By Mohamed Juma Jalloh
The Lumley/Aberdeen Beach, in the west end of Freetown, ought to have been the best in the world had sanitation been regularly upheld. About a decade ago, one is assured of the best heaven on earth view at the Aberdeen Beach, but that accolade is rapidly being dissipated.
Amongst all the beaches in the country, it remains the most accessible due to its proximity in the Freetown Metropolitan area. Accessibility is a key component among the five A’s of tourism. When it comes to Eco-tourism, visitors want to access a beach that places the least strain on their budget. The Aberdeen beach provides that unique economizing opportunity for tourists.
Food and drinks sold by locals on the beach are by far cheaper than those displayed on the menu of exotic hotels. No sooner one touches feet in the greater Freetown area than the Lumley/Aberdeen beach providing a unique opportunity for an easy access.
In less than 15 minutes from the centre of town, a motorbike, tricycle or taxi can easily take a sightseer to the beach. Upon arrival the avalanche of mixture of seaweed and plastic materials can be frightening. The combination of synthetic materials and the recurrent problem of seaweed could dampen the expectation of a visitor.
The heartbreaking condition of the beach cannot be unconnected to the population explosion experienced in the intervening years after the end of the country`s civil war. With the rapid population ascendancy in Freetown, a lot of unwanted and after used materials by people can find their way on the beach shores. In fact, in Freetown, which is home to a rising middle class, people’s standards of living are often measured by the things they throw away.
For tourism to realize its maximum impact on the masses, appropriate touristic governance structures must be established. The Ministry of Tourism and Culture is responsible to set and implement government policy on tourism, whiles a parallel institution, the National Tourist Board (NTB), is charged with the responsibility of developing, maintaining, promoting and regulating touristic sites and activities.
Under the reign of the previous APC government, beach marshals were recruited to provide police services and to preserve a state of uninterrupted neatness on the beach. Lately, the NTB has undertaken some cleaning exercises, but they are not thorough to prevent the ugly reappearance of seaweed and other unwanted materials on the beach.
The NTB has recognised the problem of the unpleasant condition of the beach and it has resolved to properly sanitize the beach. According to Kai Saquee, the Communications Officer of the NTB, “the board has purchased a weed blaster machine to undertake the regular cleaning exercise of the beach.”
The arrival of a beach cleaning machine is welcoming news, but beach visitors could only breathe a sigh of relief when the said machine is utilised for its intended purpose. The mere existence of the Ministry and the NTB, that have an administrative center on the beach ground, cannot prevent business operators from utilizing the beach as a dumpsite.
In a country were adequate means of refuse disposal are lacking, owners of business structures have transformed the west end of the beach into a garbage field. The piece of sand very close to the place called the “Rock” was a popular destination for local tourism. During the good old days, the scene of people strewn across the gigantic rocks overlooking the Atlantic Ocean can be a memorable nostalgic experience.
The soothing wind that flaps on the seashore and the beautiful atmosphere was a source of attraction to many families during weekend and national holidays. On prominent national holidays, the beach was overwhelmed by an unending sea of people. The insatiable drive that attracts people to the beach has been ruined by the present unsavory condition of Lumley /Aberdeen Beach.
During the weekends, the sand dunes beneath the bulldozer rocks were often utilized for diverse sporting purposes. Teams from the country`s football Premier League and the national volley ball teams have been utilizing the portion of sand for training exercises. In its present congested filth, it is practically impossible for sporting activities to be conducted on the beach. Although the overwhelming presence of plastic waste and other non-biodegradable materials are noticeable, the presence of dangerous materials such as bottles should not be ruled out. The existence of harmful piercing materials can pose serious injury risk to sport men. The awful and unlikable state of the beach has rendered the western end futile to sportsmen.
Another major concern is the clustered mixture of both neat and ramshackle structures on the sand mounds. In some countries, the magnificent display of uniform structures, dotting a beach, is a deliberate and calculated strategy to entice tourist. Naturally, the human mind is aesthetically attracted to uniformity because of the evenness and homogeneity, which can be splendid to the eye.
To the credit of some entrepreneurs, some structures are of internationally adored standards in terms of attraction and amenities. Most of the beautifully looking structures can boast of a pub, gym, a game of pool and satellite television. In these fine pubs, along the beach, locals are only restricted in doing menial jobs, such as washing of utensils and fumigating the resort. Due to lack of financial capacity by indigenes, foreigners who boast of a stronger financial muscle are operating many structures along the beach. There is a local content policy that dictates managerial and intermediate positions for locals working in foreign own business. The non -implementation of the local content policy has regrettably added to another library of policy despondency in Sierra Leone.
Contrastingly, some ramshackle structures are sandwiched between the fabulous structures thereby automatically disheveling the beautiful scenic view of the beach.
It can be concluded that there are no standard criteria for allocating space at the beach by the NTB. It is also disheartening to see the beach transformed into a fishing ground for local dugout canoes, after the Tambacula end have been inundated by fishermen.
The NTB and the Ministry of Tourism must act now!