Snaps from Salone
Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 04:42PM My Internet has chosen to be particularly slow this week, which is why I've been light on the posting. I've decided to share some of the photos I've taken so far. Salone, by the way, is Krio for Sierra Leone. Krio is a version of English invented/adopted by freed slaves when they founded the capital, Freetown.
This man is a photojournalist. He took my picture, then I took his. He also told me he was 14-years-old. I think he was lying.
I know the boy on the left looks sad, but he actually asked me to take the photo. It's mostly women who carry items on their heads but boys do it too.
HIV/AIDS is a big concern in Sierra Leone, not to mention all of Africa. SL's infection rate is much lower than other African countries (I believe around 10 per cent) but many people still aren't aware of how the disease is spread. I'm not sure how effective these signs are, however, because of high illiteracy rates and the fact that most people speak Krio or Mende before English.
The sewers are open canals dug at the sides of the streets. They are regularly filled with garbage and when it rains, they will up fast with foul-smelling water. I have developed a fear of falling in the sewer.
Reader Comments (3)
I have been enjoying following your blog as well as a few of your articles on BNT! Pretty soon you will start to feel at home and when you get back to North America, after a few months you will start to talk about things you miss about Sierra Leone!
I am sure you have learned these things by now but just in case: the kids LOVE to have their pictures taken. They are thrilled to pose for a photo and then see themselves in the camera.
And...NEVER run around the sewers at night, even if you think you know exactly where they are and will jump by them...I had the unfortunate mishap of my leg landing straight into one when I was attempting to leap over it one night. 2 years later and my leg still doesn't feel clean- I am sure you can imagine how that is possible.