Ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince Dies Aged 29

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A war orphan from Sierra Leone, Michaela Mabinty DePrince dies aged 29. DePrince moved to the US and ended up performing with Beyonce`. Her life was one defined by grace, purpose, and strength. Her unwavering commitment to her art, her humanitarian efforts, and her courage in overcoming unimaginable challenges will forever inspire us. She stood as a beacon of hope for many, showing that no matter the obstacles, beauty, and greatness can rise from the darkest of places. DePrince started her life at an orphanage in Sierra Leone. After being adopted by a New Jersey family, she began to take dance classes and went on to the prestigious Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.

DePrince started her life at an orphanage in war-torn Sierra Leone. After being adopted by a New Jersey family, she began to take dance classes and went on to the prestigious Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School

Ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, who has performed with Beyoncé and was seen by many as a trailblazer, has passed away at the age of 29. A spokesperson announced her death on her personal Instagram page, and in a statement, her family said she was an "unforgettable inspiration to everyone who knew her or heard her story." The cause of her death has not been disclosed.

DePrince captivated audiences in "First Position," a compelling 2011 documentary that chronicles the journeys of six young dancers. She also released two inspiring books about her life: "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" and "Ballerina Dreams."

Michaela DePrince performing 'Giselle' with the English National Ballet in 2017

Despite being told that "the world wasn't ready for black ballerinas" or that "black ballerinas weren't worth investing in," she persevered with determination and focus, achieving remarkable success in her career.

Michaela DePrince as Kitri in a South African Mzansi Ballet production of Don Quixote, 2013

Recipient of numerous accolades in the world of international dance, Michaela DePrince also appeared in Beyoncé's "Freedom" music video.

Beyoncé's "Freedom" is currently being used as a campaign anthem by Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the presidency.

Her spokesperson wrote that her artistry "touched countless hearts" and her spirit had "inspired many, leaving an indelible mark on the world of ballet, and beyond".

Click Here to Read More on Ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince on her Instagram page.

Wikipedia — Michaela DePrince Bio

Rest in Power, Michaela Mabinty DePrince

Theo Edwards for YAME

Animal Farm as it Relates to Humans and Society

How those in power—Napoleon and his fellow pigs—pervert the democratic process

By Theo Edwards

The theme of the book! Animal Farm is about humans and the politics of society. How those in power—Napoleon and his fellow pigs—pervert the democratic process. An embedded narrative, in which the characters become the story. George Orwell uses a barnyard setting to explore themes of class and power _and how power has swallowed politicians’ common sense

Orwell's theme in Animal Farm is the desire for power. This desire is a closely related theme of corrupt politics. The animals in the story, particularly Napoleon, want more power. 

Orwell's theme in Animal Farm is the desire for power. This desire is the closely related theme of corrupt politics. The animals in the story, particularly Napoleon, want more power. 

The pigs' ever-increasing greed and lust for power are mirrored in their increasing resemblance to the human race. These facts culminate in at least one moral of the story:

When humanity succumbs to acts of greed and oppression, they are even less than animals

The book's final image expresses the animals' realization that the pigs have become as cruel and oppressive as human farmers. The ending makes the argument that political power is always the same. Those who possess it use whatever ideology to justify it.

Watch a student's narrative in the video describing how power has swallowed politicians’ common sense

The theme of the book! Animal Farm, as it relates to humans and society. How those in power—Napoleon and his fellow pigs—pervert the democratic process.

The relevance of Animal Farm symbolizes power and corrupt humans in society—

"Lessons from 'Animal Farm'."

Be cautious of false leaders: The pigs in the story may start as champions of equality, but eventually, they become the very oppressors they had fought against. This story serves as a powerful reminder to stay vigilant against those who only seek power despite promising positive change.

Questioning Authority: The animals unquestioningly follow the pigs, underscoring the essence of critical thinking and challenging authority.

Beware the perils of apathy: The animals' indifference paves the way for the pigs to take control, serving as a stark reminder of the risks of ignoring injustice.

The pigs' corruption serves as a grim reminder that "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Education is essential: The pigs take advantage of the less educated animals, highlighting the critical role of education in thwarting manipulation and exploitation.

Beware of Propaganda: The pigs use it to control the other animals, teaching us to be critical of information and aware of its power.

Equality is crucial: The animals aim to establish a society where everyone is treated equally. The failure to maintain this leads to their downfall, highlighting the significance of equality in society.

Beware of historical manipulation: The pigs modify the farm's history to fit their narrative, serving as a reminder to remain vigilant about how history can be exploited for personal or political purposes.

Rise Against Injustice: The animals' inability to challenge the pigs' oppression results in their subjugation, underscoring the vital importance of standing up against injustice.

The animals' silence in the face of the pigs' tyranny allows it to continue, teaching us that silence in the face of injustice is complicity.

It Took Just 5 Days

Michael Moore goes viral with a post about Kamala Harris

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Nothing like it had ever happened before in American history.

And yet, by this past Thursday, a mere five days after President Biden’s 1:46 PM Sunday afternoon announcement of him ending his re-election campaign and handing the candidacy over to his Vice President, Kamala Harris, the Wall Street Journal (no friend to women, People of Color, young voters, the poor or the working class), WSJ — this grand oracle of Capitalism, conservative ideology and the force that is Rupert Murdoch — ran this stunning historic headline, truly one for the ages:

Kamala Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, two genius parents, one a Stanford economist, the other a brilliant Berkeley scientist, both active in the 1960s civil rights movement of their beloved adopted country, America, and proud to have their children be among the first to integrate a public school in California — that Kamala Harris was now, in 2024, accepting the all-but-certain nomination to be the Democratic Party candidate for President of the United States.

And, it should be noted the chance to become the first woman ever to hold this esteemed office.

Yes, that was just one week ago. A euphoric nation exploded in a joyful belief that finally the promise of the American Dream was no longer just a “promise” nor a “dream” but a roaring reality that immediately took off like a rocket.

Each day this week has seen a new record set for a presidential campaign:

A Record-Smashing Surge of Volunteers Signing Up Across Key Swing States (a total of 170,000 throughout the nation as of this morning);

The Biggest One-Day Haul of Campaign Contributions Ever 60% of them from first-time donors (the total overall take is more than $350 million as of today);

The Largest Zoom Call Ever for a Campaign Meeting (160,000 participants, with more than double that expected on Monday night’s “Women for Harris” Zoom — feel free to join in, click here);

The Most People Ever to Register to Vote Over a 48-Hour Period: Almost 40,000 New Voters!

85% of all convention delegates (3,404 of them) endorsed Harris after she had only been a candidate for three days — and all this 4 weeks before the Convention even starts!

Historians and political scientists agree that this level of enthusiasm this quickly is unheard of in modern American politics. Trump is furious. He is planning to sue to “keep Harris off the ballot.”

Good luck with that. It won’t work. Apparently, somewhere along the way, Trump Van Winkle must have fallen into a deep sleep and missed the memo that many white men like him also seemed to miss:

“America is no longer your America, the exclusive club for the gender missing its second X chromosome, which then makes you prone to war, violent outbursts, something called ‘mansplaining,’ harassing the other gender, dying on average 6 years before that other gender — and yet still holding the majority of the wealth, the property, the tee times and most of the seats in Congress (72% of those seats at last count are yours).”

That America is being shown the door.

Here’s what New America looks like:

Seventy-nine percent of the United States is either Female (51% of the country), Persons of Color (42% of the country is now Black, Brown, Asian, or Indigenous), or Young Adults between 18 and 39 (the Gen Z-ers and Millennials now make up 42% of the country!) — or some combination thereof of these three demographics.

This Country Is Female, young, and Not-So-White anymore.

It's not the best place to run for president if your three main personality traits are misogyny, bigotry, and sounding like everyone’s Uncle Don.

