| Until
a few days ago, if you had asked
me to tell you about Sierra Leone,
I would have had to think long
and hard to tell you much about
this West African country. I could
probably have explained roughly
where the country is located.
I may have mentioned something
about the slave trade being connected
to Sierra Leone. I could certainly
have told you that they had experienced
a brutal civil war. I might even
have admitted that I wasn't entirely
sure whether the war was 100%
over. And that's about it.
Slavery and war. A pretty negative
view of what is in fact an exceptionally
positive country. Today, I see
Sierra Leone from an entirely
different perspective.
It is difficult to ignore Sierra
Leone's history and focus purely
on the present. Once a fertile
area inhabited by dozens of tribes,
it was settled by the Portuguese
in the 1400's who built a fort
as a trading post for gold, spices,
ivory and slaves. A British protectorate
in later years, Sierra Leone had
the dubious honour of becoming
home to more than 40,000 freed
slaves who gave Freetown its name.
As a protectorate, Sierra Leone
was exploited for its mineral
and diamond wealth in the 1900's
and Sierra Leonean's fought against
the Germans in Cameroon in the
First World War, and alongside
the British in the Second World
War. In 1961, Sierra Leone achieved
independence from Britain and
governed itself peacefully for
30 years. The peace was not to
last and was followed by a decade
of brutal civil war that destroyed
the economy, brutalised the people
and left a country that is rich
in resources as one of the poorest
in the world.
The conflict was officially declared
over in January 2002, and President
Kabbah reelected in May 2002.
Since then, the people of Sierra
Leone have been pulling together
to repair, renew and regenerate.
Whilst doing research for a new
website looking at travel and
tourism in Sierra Leone, I came
into contact with Sierra Leoneans
from all manner of backgrounds
living in both Sierra Leone and
elsewhere. Their passion for the
country was infectious: they clearly
wanted to get the message across
that Sierra Leone has far more
to offer than a sad recent history
and that reconstruction is moving
ahead at a rapid pace. And indeed,
proof of reconstruction is everywhere
- new roads are being built, mines
are being re-opened, dam projects
started before the war are once
again underway, markets are once
again thriving and humming with
life. There is also a great deal
of confidence in Sierra Leone's
potential as a tourist destination:
a Chinese company has recently
invested a reputed US$270 million
in the hotel infrastructure; enterprising
companies like Kevin McPhillips
Travel (based in the UK, USA and
the Netherlands) offer exclusive
twice weekly flights to Sierra
Leone; African Tour specialists
are researching viable package
holidays in the region. The exciting
thing about investment in Sierra
Leone is that more is set to follow!
They have a right to be confident.
The beaches along Sierra Leone's
golden peninsula are said to be
one of the world's best kept secrets.
Secluded, clean and stretching
for miles on end, beach tourism
is one of the top items on the
government's tourism promotion
agenda. Beaches with very British
names like Kent, Lumley, Sussex
and York mix with more African
names like Bureh Town, Tokey and
Mammah beach, and
Although many of the forests and
much of the wildlife has been
disturbed and in some cases, destroyed,
by the war, eco-tourism is an
important focus of Sierra Leoneans
and natural treasures like Outamba-Kilimi
National Park, populated by game
animals such as elephants, chimpanzees
and pigmy hippos, and Mount Bintimani,
the highest point in West Africa,
are just two of the worthwhile
wildlife attractions on offer.
Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
rescues orphaned and captured
chimps and has been described
as one of the most successful
Sierra Leonean wildlife endeavours,
whilst Tiwai Island is home to
over 3000 chimps as well as other
game.
Lakes, rivers and dams are perfect
for picnics and relaxing. The
marshlands hide a myriad of colourful
birds - indeed, the bird life
has been less affected by the
war than the animals, and everywhere
you go, the air is filled with
birdsong. Sierra Leone is a bird-watchers
dream! Tiwai Island for one boasts
over 135 different bird species!
For culture vultures and those
with historical interests, the
remnants of the slave trade make
interesting and though-provoking
expeditions. Bunce Island, a slave
trading fortress, is a brief boat
trip up the river; Freetown is
itself a monument to freed slaves
and its Cotton Tree, which stands
in the heart of what is thought
to be an old slave market, is
now an impressive national symbol.
Graves, monuments and forts are
all that remain of British and
Portuguese power in Sierra Leone:
each has a tale to tell. There
are over 16 different ethnic groups
in the country, including the
Krio, descendents of freed slaves
who speak an English-based Creole
called Krio, and visiting villages
and chatting to people in markets
and in the streets is rewarding
for all parties!
Freetown is probably the most
developed of the cities, offering
a level of safety that is difficult
to match even in Western countries.
Hotels, restaurants and nightspots
are sprouting like mushrooms,
and eating out in Sierra Leone
promises a range of traditional
and international treats, and
seafood that is beyond belief!
One has to wonder what attraction
will tip the scales in making
Sierra Leone the popular destination
that it once was before the civil
war. Based on my experiences with
Sierra Leoneans in recent weeks,
I feel that it will be the people
who make the difference. Without
exception, every Sierra Leonean
that I have met or worked with
has been proud of their country,
proud of its progress and excited
about the future. They are unfailingly
welcoming, greeting aid-workers
and travellers alike with smiles
that you can only find in Africa,
with an optimism - no, positivity
- that other countries would do
well to emulate.
For travellers in search of a
"diamond in the rough",
Sierra Leone offers a holiday
like no other - my only advice
to you is to visit sooner rather
than later, to avoid what is sure
to be a stampede once holiday-makes
and tour operators latch on to
this gem of a destination.
Suzanne Whitby is the founder
of Naturally Africa Dot Org (http://naturallyafrica.org/)
which provides travel, tourism,
business and event information
about countries in Africa. To
date, South Africa, Sierra Leone
and Madagascar are live on the
site.
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