Snap Happy

I've taken over 2,000 photos since I've been here. It's impossible to post them all on Facebook or Flickr because of my temperamental Internet connection but let's face it, not everyone wants to look at 16 different photos of the giant dead bug I found on my bathroom floor. So, here I present the second instalment of a small selection of photos I've taken over the past nine weeks:

This photo was taken outside the headquarters of a Chinese construction company operating in Bo. Chinese companies have come to Sierra Leone in droves, to snap up lucrative contracts to build roads and stadiums. An NGO worker I met told me China has moved into Sierra Leone because they see incredible opportunities to make money and they don't care about the country's human rights abuses. These human rights abuses are what keep businesses from other countries from coming to Sierra Leone, although many foreign companies do mining in the country.

Easmann, a reporter in Bo, took me out to visit one of the Chinese construction companies. He wanted to interview them about allegations their blasting was wreaking havoc on a nearby village. Cracks caused by the blasting had developed in the village's homes and mosque and the elderly were fleeing because they couldn't handle the stress of the explosions. We were made to wait for an interview for a good 45 minutes.

Kids in Sierra Leone get very excited when they see a foreigner. They particularly like having their photos taken and getting a chance to see the photo on the camera's screen. They scream, "po muay" when they see me, which means "white person." I counter that by pointing at them and saying, "Mende muay," which means Mende person. (Mende is the predominant tribe in the Bo district region of Sierra Leone). When they hear this, they either collapse into giggles or stand there shocked, with their mouths wide open. I'm not entirely sure that's how you spell "muay," so if anyone wants to correct me, please do.

On a weekend trip to Freetown, I got the chance to check out one of Sierra Leone's famous beaches. This is Bureh Beach, which is an 80 minute drive from Freetown. When we arrived it was completely deserted. For a couple of dollars, we got a table and some chairs. For a couple more dollars, we ate freshly caught and cooked swordfish and rice. Sierra Leone has incredible potential for tourism, although there is a lot of work to be done. The road down to the beach, for example, was in such poor condition that our taxi driver punctured his car's muffler.