Oh — and then there’s this…

Here’s the truth about who our fellow Americans really are (and here’s the list nobody has bothered to show you because, well, we need to keep perpetuating our own belief that we are stuck living in a white, Christian Nationalist, conservative, red-neck, deep-fried-Oreo-loving country — when, in fact, the vast bulk of the United States is not like that anymore):

• 69% of Americans support legal abortion.

• 72% of Americans don’t own a gun.

• 90% of the country wants more gun control laws.

• 72% of us believe the climate crisis is real.

• 71% of all Americans approve of labor unions.

• 79% of us insist the rich must pay more in taxes.

• 76% of us want a much higher minimum wage.

• 70% of all voters believe marijuana should be legal.

• 73% of the country wants student loan debt relief.

• 74% of Americans want more affordable homes.

• 65% support term limits on all Supreme Court justices.

• 84% of Americans want free Pre-K and 3-K.

• 69% of Americans support same-sex marriage.

• 65% of Americans want to end the electoral college.

• 89% of Americans oppose gerrymandering.

• 70% of us are demanding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza NOW!

• 72% of all Americans want money removed from politics!

• 70% of Millennials say they would likely vote for a Socialist candidate.

That is who we are.

— Michael Moore: Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various social, political, and economic topics.

Mr. Trump — how do you expect to win when what you believe in is the opposite of what more than two-thirds of the country believes regarding many of the major issues of the day?! You are running as a right-wing wackadoodle in a country that has seriously become more open and progressive. The majority of Americans HATE what you stand for. Just look at those poll numbers I listed above. Those percentages don’t come from me. They come from Gallup, the Associated Press, PEW Research, CNN, and others. They come from the American people.

The Republicans have LOST the popular vote in 7 of the last 8 presidential elections! Since 1988, the American people have made it abundantly clear: They don’t want a Republican running the country.

The ONLY reason we were stuck with Bush and Trump is because the Founders created the Electoral College in order to appease the slave states and try to avoid a Civil War (and that seemed to work out ok).

But here’s the kicker: The majority of these 3 groups — women, young people, and People of Color — vote Democratic in every election! The statistics don’t lie: 51% of women are Democrats, as are 61% of young people, and 83% of African Americans. Those facts alone should guarantee that the Democrats hold a majority of political power in the United States. But as long as there is gerrymandering, the Electoral College, and voter suppression, the concept of “one-person, one-vote majority rule” — the singular underpinning of a true Democracy — is sadly missing as the “Democracy” is still yet to be realized.

So what’s the takeaway here? It’s quite simple:

THERE ARE MORE OF US THAN THERE ARE OF THEM!

We are now the majority.

We are a Liberal Nation.

We are going to elect the first woman — a Black woman, no less! — to be the President of the United States.

So what could possibly go wrong?

THE ONLY WAY TRUMP CAN WIN IS IF LIBERALS AND DEMOCRATS STAY HOME.

So, as I see it, that’s the only way we can lose. If too many people sense it’s the same old political hoo-ha, the Democratic vote will be seriously depressed, millions will stay stuck in their despair, and all of this may lead to a Trump victory.

This must not happen. The overwhelming jolt of joy from this last week must continue, but with ACTION — and that is where you and I come in!

In my next letter to you, I will reveal the blueprint/playbook/ battle plan for what we millions — the majority — must do over these next 100 days.

I think you’re going to like it. It includes simple things we can all do. It will be fun. You’ll meet new friends.

There are door prizes! You might become a local hero. And we’re all gonna party like it’s 2029!”

— Michael Moore: Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various social, political, and economic topics.

Salone! The Art of Deception

Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella

His silence speaks volumes about the lengths politicians go for political gain and the prevalence of deception in our political system

These senior officials, Lara Taylor-Pearce(Mrs.); Former Auditor General, Sierra Leone, and Tamba Momoh; Former Deputy Auditor General, Sierra Leone, must have statutory independence.

“Sadly, Salone is so out of place that you don’t know where to start giving them credit for as much as you would like”

— YAME

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By Basita Michael (Lawyer, Former ICL Lecturer FBC, Founder Sierraeye Magazine and Sierraeye Debate, Former President SLBA, Governing officer ILRAJ) on ‘X’ formerly Twitter.

Before joining the current government, Kandeh Yumkella described the suspension of the Auditor General as "another nail in the coffin of accountability and democracy." Now, with the recommendation for her removal following the tribunal's report, where is Kandeh Yumkella's outrage? His silence speaks volumes about the lengths politicians go for political gain and the prevalence of deception in our political system.

Basita Michael | @MichaelBasita

At this crucial juncture, if Kandeh Yumkella does not speak up to express the same indignation and call for the reinstatement of Lara Taylor-Pearce and her deputy, he risks being remembered not only as an accomplice to the demise of accountability and democracy but also as a champion of political hypocrisy.

Basita Michael Profile: Lawyer, Former ICL Lecturer FBC, Founder Sierraeye Magazine and Sierraeye Debate, Former President SLBA, Governing officer ILRAJ | CLICK HERE

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RELATED

Many Sierra Leoneans are deeply troubled by the President's recent recommendation to remove from office the suspended Auditor General, Mrs. Lara Taylor-Pearce, and her deputy, Tamba Momoh. This decision is being widely criticized for lacking legitimacy and has ignited significant public outrage.

“Helen Clark, the former New Zealand Prime Minister, UNDP Administrator, and the Ad Global Ambassador for Supreme Audit Institution Independence appointed by #Intosai Donor Co-operation.”

— Commented on her LinkedIn page

Helen Clark IDC Goodwill Ambassador for SAI Independence — The INTOSAI-Donor Cooperation

‘These senior officials must have statutory independence to fulfill their important functions of holding governments to account and scrutinizing the use of public money’ ~ Helen Clark.

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Response to Press Release from State House dated Tuesday, 9th July, 2024 — Lara Taylor-Pearce(Mrs.) — CLICK HERE

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Response to Press Release from State House dated Tuesday, 9th July, 2024 — Tamba Momoh — CLICK HERE

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Chicago Teen Dorothy Jean Tillman Earns a Doctoral Degree at 17

Dorothy Jean Tillman II at Arizona State University’s commencement in Tempe, Ariz., this month. Ms. Tillman earned her doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health from the school at age 17. Credit...Tillman Family, via Associated Press

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“... hopes her story resonates with girls who are talkative, outgoing ‘out-there kind of girls who are trying to figure themselves out but are very smart.’”

— Dr. Tillman

Dr. Dorothy Jean Tillman II earned a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health from Arizona State’s College of Health Solutions at only 17, making her the youngest person to achieve this even before being eligible to vote. Dr. Tillman hopes her story inspires talkative, outgoing, and smart girls who are trying to figure themselves out.

When Dorothy Jean Tillman II successfully defended her dissertation in November 2023 to earn her doctoral degree from Arizona State University, she couldn’t wait to share the news with her best friend.

Dr. Tillman, now 18, took part in Arizona State’s commencement ceremony and delivered remarks as the outstanding 2024 graduate at the College of Health Solution’s convocation.

Lesley Manson, program director for the doctorate of behavioral health at Arizona State and Dr. Tillman’s doctoral chair said Dr. Tillman displayed extraordinary perseverance, hard work, and dedication at her young age, tackling every challenge head-on. She can serve as a real role model,” Ms. Manson said.

Dr. Dorothy Jean Tillman II earned a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health from Arizona State’s College of Health Solutions at age 17

Dr. Tillman was part of a gifted program before transitioning to home-schooling. From a young age, Dorothy excelled in her academic pursuits.

By the age of 7, she was already completing high school-level work. She began taking college-level module tests and applying the credits towards higher education.

