By Bassie Bondeva Turay
In February 2023, I left Sierra Leone for a youth leadership program in the United States with a colleague, a young woman with whom I’d formed a bond learning Temne. Three weeks later, I was on my own on our return flight to Freetown. The young woman, who had only just started college in Sierra Leone, absconded from the program in our second week to remain in the United States. I know it wasn’t an easy decision for her to make, to be undocumented in a country that is alien to her. During our trip, she shared personal stories of hurt and struggle growing up in rural Sierra Leone in a single-parent household. Hers was a life of many challenges, and she felt that America would free her from them.
I have resisted the urge to pass harsh judgment on her because I recognize my own privileges which have protected me from taking such a path. I grew up in Freetown where I attended private schools, studied abroad, and have been opportune to navigate influential spaces. But I’ve learnt that even in those circles with young people who have access to power and affluence, their motivation is also to chase freedom elsewhere. Sometimes I wonder that if everyone is so bent on leaving Sierra Leone, why am I fixated on experiencing life in all its ‘glory’ here?
Last year, when I told a friend that I was returning home after completing my graduate studies abroad, he asked, "What are you going to do there?". He was concerned. I may have well told him that I’d packed my bags for hell. But it moved me to unpack the question. It caused me great apprehension to realise that for the first time in almost a decade, I would live in Sierra Leone, and not just engage with it on social media or as a December holidaymaker, yet within myself I could not find an answer to my friend’s question. Nonetheless, I returned and what I have noticed in my few months at home is not so different from what I felt while I was away. The fact remains that the future is gloomy for our country, that many of our citizens, particularly our youth, are unhappy. It seems to me that the country is on auto-pilot mode, amid a divisive political climate, worsening economic conditions, and fractured social cohesion.
I sense fear from different sides of our society, our government sees dissent as dangerous because of political pundits who present inflammatory speech to the public. On the other hand, opposition leaders are wary of a government that they believe is removed from the reality of mass hunger and other dissatisfactions. These fears are not new, they are primal. They would be the same whether you switched the roles that the green or the red currently hold. It is the outcome of years of simmering suspicion in the ways that different actors in our ethno-regional system have misgoverned the country. These fears are worsened by rife misinformation on social media, feeding flames of distrust. This may have been a factor in the August 10th incident in 2022, or maybe there’s just something in the water in Sierra Leone. Whatever you believe the cause of that day was, our parents understand. For them, it is a mirror of the past. Following a long period of misrule, young people were left in such misery that it was easy for them to band together in a ragtag way and inflict mayhem on their communities. But the majority of today's young people have no recollection of the events that led us to this precarious situation and are trapped in a mire.
Young Sierra Leoneans are particularly vulnerable, lagging behind our global counterparts, and far from receiving the quality of life we deserve. Of course, this is not something that is only just happening now. Under the previous regime, The Guardian named Sierra Leone “the most dangerous place in the world to be a young person”, citing WHO data. Frankly not much has changed; access to quality education and healthcare remains poor, substance abuse is rife - young men nodding off in the streets is now commonplace, jobs are still scarce, and every young person dreams of a Canadian, American, or British passport. I won’t say which one I prefer but it is this frustration that influences young Sierra Leoneans to fight or fly.
During my undergraduate years at the University of Rochester, we had a strong mental health program with a catchphrase that could be seen on posters in practically every dorm, hallway, or classroom: DON'T IGNORE THE SIGNS. It was meant to inform students to pay attention to any unusual changes in the behaviour or appearance of their colleagues. The signs were often precursors of an underlying problem. It was wise for us to take note of them so we could nip a looming disaster in the bud. I am aware of the ‘signs’ in Sierra Leone today, which is why I have written this essay. I am no prophet of doom.
I am aware of a revolutionary surge of young Sierra Leoneans making an impact in their communities, and across sectors, from politics and business to the creative arts and academia. I work closely with adolescents at my local church and my alma mater. My interactions with these young minds have revealed a genuine love for our country, an enthusiasm for change, and a desire to live a good life here.
There is something in the water here, and young Sierra Leoneans should positively ride the wave. I firmly believe that what we need in Sierra Leone is collective action, a movement that completely disrupts the status quo that is divisively ethno-regional, classist, and patriarchal. And if any of us has half the hope that a youthquake will occur here, we must search within to figure out what our role is. Assuming your role requires a great deal of self-discipline and character development; you must first lead yourself exemplarily before enabling others.
Philippians 2:4 instructs us to “consider not only our own interests but also the interests of others”. While 1 Peter 4:10 admonishes us to “use the abilities that God has given us to serve others”. Young Sierra Leoneans must start moving curiously towards collaboration, rather than working in silos to create more meaningful and inclusive environments for their target audience. Let’s seek out those who share our passions and interests and begin to talk about starting some ideas together. Ultimately, a culture of collaborative action based on our shared priorities would develop into the foundation for the socio-political change we need. Our deliberate alliances, which are effective in resolving the challenges we face across sectors, will result in a formidable force that will eventually grow into a radically progressive and inclusive movement at all levels in Sierra Leone.
On the occasion of my undergraduate graduation, a Sierra Leonean woman,who is a role model to me, sent a note that has since had a profound impact on me. She hoped that my path would lead back to Sierra Leone. I began passing on this wish to other young people who have the potential to positively influence Sierra Leone but are unsure how to take on that responsibility and would rather just disconnect. So, when I finally accepted the Sierra Leonean sister's departure from our leadership program in the U.S., I did what I knew best. I prayed for her safety and hoped that whatever path she takes, it would bring her back to Sierra Leone.
Bassie Bondeva Turay is deeply committed to youth empowerment, education, and leadership development. He is a BCA Leadership Fellow and a Management Consultant for CTI Consulting Ltd. Bassie is also a Children's Sunday School instructor and Youth Adviser at the Bishop Baughman Memorial United Methodist Church, as well as a teacher of Government and History at the Sierra Leone Grammar School.
Photo Credits: Sama Kai