So part of the rules in Peace Corps is that you're not allowed to participate or meddle with anything that has to do with politics.......Sierra Leonean politics. No rallies, not even opinions....... nothing, nada.
Like America, Sierra Leone has many political parties where 2 are the powerhouse parties. The biggest difference is that these parties are deeply rooted by tribe. You have the SLPP (Green Party) primarily in the South with the Mende tribe and then you have the APC (Red Party) primarily in the North & East with the Temne tribe. There's a big election coming up this November, all I can hope for is a safe and peaceful election. Political unrest is a ticket out of here but I'm in for the long haul, so please, please, please, Salone, I beg.......peaceful elections!
We're currently going through Parliament Seat elections. I've been pretty much out of pocket to stay uninvolved but certain big local events are hard to avoid. There was an election here in Lunsar between 2 candidates within the APC party, the winner.........Isata Kabia. I guess there was some disagreement within the party itself and some people were not happy with the results.
As I was walking home from school, I got up to my gate and it was locked. Hmmmm, weird......we don't lock until late in the evening..... Then all of a sudden, Hawa started yelling at the kids to grab the gate keys. I was confused and scared, WTF was going on?!?! There was this mad scramble to open the gate, pull me in, then lock the doors. What the hell was going on?!?! Not everyone was happy with Isata Kabia's victory and to show their disapproval, live bullets were shot and tear gas thrown towards crowds in the center of town which isn't too far from where I live. I saw large groups of people running towards my street coughing from the tear gas. Is this really happening to me?!?! Scary shit!!!! It went on for a few hours, didn't really want to find out how or why it all settled down, but it did.
It kinda freaked me out that this little episode was b/c of an election with 2 candidates within the same party. Crossing my fingers for the November presidential elections between the APC & SLPP (aka Temne vs. Mende). Everyone is saying that it should be a peaceful election but we'll see. Whatever happens, Peace Corps has trained us on the various procedures of "what do do when this happens".
This past Sunday, the town of Lunsar welcomed the arrival of Isata Kabia to celebrate her victory. Kabia and her opponents came to plead for peace within the APC party. I worked that day to control the OLGSS girls that came to represent the school. It was pretty cool seeing all the children of Lunsar in their uniforms all lined up on the main road, Port Loko Rd. There was music, food, and dancing under that African sun beating down on us. I don't really know who decided that our girls' uniforms should include a thick wool beret.....this is Africa! No one should ever wear wool in Africa, it's too freakin hot!!!!!
I don't know if it was the smartest idea for me to be in the middle of this APC event but nonetheless it was a fun, lively, and peaceful. Everyone was decked out in red, marching down the streets heading for the town field. There were people on foot, fleets of okadas, and motokars. Isata Kabia was on this huge white truck doing her best beauty pageant wave to the crowd.
I tried my best to follow the masses to the town field but I had been under the hot African sun for several hours and called it a good day's work of keeping my girls in line. I left the rest to the other teachers that showed up later. I ended my day by buying an ice cold ginger beer from the street and headed home.
Please Salone, I want to stay here. No political unrest.
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