At 10, she earned her associate degree in psychology at the College of Lake County in Illinois. At 12, she received her Bachelor of Science in Humanities at Excelsior College in New York, and at 14, she earned a Master of Science from Unity College in Maine. She chose those fields because they can help scientists ‘understand why people treat the environment the way they do,’ she told Time for Kids in a July 2020 interview.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dorothy surprised her mother, Jimalita Tillman, by expressing her desire to pursue a doctorate. This was while Dorothy was already a year into launching a STEAM camp startup and seeking funding for the organization.

Because of her age, Dr. Tillman lived at home for her higher education, mostly studying online. Despite being a social butterfly, she found ways to stay connected with friends through after-school activities.

She was accepted into the management concentration at Arizona State’s College of Health Solutions, an online doctorate program. Her thesis on developing programs to reduce the stigma for college students seeking mental health services is based on a study she conducted for an in-person internship at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

“Children like Dr. Tillman possess an intense drive to master their skills. She refers to this as a ‘rage to master,’ highlighting the powerful motivation these children have. Winner also points out that their natural abilities make the learning process enjoyable and effortless for them. Schools are often not equipped for such gifted children, she added, which may lead parents to home-school their children.”

— Ellen Winner, a professor of psychology at Boston College and the author of 'Gifted Children: Myths and Realities.'

Dorothy not only focuses on her school work but also dedicates her time to running the Dorothy Jeanius STEAM Leadership Institute. The institute inspires hundreds of underserved young people in Chicago, as well as in countries like Ghana and South Africa, to pursue careers in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). The program includes guest speakers and open conversations about each of the five areas of STEAM.

Dr. Tillman recognizes her mother, Jimalita Tillman, as one of her greatest motivators. Jimalita Tillman's mother, Dorothy Wright Tillman, was a civil rights activist who worked alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and served as a Chicago alderman. Dr. Tillman is named after her grandmother, hence the "II" at the end of her name.

Theo Edwards for YAME

First Black Deputy Mayor of Camden, London, England

From being a refugee to holding the position of Deputy Mayor

Guest Contributor, UK

A remarkable achievement: Eddie Hanson, a Sierra Leonean refugee, has shattered barriers by becoming the first Black Deputy Mayor of Camden, London, England.

Eddie was elected as councilor in May 2022 and was appointed Deputy Mayor of Camden on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at the Council's Annual General Meeting.

A native of Sierra Leone he fled the devastating eleven-year civil war that claimed thousands of lives.

‘I was just a child when Sierra Leone was devastated by war. I was captured by one of the militias and taken away for a long time. As a child in war, survival was uncertain. The fear of losing my parents and loved ones was constant,’ recounted Eddie, sharing his experiences from the civil war in Sierra Leone.

A devastating conflict resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives. Eddie's family was among the hundreds of lucky families who managed to flee the war in Sierra Leone, although his brother wasn't so fortunate - he was killed during the war.

‘My family was lucky,’ he said. ‘I’m eternally grateful to my parents and sisters because of their sacrifices.

Eddie is a member of the UK Labour Party, CEO of The Game Changers UK, and a former cabinet adviser, His remarkable journey from councilor to Mayor was far from easy.

As the United Kingdom tightens its borders and immigration laws, Eddie warns that asylum seekers face treacherous journeys before they stand any chance of applying for help from the UK government.

Meghan Markle Wears Traditional Skirt Gifted to Her in Nigeria After Admitting She Needs to 'Wear More Color'

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry arrive at the Lagos airport for Official State Welcome on May 12, 2024, in Lagos, Nigeria. PHOTO: ANDREW ESIEBO/GETTY

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have stepped out for their last day in Nigeria

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped out for their last day in Nigeria tour in a festive way.

On Sunday, May 12, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveled from the capital city of Abuja to Lagos, where they were greeted at the airport for the third and final day of their trip to Nigeria with a traditional dance performance.

Prince Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, — who wore a white Carolina Herrera button-down shirt teamed with a traditional Nigerian skirt gifted to her during their visit to Abuja — were treated to a festive welcome from the state governor, local dancers and well-wishers who came to see them. The couple gasped and clapped as the dancers were hoisted up and created human towers. 

On Saturday, Meghan shared that she was rethinking her wardrobe in Nigeria after wearing a string of neutral colors since the couple's arrival.

"I very quickly got the memo that I need to wear more color so that I can fit in with all of you and your incredible fashion!" she said during her panel appearance alongside Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, in Abuja on May 11.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry arrive at the Lagos airport for Official State Welcome on May 12, 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria. PHOTO: ANDREW ESIEBO/GETTY

RELATED: Prince Harry Channels Mom Princess Diana at Bedside of Wounded Nigerian Solider: 'Be Strong' (Exclusive Video)

After their arrival, which was attended by PEOPLE, Harry and Meghan headed to a local school to take part in a basketball clinic with the non-profit Giants of Africa.

In March 1990, Prince Harry’s parents King Charles and Princess Diana received a similarly warm welcome when they arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos for an official visit.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO ON INSTAGRAM

Prince Harry and Meghan are in Nigeria at the invitation of the Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR, the country’s highest-ranking military official, and the final day of their official itinerary is full of stops in Lagos. After the basketball clinic with Giants of Africa, they will attend a cultural reception and conclude the day at a polo fundraiser for Nigeria: Unconquered.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry arrive in Lagos on May 12, 2024. PHOTO: SIMON PERRY/INSTAGRAM

The national charity dedicated to veterans works in collaboration with the Invictus Games Foundation, bringing the close of Harry and Meghan’s trip full circle. It was previously announced their visit to Nigeria would highlight Prince Harry’s adaptive sports tournament for wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and veterans, which Nigeria made its debut at the latest cycle of the competition in Düsseldorf, Germany in September 2023.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO ON INSTAGRAM

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s visit to Nigeria is significant as their first international tour since stepping back from their royal roles in 2020 and began on May 10. The trip may be especially poignant for Meghan, who revealed on her Archetypes podcast in 2022 that she learned she is 43% Nigerian after having her genealogy done "a couple of years ago."

During the first outing at Lightway Academy in Abuja on the first day, Meghan spoke from the heart to schoolchildren during the GEANCO Foundation’s inaugural mental health summit when she said, "I see myself in all of you." Later in the day, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the Chief of Defense Staff headquarters, where Meghan left a message alluding to her heritage.

RELATED: Meghan Markle's Maxi Dress in Nigeria Included an Unexpected Nod to the Royal Family

"With gratitude for the support of the Invictus community. And for welcoming me home," she wrote in the visitor’s book on May 20 in her signature calligraphy. Prince Harry even commented on his wife’s penmanship, noting, "She has beautiful handwriting" — no surprise as Meghan previously worked as a calligrapher!

As seen in a photo taken by PEOPLE’s chief foreign correspondent Simon Perry, who is exclusively covering the Nigeria trip, the Duke of Sussex also shared his own sincere message in the book.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry receive gifts during a reception in Abuja on May 11, 2024. PHOTO: ANDREW ESIEBO/GETTY

"Thank you for welcoming us to your beautiful country, together we will heal our troops," Prince Harry wrote.

Meghan Markle speaks on a panel in Abuja on May 11, 2024. PHOTO: AP PHOTO/SUNDAY ALAMBA

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have met with several service members and participated in a variety of cultural activities while in Nigeria, some with an Invictus Games connection. Nigeria’s Minister of Defense Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Badaru has also expressed interest in hosting the competition in the future, should Nigeria be granted the opportunity.

As a former captain in the British Armed Forces and founding patron of the Invictus Games, advocating for veterans and their families has long been close to Harry's heart. He paid a solo trip to the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital Kaduna in Kaduna on May 10, where his empathy for his fellow veterans shone as he toured the wards.

