Africa
I always wanted to go to Africa. Like most African Americans, I grew up in an environment that worships everything, Africa. Once I got there, I realized that I didn't know anything about Africa. My grandmother made it clear that everything is the best in Africa. However, Grandma did not spend time demeaning the achievements of other cultures.
Growing up in the Latino and black cultures of Nicaragua. For me, there is no difference between the two races. Latinos are black and blacks are Latino. But for those who are good for a group, this is not the case.
In Africa, these differences will be magnified. To create a surreal world, elite ethnic minorities will treat others with indifference. There is a time plate to explain things if it's as easy as black and white. However, things are rarely black or white.
Stereotype
The usual stereotypes do not explain the ethnic differences in Africa; most people look dark, but they are differences; the differences can be traced back to centuries. Sierra Leoneans often ask me, "You are a Nigerian", "American" or "Hausa", these people often appear. Chief Morsay defines Biko and I as "whites." He told us that we foreigners are like white-skinned people. His index finger is holding his palm to emphasize. When African Americans do this in conversation, we know that this is an obstacle similar to "only whites." "You are not African," he said. In Africa, where you come from, or from which side of the river is important; as far as the Congo Bush and the Lele are concerned, which side of the river is politically and economically different.
But it's not in my mind. I am very happy to go to Africa. About my grandmother's African Center belief; I want to see for myself the greatness of the continent that initiated civilization and everything that makes us beautiful: melanin, curves, rhythm, food. A list of defense mechanisms, my self-esteem is used against the constant influx of American racist propaganda, where everything is about color, and black is the shadow that masks all colors.
racism
Therefore, racism is a shot of most African Americans watching the world. This is not a distorted lens; in most cases, the lens is accurate; although limited. Focus on only one view. In a world where humans find countless ways to isolate each other, racism makes this split possible.
It is clear that the Belgians of King Leopold II have the most racist and non-humanitarian acts against the Congolese people. But in the end, Mobutu Sese Seko of the Ngbandi group arrested the Patrice Lumumba of the Tetela ethnic group. I don't think race is the reason why Mobutu Sese Seko sinned to Lumumba. Thomas Sankara and BlaiseCompaoré are both from the Mossi ethnic group in Burkina Faso. But like King Leopold II, greed is the reason why Mobutu betrayed Patrice Lumumba and destroyed countless Congolese lives. Compaoré did the same thing in Burkina Faso, gaining the privilege of ruling minorities; maintaining power at the expense of Thomas Sankara and the people of Burkina Faso. Use corruption, levy and even foreign aid to maintain power. Since no country can answer, these people are no different from King Leopold II in the inhuman treatment of their compatriots.
In Sierra Leone, [RUF] will implement the same measures to cut off limbs and rape and murder in the advertising system; disperse thousands of people, enslave the people and extract diamonds for personal wealth.
poverty
But poverty is a relative thing. Growing up in the Caribbean and Latin America. I am used to the reality of the third world. But none of these are ready for Africa.
travel
The greater the number of conversations, the closer it is to the African lounge. Things are straightforward. The laughter is strengthened; the teeth are sucking and the smile is great.
The plane landed at Lungi International Airport with cheers and applause. Like Hollywood liberation, Africans are happy to be able to go home. You can feel their excitement. I am also very excited to meet the air of Africa. Out of the plane, I found the humidity very familiar. The difference is that looking at a group of people, seeing a group of black people. I try not to be surprised; I pretend I have been here before. Africans look at me like I have been here before.
Like all airports, the apron and runway are large. But in Lungi, you can't see buses, trucks or walking tunnels to protect you from bad weather. Everything is as open as the sky. I didn't see commercial aircraft or business jets; it was just an empty apron, the blue-green forest horizon in the distance, and no buildings.
Walking into the tiny immigration building is a surprise, no crowd! I think this is very strange for the international airport. Somehow, I think they might be connecting to flights to other parts of Africa. Only those who will travel to Liberia on the same plane. As you enter the building, you will see some old fashion compartments with modern fingerprint recognition machines. Immigration officials are easy and fast. They asked for a passport and a yellow vaccination card. Welcome to Sierra Leone!
