THAT GAMBIAN MONEY SPREE
The recent visit of the Bio couple to the Gambia provided an opportunity for Sierra Leoneans to know about the presence of their compatriots there and the fact that they are displaying their culture abroad. It is all very well to preserve one’s culture in the right way. In any case the way a thing is done is more important than what is being done.
This brings us to the manner in which the President and his wife appreciated the cultural display that was supposed to be in conformance with the practice at home. It is customary for spectators especially dignitaries to throw some coins or currency notes to dancers.
While the President was putting money in the tray provided quietly and participating in the dancing the First Lady was busy spraying currency notes and it is not known whether they were United States notes or local currency notes. Opposition critics would certainly tell their supporters that they were United States dollars. This is the reason why one should be circumspect in practising culture as there are bound to be modifications with the passage of time. In the midst of abject poverty at home detractors would not be blamed if they think that government is wasteful while they starve. The President should be commended for being statesman like in his donation.
In the era of Dr Ernest Bai Koroma he used to also spray money on the streets. The difference here is that it was dished out to disorganized vagrants or street boys. The money sprayed in the Gambia would certainly have landed in the hands of Sierra Leoneans who did not take part in the organization of the performance or were lie back members. Therefore it was better to modernize the custom by putting the donations on a tray or table.
The First Lady should learn that next time she should amend her ways of appreciating cultural dancers.
FAECAL MATTERS
As efforts continue to clean up the environment others are pulling them backward. The media learnt recently that faeces were being deposited into the sea in some of our seaside villages. The fishes around these villages would not now worry to find food. They just feast on these faeces and the fishermen have their good catches which are passed on to us as consumers. So as at the end of the day what we are consuming are these dirty fishes full of faeces as food.
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation should enhance their efforts to have Sanitary Inspectors who should enforce the provision of toilets for every household to save us from eating recycled faeces in the form of fishes.
Europeans are having their own fair share of eating fishes full of the flesh of dead attempted immigrants. And we consume these in the form of sardines and salmon, etc.