In a speech at a reception for military families and the widow association at the Defense Headquarters Officers Mess in Abuja on May 11, Harry shared his “heartfelt gratitude” to the Chief of Defense Staff and the Defense Minister.

"Your reception and energy have been nothing but remarkable," he said.

By Janine Henni and Simon Perry for PEOPLE: Updated May 12, 2024; 07:49 AM EDT

Raw, Unfiltered Truth About Growth Especially As a Young Man

Nick Wood (aka. Krio Borbor)

3:39 PM · Apr 11, 2024, from Sierra Leone: Krio Borbor on his Twitter handle, wrote:

14 years ago almost to this very day, I came to Sierra Leone. I was your classic 'white man' from America who had no idea this country existed or that Africa was a continent and not a country.

If I’d known the physical challenges/changes I was signing up for when I boarded the plane …

• no electricity

• bucket showers

• sweaty poda poda rides

• rice for every meal

• run belleh

or the mental/emotional challenges …

• learning a new language

• being a minority in a new land

• homesickness

• betrayal

• questioning if what I believed was true

I can’t 100% certainly tell you that I would have still agreed to come _just being honest.

But it’s a catch-22 because I know what all those challenges and experiences did for me when I stepped on that plane to return to the USA 2 years later.

I wasn’t the same person

“I was humbled by force, my belief in God was unwavering, I felt empathy for everyone around me, and my confidence in myself was indescribable.
I craved growth and learning over pleasure”

— I had BECOME

I came here as a prideful, immature, and insecure boy. I left a confident, humble, and purpose-driven man. So, for those who know me as Krio Borbor, this is where it all started.

Nick Wood, from Utah at age 19 was assigned a two-year humanitarian mission to Sierra Leone in 2010. A Latter-day Saints missionary, Krio Borbor laments, 'It was the experience of a lifetime and it certainly changed me forever.'

Now, he lives in the country with his family after completing his Mormon missionary assignments.

He has a large following on Instagram, where he records his adventures in Sierra Leone and his passion for the language and culture.

Responding to critics, Krio Borbor revealed that since his arrival, he hasn't earned any money in Sierra Leone.

BBC Africa took notice and produced a video back in 2019. The reaction of many Sierra Leoneans to the BBC Africa video of this former Mormon missionary Nick Wood aka. Krio Borbor and his stay in Sierra Leone, suggest unrecognized elements of white privilege or supremacy ~ thoughts from a Wakanda Warrior.

In this BBC Africa One Minute Story in January of 2019, he explained his love of the country and why he is teaching his children Krio

“Krio Borbor recognizes his privilege by making himself vulnerable. In a video he shared on January 21, 2019, Krio Borbor used words with metaphors of neo-colonialism and white privilege. However, in that video, Krio Borbor made it clear ‘he just doesn’t know what’ he might do to make a difference. This means – he is not in this country with an agenda to exploit or impose his views on us. Krio Borbor might be naive to some of his white savior complexities, but he can recognize them with vulnerability.

Krio Borbor’s views on Sierra Leone are from a strength perspective. I have scanned through his pictures and videos; they tend to portray a positive image of our country. His posts energize people to get involved with our country in different ways. He is in NO WAY negatively appropriating our CULTURE, but selling our COUNTRY in a positive dimension. A good number of our Western-based NGOs are busy showing the negative side of our country – and this man is reversing the conversation.

Krio Borbor has shown humility in understanding our context. The guy (Krio Borbor) has taken his genuine obsession with our country to another stretch. He has learned the language, eaten our food, hung out with our people, and plugged into our complicated country. He has done this with a heart of humility. You can sense his love for our place, people, and patterns. He is for real!!!

Krio Borbor might be struggling with elements of white privilege (which he might not recognize), but his positives surpass the negatives. He has done a good job by staying away from our politics and pop culture. He used social and mainstream media to develop a ‘tourism brand’ for our nation _This is something we have not done well as a people. We might disagree or agree – but don’t take one thing away from the man – he loves our country.”

— Paul A. Conteh (Lecturer/Public Affairs Analyst)

Fast forward to ‘The reaction’ to Apr 11, 2024, from Sierra Leone: Krio Borbor on his Twitter handle—

14 years ago almost to this very day I came to Sierra Leone 🇸🇱

I was your classic “white man” from America who had no idea this country existed or that Africa was a continent and not a country 💀😳

if I’d know the physical challenges/changes I was signing up for when I boarded… pic.twitter.com/KdObyCadpn

— Krio Borbor (@krioborbor) April 11, 2024

Tap to Read the Response. Launch the Twitter 'Read the replies,' and select a browser of choice if you haven't got an 'X' /Twitter account.

So, the question is: ‘White privilege or a life of humility?’

Humility in the Bible is presented as the practice of meekness, obedience to God, respect for self and others, submissiveness, and modesty (Colossians 3:12-13). People with humility put others' needs before their own, sacrificing for the love of others.

So, the question is: White privilege or a life of humility? You decide.

Related

“Fatu Kanu @fatu-kanu7 Replying to @krioborbor”

— the video she is referring to [attached]

Excerpts from the video The First Lady Fatima Bio, wife of the current president Maada Bio discusses the enduring impact in present-day SaLone at a symposium at Harvard. 

The interesting irony and explanation of @krioborbor's experience in Sierra Leone as challenging is blamed on foreign partners, especially the British. They are the cause for the blackout and bucket shower.'

The Tragic Story of Sierra Leone Under the Bio, SLPP

Level of deceit

“The SLPP Administration needs to apologize to the citizens of Sierra Leone.”

— Commentary in the local dialect Krio by Concord Times Newspapers (SL) former editor, Atomic Pen:

“Fatima Bio exposed her husband: The analysis.”

— Arthur Pratt /Courtesy video

Running thread commentary! Launch the Twitter 'READ REPLIES,' and select a browser of choice if you haven't got an 'X' /TWITTER Account.

‘A mineral-rich nation buying electricity from a #Turkish ship anchored on the city's shores has failed to pay its dues, and the ship's owners have reduced their output, plunging the entire capital into darkness.’ @AlphajorbaBah

A mineral-rich nation buying electricity from a #Turkish ship anchored on the city's shores has failed to pay its dues, and the ship's owners have reduced their output, plunging the entire capital into darkness. This is the same nation that organised elections recently. Yet, the… pic.twitter.com/SvoZt0seFA

— Alpha Bah (@AlphajorbaBah) April 19, 2024

EDSA apologize! What a mockery

EDSA, apologize!

Going viral in SL social media right now. 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/mUYNdzpaWP

— Yame.space (@SpaceYame) April 19, 2024

Paopa v2.0 is nothing but lightweight and trivial. The struggle is real.

Article Source: By Theo Edwards

As The Opposition Wins in Senegal, is Democracy in Africa Really 'Backsliding'?

The term ‘democratic backsliding’ Is much in vogue.

But it is misleading, and for Africa, wrong.

Senegalese women cast their ballots in the presidential elections in February

The term ‘democratic backsliding’ Is much in vogue. But it is misleading, and for Africa, wrong.

We all know to what it refers: the recent flurry of coups in Africa, the unconstitutional changes of government, the growing number of 100% predictable election results, the ‘legislative manipulation’ or legal maneuvers to limit the number of candidates or restrict the number of voters to increase the chances of an incumbent (or their party) winning again, the constraints on journalists, media and free speech to obstruct or limit opposing views … These are real and worrying developments.

But the phrase also carries assumptions about what democracy is, how it should behave, and what form it should take, which may not be either appropriate or useful.

It is possible to see what is happening in an alternative light: that democracy in Africa is evolving, just in a different direction than that presumed by many outside observers. The debate over the best form(s) of governance in Africa is real and live: one frontline lies between the Alliance of Sahelian States (AES) and the remaining members of ECOWAS. But it also encompasses the long-running dispute over the viability of the relatively authoritarian ‘developmental state,’ with Rwanda and (once upon a time) Ethiopia seen as the models.