The people of Sierra Leone are friendly; their comfort zone is very generous. They greet you and gently touch you with a common custom.
Waiting for our suitcase, I was attracted by two huge, very impressive wooden sculptures. Two action characters carved from a tree trunk. No one pays any price. They walked past them like African souvenirs. I have always appreciated the attention to the details of African art; the handling of observers, wearers and artifacts needs to be considered. This welcoming connection between art and dance, texture, food and color is a function of African art for me.
Although very impressive, I didn't know it at the time; these two wooden sculptures would represent my climax of African art.
Leaving the airport, we saw a sign with our name. Our host, Chernor, we called him Cherry, arranged for Lamin to greet us and arrange for us to take us to the beach and ferry to Freetown bus tickets. Lamin works for a company that helps Sierra Leonne travel. When someone spoke, Krio calmed down. Krio is a better bargaining language; exchanging money is positive, and some notes have preferences. If you can bargain at Krio, there is room to save.
Outside, they are young people selling tickets with Sim cards. They are very competitive, but they are not aggressive. I saw a lot of cash constantly exchanged hands. We wait for the air-conditioned minibus to be filled with passengers. The ferry is not far from the hotel, about a mile. But it takes about ten minutes to get there. The road is wrong; I think this is the way to the airport and may be better taken care of, but not. This is just a bet of many examples of neglect and corruption in the daily lives of the people of Sierra Leone.
The beach is large and clean; I noticed this because other places seem to be full of rubbish. I saw some humble, hurriedly built shacks. I am looking for a colorful fishing boat but have not seen anything. They are small children, wearing tattered and dirty suits. They ignore us. At this time, the small dock was full of passengers on the plane, waiting for the ferry; the people under the suitcase and the wooden house, armed guards. We waited for hours. It will drop before they call our numbered ticket, and the small ferry will travel safely to Freetown several times.
It takes less than an hour by boat to cross the seaport to Freetown. The view is dark and has no recognizable features. Inside, our host Cherry and his driver Muhammad are waiting there. They immediately drove us out of the crowd before anyone offered assistance. Ramin sent the photo. Cherry ensures that Mohamed gets our luggage. The cherries greeted us on a bright, round, friendly face with a big smile and sparkling eyes. He immediately asked us about the flight and we were very hungry. He said that he is cooking at home, "it may be too hot for us," he said. So if we like, we can go out and eat something. We choose spicy food; our time difference agency is very late. At night, the streets of Freetown are crowded with suppliers that supply a variety of goods. They don't seem to appeal to me. Freetown doesn't look clean. This is a surprise. A big surprise!
We left the dock on a two-lane road and occasionally lit the streetlights. When talking about cherries, Muhammad focused on his mission. I am very happy that he is. Your way to town is getting closer. They are a lot of children selling things, anything. I saw a lot of delicious and fruit. Everything seems to be rent. Things get weird, out of date, a bit inappropriate, just like I went back to the past. People don't seem to worry about traffic. This street is full of African music. People are just in a seemingly chaotic order.
GODRICH
We walked along the paved road until we reached College Road in Godrich. Then we turn right. Muhammad slowly crawled; now the unpaved road turns into a series of hills and gullies, slowly turning to the next turn, like a bus from Lungi to the beach. There will be more moments like this. Muhammad tried not to drag the bottom of the car to the mountain and turned patiently. Just like he did so much time.
CHERNOR's HOME
The car parked on a large metal door about 10 feet high. The fence is as high as the fence and the broken bottle sticks to the top. We have three turns from the main road, and some houses have this obstacle. Many are not; some houses are just a box of corrugated paper, metal wood and cardboard are put together. There is a feeling that Freetown is not always like this. These ones...
Orignal From: My first trip to Africa: Sierra Leone, Freetown - Kono
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