Training kids to make pocket film

A Swedish kid being taught the use of her mobile phone to make a short film 

Many of us use our mobile phones either to make or receive calls, take and send photos, or send text messages.

These are in fact the most common usage of this piece of technology not just in Sierra Leone but in many parts of the world.

A few others go the extreme of using theirs to engage in other dastardly acts, like making or watching pornographic films, as we have seen in Sierra Leone recently.

We Yone TV, a Freetown based non-profit organisation which specialises in filmmaking, has envisioned a project it says will revolutionise the use of mobile phones in the country.

The organisation is working towards replicating a project recently seen in Sweden.

Sierra Leone`s youth and political promises

This article was first published on the print edition of www.salonejamboree.com as editorial.

A Freetown slum in the west of the capital

“Most of Sierra Leone youth on their own volition have charted the way to progress,” the words of President Ernest Bai Koroma, during his speech on the State Opening of Parliament recently.

As has been the trend lately, that statement was intersperse with references to the youth and their spirited passion for self actualization.

Nowhere could the above statement on the enterprising disposition of the youth of this country more demonstrable than in the arts and entertainment industry.

You see it in the countless movies that find their way to the streets every day; the endless entertainment coming from the tireless musicians, who are hardly seen to be making anything, in terms of solid reward, out of their resourcefulness; the painters; the sculptors, etc.

Admittedly, the youth have been consistently put at the center of this country`s development endeavour for so long, yet very little is there to show as reward for their immeasurable contribution.

From the onset of the recently concluded political process to this day, the same emphasis has been made unambiguously. This is no surprise given the role of the youth in national development.

But crucially, for the case of particularly Sierra Leone, the sheer level of youth unemployment makes for a genuine concern. And it does make those of us concerned about it feel optimistic that the government sees things in almost the same light. Or at least President Koroma does…

‘Stupid’ gun owners go wild

A popular presenter at CNN, Piers Morgan, is currently the subject of a petition for deportation from the US.

Wondering what his crime is?

Well, the talk show host was interviewing the Executive Director of Gun Owners of America, an organisation that defends ownership of gun by individuals, when he lost his cool.

The recent indiscriminate shooting and killing of scores of children in the US sparked a heated national debate over gun ownership.

There emerged a growing number of voices in favour of tougher gun controls.

Ever the sturdy lobbyist group, the Gun Owners of America has been standing their grounds against such moves.

Long wait ahead for Sierra Leonean women

It seems the long wait for the women of Sierra Leone is far from over.

Sierra Leone women marching for peace prior to the Nov 17 polls

Even before the ballots were cast, gender activists were nursing major setbacks in the November 17 polls following a dismal performance by female politicians at the primaries, the run-up to which saw amplified activism.

That followed the botched attempt to pass the Gender Equality Bill 2012, which would have guaranteed the minimum 30 percent quota for women.

Women say men are reluctant to give them space out of unfounded fears.

At the end of the war, the women folks flooded into politics in apparent continuation of their key role in ending it. The impact was felt more in parliament.

Indicted, Sierra Leone`s national broadcaster struggles to save face

The leadership of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) is struggling to save its face after been found guilty [in the court of the European Elections Observation Mission in Sierra Leone (EUOM)] of favouring the ruling party in the run-up to the November 17 elections.

Counting is still ongoing, amid widespread public anxiety.

But despite looming tension with threats by the main opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) to reject the outcome of Saturday`s vote, international observers were unanimous in their approval of the day`s activities.

However, as experts would say, election is a process; it is more than just the totality of activities of the voting day.

Some thoughts ahead of November 17

Political tolerance is one of the most used words in Sierra Leone these days.

Everyone, even politically intolerant people, seems to use it more than they do water.

Supporters of the two main political rivals – APC and SLPP - preach it yet clearly fall short of practising it.

President Koroma throwing football to jubilant supporters

Hate speech has been identified as a common means of fuelling violence in these [November 17] elections, which is a manifestation of political intolerance.

Brig. General (rtd) Bio, given out education material to a student

At the weekly government press conference on Thursday 8 November, Minister of Information and Communications, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, hit the nail on the head when he delved on the role of the media in ensuring a peaceful electoral process by not promoting hate speech.

“To us political tolerance is very important… whatever we say on radio, whatever we write on the papers,” should be done in the interest of peace and democracy, Mr Kargbo said.

Admittedly, he is, to me, one of a very rare breed of politicians in this country. Even with frequent taunts directed at him as the ‘greatest liar’ in the APC government, by that his critics mean as government spokesman he defends the government even when it is on the wrong side, the former Sierra Leone Association of Journalist (SLAJ) president can hardly be linked to irresponsible statements.

True democracy is but consultative

Thank God! The fuss over the inevitable flaws of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) system in Sierra Leone came and went peacefully.

Then there was clamour over nomination fees…, which was also overcome with relative ease.

Like all other obstacles faced in the course of preparations for the November 17 polls, those were tough but, like always, the end was achieved.

Sierra Leone`s National Electoral Commission

The hope is been that Sierra Leone has learned from those experiences.

Let`s take the nomination fee for example.

Overnight prospective politicians woke up to realise that the National Electoral Commission had increased, in some cases more than five folds, the fees required to contest for various positions.

Like in almost every subject of discussion in this country, there were two arguable sides to the debate. Whether genuine or not, both sides put forward understandable points.