It is no coincidence the Sahel juntas have been sending missions to Rwanda to learn how to do it, though they should remember that this model can all too easily slide towards civil war: the attempt to repress differences can lead simply to a more violent expression of them.

This debate matters not just for Africa, but globally. China and Russia are explicitly challenging the ideological hegemony of Western-style democracy, along with its supporting infrastructure of human rights, multilateral organizations, and the international rule of law, as the best model for achieving peace and prosperity. At the least, they argue, other countries should be free to decide whether these norms are right for them.

In 2023, Xi Jinping launched China’s ‘Global Civilisations Initiative, its ‘Global Development Initiative’ and a ‘Global Security Initiative’.  Like the old Belt and Road Initiative, these are designed to re-orient the world towards China, in this case ideologically rather than physically.  While their substance remains vague, the initiatives provide an alternative to the ‘Western’ norms embodied in the UN, its multilateral institutions, and the multiple charters and agreements promulgated under its auspices.

They are an integral part of efforts to re-frame the debate from one of ‘democrats vs. authoritarians’, to ‘the Global South and its reliable friends in the Global East vs. the neo-colonialist exploitative West’.  The latter narrative is gaining traction in Africa, boosted by the Gaza crisis, where Western countries are seen (hypocritically) as quick to condemn Hamas but slow to criticize the huge death toll Israel has inflicted on Palestinian civilians. 

Recent polling by Afrobarometer suggests that an average of 66% of Africans want to live in a democracy, but not necessarily the one they’ve got.  Only 38% are satisfied with the way their democracies operate, while 53% are now willing to contemplate military intervention if elected leaders fail in their duties. 

This reflects the ease with which electoral democracy has been manipulated, making people feel increasingly disenfranchised. In Senegal we have just seen popular protest, international pressure and robust judicial institutions stop one attempt to prolong a presidential term – and ultimately lead to the dramatic defeat of the government, even though the election was anything but free and fair. 

Elsewhere, however, as in Guinea or Gabon, military intervention may be the only way to change the regime. The question is not whether a country has the trappings of democracy, but whether the system works, enabling people to change a ruler when they want to.

The key criteria for a system of governance that people will trust are whether it provides adequate accountability, balance, and a mechanism for peaceful succession. A fully functioning, robust democracy can provide all these things, but even the oldies (like the UK or the US) can find it difficult. Many other countries, not just in Africa, are still searching for their formula to meet these criteria.

Balance, for example, requires that powerful groups, peripheral regions, or minorities feel their views or interests are adequately represented in governance structures. Elections alone rarely provide this. Accountability and trust will be lacking where too many people feel that the formal mechanisms benefit only an elite who decide when it is ‘their turn to eat.’

In the Sahel, five countries now have de facto military governments, but Mauritania and Chad have been more successful at maintaining an adequate balance as well as a modicum of democratic forms. They have also remained closer to ‘the West’ while the three juntas have explicitly realigned themselves with Russia. Is it therefore their international allegiance rather than their governance structures that matter in how they are viewed?

I would argue it is more than that. Whatever their original motivation for seizing power, and their use of anti-French rhetoric to legitimize their rule, the juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger seem determined to resist any external accountability to ECOWAS or AU norms of governance and reject the notion that civilian rule should be re-established within a time-limit. Hence their apparent determination to leave ECOWAS despite the economic hardship it would inflict on their people – unless, of course, they can change the balance of power within ECOWAS to support new, more flexible norms.

So democracies along the coast have good reason to be wary of the juntas’ intentions. To protect themselves, they – and their rulers – need to be more scrupulous in respecting the current norms, and reflecting their citizens’ views in government so that citizens have a greater sense of ownership and will resist efforts to overthrow it. This is the best defence of democracy and in effect what we have seen in Senegal. But governments in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Togo need to take urgent note.

My conclusion is that the current crisis of governance in Africa may just as likely lead to a renewal of democracy as a further slide into authoritarianism.  It is the less accountable systems – in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Togo – that are most at risk.  Nevertheless, Africa’s norms, embodied in the AU Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance, are under threat as authoritarian governments can now find willing international supporters to back them up.

The fate of democracy in Africa is in the hands of the African people themselves. But those trying to strengthen it deserve all the support we can give.

Nick Westcott for DiA— Nick Westcott is Professor of Practice in Diplomacy at SOAS University of London and former Director of the Royal African Society.

I Didn’t Know What My Dreadlocks Meant Until I Cut Them Off

David Moinina Sengeh

On Jan. 23, I represented my country’s government before the U.N. Security Council, where I called for a cease-fire in Gaza and justice for all parties. The following day, International Day of Education, I gave a lecture at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education on ‘radical inclusion,’ a strategy for social justice outlined in my 2023 book with that title.

Then I did something that got people’s attention. I cut my hair.

Specifically, I cut off the dreadlocks I had worn for 17 years.

Dreadlocks hadn’t been my hairstyle choice when I was growing up in Sierra Leone, because they were associated with drug users, school dropouts, and others on the fringes of society. But I came to the United States to study at Harvard, where I became interested in soccer and music, and the locs seemed to fit. They had the added advantage of being simple — no weekly haircuts. They continued to be part of my image as I earned a Ph.D. from MIT and then took a job as a scientist and, eventually, a manager at IBM Research Africa in Nairobi.

And they remained when I joined Sierra Leone’s government — first in 2018, as chief innovation officer, eventually as chief minister. The locs weren’t without issues. I’ve had doors closed in my face because people didn’t believe I was a minister, and opponents called me derogatory names during policy debates. While my boss, President Julius Maada Bio, never made negative comments about my hair, some in government made snide remarks to my face and behind my back. Others told me to respect our ‘culture’ and called me a foreigner in my homeland.

But times were changing. More people started growing dreadlocks. Positive references to locs began appearing in public spaces, from youthful graffiti to inspirational sayings. Meanwhile, I was gaining recognition in Sierra Leone and abroad as a spokesman for inclusive and transformative education.

Sometime in 2023, I began thinking about changing my hairstyle and, right after the Harvard talk, I decided it was time to do it. Perhaps because Harvard is where I started the locs in the first place. That evening, my cousin helped me find a barber a Jamaican friend in Boston whose shop stayed open after 8 PM.

As I heard the snipping sound of the scissors, I felt lighter — even relieved, though I wasn’t sure why.

David Moinina Sengeh

I gathered up each of the 103 locs of shorn hair. I might keep them safe for my grandkids. Or maybe donate them to an organization helping people with hair loss resulting from medical conditions.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised at what happened next. But I was. I was shocked at the public response: a mix of relief, disappointment, grief, anger, and inspiration.

People from many places — not just Sierra Leone, but Togo, Rwanda, Scotland, Australia, the United States, and France — reached out in person and online to tell stories on how my hairstyle had influenced them. As a young, Black, African man wearing dreadlocks while occupying spaces of power typically filled with White, Western men with gray hair, they said, I had given them a different kind of hope. They said it was great to hear someone call for justice before the Security Council, but what inspired them even more was I did it in locs.

I gathered up each of the 103 locs of shorn hair

Some stories came from officials (male and female) in other governments. One diplomat told me she finally grew dreadlocks because she had seen mine. Other ministers wrote that when they had seen me sit close to my president at global meetings with my hair flowing down my back, it encouraged them to display the difference in their own cabinet rooms — not just in how they looked but also in their radical ideas.

Young professionals who thought their dreadlocks had finally gained the “blessing” of their parents and bosses sent me screenshots of those same people asking them when they would cut their hair now that I had cut mine.

Community leaders who had told me that my hair forced them to question many of their own stereotypes reaffirmed a commitment to their new position: they still believed in radical inclusion.

