is divided into two halves. “In the lower part of Allentown, most of the residents are unable to access pipe-borne water. In the dry season, lots of people move [around] with rubber gallons in search of drinking water,” he said. Mr. Brewa rents finished apartments for 300,000 Leones and unfinished ...