Back in Sierra Leone, people who thought they knew me were shocked when they couldn’t recognize me. Close colleagues and family members couldn’t hide their amusement. Meanwhile, the social media chatter over my hairstyle went on.

So much emotion over one small, personal decision.

But why did I cut my hair? Everyone keeps asking. Am I declaring my intent to run for president? No, I’m not. (On the contrary, I think a president with dreadlocks would be very cool.) The answer is simple: I am not my hair. I am me, as you are you. My locs didn’t start as a public statement, though that became loud enough over the years. I just liked them. Now, I like my short, simple hair that doesn’t make any statement. I like no longer being easily recognized in a crowd.

I am ‘me’ — a hip-hop-rapping, pick-up-soccer-playing politician who travels Sierra Leone, and the world, advocating radical inclusion. And I doubt my next hairstyle will change that.

Centenary Launch of the Regent Olympic

Sierra Leone Grammar School — Regent Olympic

1924 — 2024

16th March 2024 at 4:00 PM at the School grounds

Fellow Regentonians!

Principal Emeritus Akiwande J. Lashite calling on all to be a part of the centenary celebrations of the Regent Olympic.

In video: All are invited on 16th March 2024 at 4:00 PM at the School grounds.

Centenary Launch of the Regent Olympic Invitation

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Deported to Sierra Leone, He Lost Everything. He’s Fighting to Return

'Friday the 13th. Would you believe?' 

Samuel Anthony said

Deported to Sierra Leone, he lost everything. He’s fighting to return.© Family photo

Because he was a permanent U.S. resident — he had a green card but not citizenship — he went straight from prison to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under the Trump administration, the rhetoric against immigrants was rising. An immigrant from Africa with an arrest record, even if it was nonviolent, was a target.

“There was nothing but darkness. And you just know that everything’s over,” said Samuel Anthony, remembering the night he was forced to leave his home. “It was like being placed in a coffin. But you’re still alive.”

Anthony, 51, was talking to me from Sierra Leone, where he has been since 2019 when an immigration officer escorted him onto a plane at Dulles Airport that took off into the dark sky across the Atlantic to a country he left as a little boy.

To the Department of Homeland Security, Anthony is just one of 359,885 people deported from the United States that year.

To the family he left behind, he’s a man of promise, taken. Imperfect, as we all are. But in a national moment of reconsideration for those who’ve paid their dues, his loved ones say he never truly got a second chance.

“He struggled with addiction,” said Samilia Anthony, his sister. D.C. in the 1990s was awash in crack. Even the mayor — Marion Barry — was swept up in the mania that left thousands dead in a decade when Washington statistically became the nation’s murder capital.

Anthony went to one of D.C.’s best public high schools, went to college at St. Augustine’s College in North Carolina, and still fell into the life, struggling to overcome demons of childhood abuse that are finally being talked about, they both told me.

In 1996, he pleaded guilty to a drug charge and got a harsh, 20-year sentence for over 50 grams of crack cocaine, according to court documents. Possession of crack in those years got sentences that averaged 4.8 times longer than if the cocaine had been powdered, according to the Department of Justice.

As sentencing reforms began to address the disparities in how our justice system approached the drug epidemic, particularly in the nation’s Black neighborhoods, Anthony’s sentence was reduced, and he was released early. But because he was a permanent U.S. resident — he had a green card but not citizenship — he went straight from prison to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he was back in custody until his successful release in 2014.

Anthony got out of immigration custody in time for some family milestones. The next year, he was deported back to their native Sierra Leone. © Family photo

He did everything our system asked of him. He checked in regularly, got a job running a stock room at a grocery store, drove Uber, and started getting his commercial driver’s license. He bonded with his daughter and was the sibling who always checked in on mom. He bought a newly constructed townhouse in a revitalized section of Deanwood.

“Samuel was all about D.C.,” his sister said. He loved go-go music and the mom-and-pop joints around town. “He was making up for the time he lost in prison, spending a lot of time with family.”

He began a nonprofit mentoring teen who flirted with the life he left behind. But even living straight, he always felt scrutinized and endangered.

The United States deported just under 70,000 people in 1996, when Anthony went to prison, according to government data. As he was reentering life in D.C. in 2013, under the Obama administration, our nation reached its highest deportation numbers to date — 432,228.

Last year, the Biden administration doubled the number of immigrants it deported the year before, as immigration becomes a key talking point in the upcoming election.

Anthony lived straight, did all his check-ins, and didn’t tangle with the law again.

Anthony was in the United States long enough to see Shanel, his brother, married in 2018. © Family photo

Anthony was taken to Texas, where he was held for a while, then brought back to Dulles, where he was eventually put on a plane with nothing but the clothes he wore, a toothbrush, and some thermal underwear he got in the Texas facility.

Then, in 2019, when he showed up for an annual appointment with the local ICE office, he was taken in. This was under the Trump administration, and the rhetoric against immigrants was rising. An immigrant from Africa with an arrest record, even if it was nonviolent, was a target.

Anthony was taken to Texas, where he was held for a while, then brought back to Dulles, where he was eventually put on a plane with nothing but the clothes he wore, a toothbrush, and some thermal underwear he got in the Texas facility.

“Friday the 13th. Would you believe?” he said.

The plane laid over in Morocco for 15 hours, then he was taken to Sierra Leone, where he hadn’t been since the 1970s. There were new sounds, new smells, new foods, and different people. He had some family members. Mostly, he was alone.

“All it was? It was depression. It was suicidal thoughts,” he said. “I was going to the beach and just wanting to go into the water and never come back.”

He’s found work here and there. But he hasn’t found a community. His accent is D.C., his mannerisms are D.C., and he doesn’t belong to either of the ruling political parties in Sierra Leone, which he says is the only way to get work. His return is seen — in society — as a badge of shame, he said.

He missed his mother’s death and couldn’t get a special visa to return for her funeral.

“Even though I was born here, I wasn’t raised here. I wasn’t brought up with this type of environment,” Anthony said. “America to me is everything. I went to school there, I was at university there, went to prison there, did everything there. To be honest, prison was easier than this.”

He is working with the National Immigrant Justice Center to try to get home.

That’s how I met him, through their associate director of policy, Nayna Gupta.

I first met her when she was trying to get Howard Bailey home. Bailey was a veteran who built a life, a trucking company, and a family in Virginia when he was suddenly deported back to his native Jamaica — in a shocking 5:30 a.m. raid on his home in 2010 — because of an old marijuana conviction.

This veteran finally gets to return after being deported more than a decade ago

I followed his nightmare for years, as Gupta and the immigration lawyers she works with pushed for his return. It took 11 years. His wife had moved on, his company dissolved, but he returned, and we were there as he stepped off the plane.

Last year, I watched him get sworn in as a U.S. citizen.

Howard Bailey, a Navy veteran, finally became a U.S. citizen after a naturalization ceremony at the federal courthouse in Richmond 13 years after he was deported to his native Jamaica because of an old marijuana conviction. His mother, Jean, was there for his ceremony on June 21, 2023. © Petula Dvorak/TWP

Anthony’s road may be harder. Unlike Bailey, his drug conviction was not pardoned.

“His story really resonates with me during Black History Month,” Gupta said. “It’s a glaring example of how we have tried to fix the worst harms imposed on Black families from the war on drugs but failed to do so for Black families who immigrated to the U.S. decades ago.”

In our infancy, still, on righting our wrongs, this nation of immigrants should dig deeper.

Life In Sierra Leone

Since his deportation, Samuel has suffered a high degree of mental suffering. He is completely isolated because he has no friends or family in Sierra Leone, he does not speak any of the native languages, he does not understand the tribal laws in the country, and he is shunned as a criminal deportee. As a result of this deportee status, he cannot get a job. Samuel feels suicidal due to his isolation and the burden of financial dependence on his family.

Samuel has a pending U-Visa application with U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) and has asked DHS to grant him humanitarian parole so that he can reunite with his family and seek the mental health support he needs while pursuing his U-Visa status. Samuel has also requested that DHS exercise prosecutorial discretion to agree to reopen and dismiss his immigration case so that he can come home.

Samuel is represented by Sarah Gillman at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

Credit: Story by Petula Dvorak

Sierra Leone allows ex-president Koroma to leave country on medical grounds

FREETOWN (Reuters)

Updated Wed, January 17, 2024 at 1:23 PM EST

FREETOWN (Reuters) -A Sierra Leone high court on Wednesday allowed ex-president Ernest Bai Koroma, charged this month with treason, to travel abroad on medical grounds.

Koroma, 70, was charged with four offenses for his alleged role in a failed military attempt to topple the West African country's government in November.

There are concerns Koroma's indictment could stoke tension brought by a contentious election in which President Julius Maada Bio was reelected for a second term in June 2023. The main opposition candidate rejected the results and international partners questioned the vote.

Months later, on Nov. 26, gunmen attacked military barracks, a prison, and other locations in Sierra Leone, freeing about 2,200 inmates and killing more than 20 people.

The government said afterward that it was a foiled coup led mostly by Koroma's bodyguards. They summoned the ex-president for questioning at the start of December.

Koroma condemned the attacks shortly after they happened. His lawyers have called the charges "trumped up" and part of a "political vendetta".

The magistrate overseeing the case on Wednesday ruled in favor of Koroma's lawyers, who had asked the high court to grant Koroma a trip abroad for medical reasons.

The ex-president will be allowed to travel to Nigeria for no more than three months, the magistrate said before adjourning the case to March 6.

Sierra Leone's attorney general declined to comment.

Koroma was not in court on Wednesday, a Reuters reporter said. He was granted bail when the court indicted him on Jan. 3 and has since been confined to his home in the capital Freetown.

Nigeria had previously offered to host him temporarily, which he had accepted, according to a letter from West Africa's main regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, seen by Reuters.

According to Sierra Leone's penal code, a person found guilty of treason could face imprisonment for life.

Twelve other people also have been charged with treason in connection with the failed coup, including ex-police and correctional officers and a member of Koroma's security detail.

(Reporting by Umaru Fofana Writing by Sofia Christensen Editing by Nick Macfie and Toby Chopra)

View article source

Related

Sierra Leone Failed Coup

Information Minister commented on Al Jazeera on the court's ruling granting ex-president Bai Koroma permission to travel to Nigeria on medical grounds.

Chernor Bah, the Information Minister, commented on Al Jazeera on the court's ruling granting ex-president Bai Koroma permission to travel.

Former President Ernest Bai Koroma Formally Charged With Treason

read

Sierra Leone Civil War

January 6, 1999

Human Rights Watch

January 6, 1999, rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) launched an offensive against the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown.

In the early hours of January 6, l999, rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) launched an offensive against the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, capturing it from government troops and the soldiers of the Nigerian-led peacekeeping force known as ECOMOG, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Cease-fire Monitoring Group. The battle for Freetown and the ensuing three-week rebel occupation of the capital was characterized by the systematic and widespread perpetration of all classes of atrocities against the civilian population, of over one million inhabitants, and marked the most intensive and concentrated period of human rights violations in Sierra Leone's eight-year civil war.

As the rebels took control of street after street, they turned their weapons on the civilian population. By the end of January, both government and independent sources estimated that several thousands of civilians had been killed. The rebels dragged entire family units out of their homes. They murdered them, hacked off the hands of children and adults, burned people alive in their houses, rounded up hundreds of young women, took them to urban rebel bases, and sexually abused them. As the ECOMOG forces counterattacked and the RUF retreated through the capital, the rebels set fire to neighborhoods, leaving entire city blocks in ashes and over 51,000 people homeless.1 And, while the RUF took with them almost no prisoners of war, they withdrew to the hills with thousands of abductees, mostly children and young women.

This latest rebel offensive brought to the capital the same class of atrocities witnessed in Sierra Leone's rural provinces over the last eight years and is the latest cycle of violence in an armed conflict that has claimed an estimated 50,000 lives and caused the displacement of more than one million Sierra Leoneans. Since launching the rebellion in l991, the RUF has fought to overthrow successive governments it accuses of widespread corruption, nepotism, and mismanagement of the country's vast diamond and mineral resources. However, since its inception, the RUF has failed publicly and clearly to articulate an alternative political agenda and has consistently committed gross and large-scale atrocities against civilians.

The rebel offensive brought to the capital the same class of atrocities witnessed in Sierra Leone's rural provinces.

In December 1998, following the capture of the diamond-rich Kono district and subsequently Makeni, Sierra Leone's fifth largest city, thousands of RUF fighters started moving towards the capital. By early January 1999, they had reached the peninsula on which Freetown is located and gathered less than twenty miles west of the capital city. On January 6, the rebels broke through the highly stretched and poorly manned ECOMOG defenses, ill-prepared for a rebel offensive in force, and proceeded to march through the eastern suburbs and straight into the city center.

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Sierra Leone Remembrance Day, January 6

January 6, 1999, rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) launched an offensive against the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown.

Sierra Leone Remembrance Day, January 6.

Video Courtesy: Al Jazeera

Former President Ernest Bai Koroma Formally Charged With Treason

Four offenses include treason, misprision of treason, and two counts of harboring

By Theo Edwards

Sierra Leone's former president, Ernest Bai Koroma, has formally been charged with treason. The 4-court charge borders on his alleged involvement in a failed attempt by security forces to overthrow the government of Sierra Leone on November 26, 2023.

Ex-Presendent Bai Koroma court appearance

Ministry of Information Press Release

The government has disagreed with ECOWAS Terms set out in a letter ref: ECW/PC/DC/2024-001/oat dated January 2, 2024, addressed to the President of State of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

ECOWAS Terms set out in a letter ECW/PC/DC/2024-001/oat dated January 2, 2024

The Attorney General of Sierra Leone requested the matter stand down; later, reports indicated that charges were filed.

The former president is represented by lawyer Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara and other lawyers. The Ex-President Koroma was granted bail by a High Court order on condition. The case was adjourned to January 17, 2024.

Former President Ernest Koroma's Treason indictment and bail conditions

Former President Ernest Koroma's Treason indictment and bail conditions

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Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, the lead-lawyer representing ex-president Ernest Koroma, comments on AYV tv on the legal matter and implication against his client _a former head of State. 

The former President was arraigned on a four-count indictment including treason and two counts of harboring. The charges stem from alleged involvement in an attempt to overthrow the Sierra Leone Government on November 26, 2023.

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FILE - Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma, center, on arrival for talks with Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh, in Banjul, Gambia, Dec. 13, 2016. Former President Ernest Bai Koroma was charged with treason for his alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt in November, Sierra Leone's government said Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024.

Sylvain Cherkaoui/AP

Nightmare Before Christmas

A loaded container slides off a container chassis and crushes pedestrians to death

By Theo Edwards

The gruesome incident happened on the evening of December 21, 2023. At the time we went to press, there were 16 people in the hospital, 1 in critical condition, and two people lost their lives.

The Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, on Facebook, expresses her thoughts and prayers with victims of the trailer accident at Eastern Police.

The gruesome incident happened on the evening of December 21, 2023, by Eastern Police.

Pretty Strong Uppercut Delivered to George Weah in Liberia’s Election

Liberia Presidential Election

PRESS STATEMENT

President George Weah accepts his electoral defeat. Mr. Weah congratulates former VP Joseph N. BoaKai as the Winner of the 2023 presidential run-off election. He called Mr. Boakai via telephone following the announcement of provisional results by the National Elections Commission.

Liberia Presidential Run-off Provisional Result

The United States congratulates the people of Liberia on holding a peaceful presidential runoff election. And call on all citizens to follow President Weah’s example and accept the results.  

Read the Liberia Presidential Elections Press Statement By The U.S DEPARTMENT of STATE

THE U.S DEPARTMENT of STATE PRESS STATEMENT

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Mom Who Spends 30 Years Working Abroad to Support Son Is Surprised by Him as Her Pilot on a Trip Home

This is certainly true for a woman who left Ethiopia for Lebanon, where she worked as a maid for 30 years.

October 24, 2023

Many immigrants have incredible stories of hard work, often times involving a parent moving to a place with more opportunities to give their kids a better life.

Certainly true for a woman who left Ethiopia for Lebanon, where she worked as a maid for 30 years. Back home, her son long wished to become a pilot, further inspiring her to work hard and support his dream. As a powerful tribute, the devoted mom got a special surprise on her grand return home. As she boarded the plane, a flight attendant pushed back a curtain to reveal her son was actually the plane pilot.

The touching moment is caught on camera. In the clip, which has since gone viral, the mom boards the plane as a regular passenger, unaware of the surprise to come. Once the team confirms it’s her, the big reveal is set in motion. The pilot greets his unsuspecting mom with a big flower bouquet under his arm, as well as a cake and a bottle of champagne.

Mom who worked as a maid for 30 years to support her son's long wish to become a pilot.

The gifts are nothing compared to seeing her son, and the mom breaks down in tears of joy. They then embrace and kiss each other's faces repeatedly—almost to make sure it's not a dream. Amid all the commotion, the mom also makes sure to thank those who helped with the surprise, bowing her head in gratitude to each of them.

The sweet video is a testament to the undeniable love between a mother and her son, as well as the pride that they feel for one another. Being away and working hard to provide for your kids is a highly commendable endeavor —it's scenes such that this reminds many of why it is done in the first place.

This article is by REGINA SIENRA. Regina Sienra is a Staff Writer at My Modern—Met. Based in Mexico City, Mexico, she holds a bachelor’s degree in communications with a specialization in Journalism from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She has 10+ years of experience in Digital Media, writing for outlets in both English and Spanish. Her love for the creative arts—especially music and film—drives her forward every day.

Yumkella Shocks No One

Op—Ed Culled ‘Rasta Rambles

‘My late wife Philomena and I have always believed that the NGC Party was not meant to be “MY” party but rather a vehicle and an institution for change.'

Former Flag Bearer of the National Grand Coalition (NGC) Honorable. Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella finally resigned from the party and switched over to the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).

The inevitable can’t be resisted, even in the best of faith. Yumkella formally resigned from the NGC to return to the SLPP. No one’s shocked. What alliances? It was always a game for him and those who did his maneuvering.

Yumkella played and disrespected his colleagues and supporters from start to finish. How can you resign from a junior partner you led into a coalition only to defect to the majority partner with such callousness?

Hurling further insult at those who were prepared to take bullets for him, he wrote, ‘My late wife Philomena and I have always believed that the NGC Party was not meant to be “my” party but rather a vehicle and an institution for change’.

What an ingrate. They sped up, almost put that thing together for him! Now he’s disowned it.

He not only undermined the NGC’s genuine momentum-building efforts but plotted its fatality. The final blow was joining it with the SLPP months before an election. The NGC got wiped out. Three months later, he resigned. He publicly humiliated those who stayed with him when Dr. Dennis Bright and others left the party in disgust at his selfishness.

But, of course, the plan played out as he wanted. He’s got a job in government. The NGC is deceased, and therefore sod his supporters and those who tied their political ambitions to what they thought was a credible party.

To think that a lot of people saw Yumkella as a positive departure from the rotten political class is perhaps the greatest misplacement of trust in Sierra Leone’s politics. 

Suddenly, the realization couldn’t be more pronounced: Yumkella is the archetype, the sample of the Sierra Leonean politician: prioritizing himself and the cult of personality ahead of building and operating within institutional integrity. 

Just like a common sycophant, ‘Enti Fos Lady dae for witness,’ he sought validation from the president’s unelected missus while addressing the party faithful in rhetoric. He knows too well, that the people he’s talking to, out of desperation for better lives, would cheer anything but have zero stake in government. But he’s fooling them anyway. Telling them the government is answerable to them. Until a sentence later, the mask slipped. He title-checked the real boss, the person those in the current government are under oath to submit to: Bio’s wife.

Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (KKY) returns to his roots

Even the visually impaired and the cognitively challenged can read Yumkella’s simplistic rationale for destroying the NGC. He thinks he’s Bio’s successor in the SLPP’s next leadership race and as president after 2028. In his thinking, even the opposition does not exist. Somebody should read him something about Hilary Clinton’s arrogance against Obama and her eventual defeat by Donald Trump. If that’s pushing it, he can read the story leading up to the 2018 elections, where he was a Major protagonist.

But it’s Sierra Leone. The government is the judiciary, the police, the army, and most importantly, the electoral commission.

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Sierra Leone 2023 - Final Report on General Elections June 2023

European Union Election Observation Mission Sierra Leone 2023

Dated 10.10.2023

Tabulation and announcement of results proved to be the tipping point for the credibility of the elections. The entire process was opaque, meaningful observation was impeded and the declaration of winners was not followed by the publication of disaggregated results per polling station. On 27 June, the ECSL declared Julius Mada Bio of the Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP) elected for a second term, passing the constitutional threshold of 55 percent in the first round by 1.17 percentage points. Following the declaration of the results of the parliamentary elections a few days later, it was clear that result totals published by the ECSL showed several statistical inconsistencies and mathematical improbabilities. 

These included notable discrepancies in the number of average valid votes per polling station between the first and second batch of presidential results, varying from a decrease of 75 percent to an increase of 31 percent per district; a difference of up to 23 percentage points per district between the turnout for the presidential and parliamentary elections, with some districts registering substantially lower parliamentary turnouts and others showing significantly lower presidential turnouts; turnout above 90 percent in five districts; and only 0.4 percent of invalid votes nation-wide. These inconsistencies, combined with the ECSL’s decision not to publish disaggregated results, undermined the credibility of the tabulation process and voters’ confidence in the outcome of the polls.

Overall, the 2023 general elections underscored a clear commitment among Sierra Leoneans to the democratic processes, while also proving an urgent need for further reforms focusing on transparency, trust-building, and inclusion. The EU EOM is offering 21 recommendations for improving the way elections are organized, managed, and conducted and for upholding regional and international commitments. 

There are seven priority recommendations:

1. Publish the final voter register per polling station and per polling center in a timely manner and allow voters to verify and correct all their details.  

2. The ECSL to establish and publish detailed procedures for the tabulation and announcement of results, as well as put in place a robust, transparent, and easily verifiable results processing system well ahead of elections. 

3. Publish on the ECSL website comprehensive election results data by polling station, including results per candidate and per party, the number of registered voters, and of valid and invalid votes, in a timely manner and in an easily trackable and downloadable database format. 

4. Ensure safety and security for all candidates through a timely conclusion of investigations, holding perpetrators of violence accountable, and enabling the PPRC to act effectively upon violations of campaign rules. 

5. Ensure enforcement of legal restrictions on the misuse of state resources and explicitly prohibit the use of official functions, as well as government websites and social media accounts for campaign purposes. 

6. Ensure transparency in campaign finance by introducing caps for campaign revenues and expenses and clear rules of reporting and public disclosure before, during, and after the elections, including by the media, and by implementing robust sanctions for noncompliance. 

7. Protect freedom of expression by clearly aligning the definitions of “cyber-terrorism”, “cyber-stalking”, “cyber-bullying” and “incendiary information” with relevant regional and international standards. 

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