By Andrew Keili
I don’t mean to make light of people’s misfortunes when they decide to take their life even though everything seems to be going well for them. The most recent high-profile case was that of CNN’s world-renowned travelling gourmet Anthony Bolduian of “Parts Unknown” fame. Why do people who have everything going for them take their own life? In some advanced societies the despair felt by some people with deep psychological problems who no longer see any point in living has become much too commonplace.
Despite all our problems in Sierra Leone, we have a psyche that makes us easily forget about our woes and take delight in living, even though things are difficult. Most people in Sierra Leone spend a large proportion of their incomes on food, lack access to basic infrastructure, and own few productive assets. However, they do make consumption choices that involve spending on things other than food and use a variety of instruments to manage erratic income streams. Access to electricity and water and sanitation is poor as is access to healthcare. Natural disasters abound and there is considerable economic inequality. In most rural area, people have to depend on multiple occupations to survive and reducing poverty and reducing hunger are important to us as a nation. The youth unemployment situation poses a serious problem. Of course, access to public services is low particularly in rural areas.
Grim? You would think in this kind of situation, people would be so despondent that they would not find life worth living. Fortunately for us, the opposite is true as people are in fact inclined to want to give the impression that life has never been better. This is not a new phenomenon but trust Sierra Leoneans for coming up with new terminologies once in a while to describe their idiosyncrasies in life. I don’t quite know who came up with the idea of “suffering posh” which has gained currency. I credit the person who described this so aptly is social media. That person gave examples of “suffer poshes” which I cannot match.
- You pay 50,000 na club gate u nor able buy wan soft drink….suffer posh.
- U werr high heel go na beach….suffer posh.
- You go hangout na Tokeh u nor geh motoka…suffer posh.
- U geh DSTV u nor able pay for wach world cup…suffer posh
- U gt motor car but always d run empty tank. Suffer posh.
- U phone cost $1,000 but nor able buy SLL 20,000 top up. Suffer Posh
- U hold iPhone X u d share room with two sisters and a cousin. Witch suffer posh.
Now you get the point! It is not just the matter of living above one’s means but pretending you are much more affluent or classy than you actually are. Giving the impression that all is ok when you may be actually inconveniencing yourself is nothing new to us, almost without exemption. Even those who probably are much better off than most of our countryfolk also “suffer posh”.
- The man who puts on a coat and a tie under the hot burning sun, sweating profusely “suffers posh”.
- Driving an 8 cylinder airconditioned gas guzzler in these times of austerity is “suffering posh”.
- The lady who hides her footwear in a black plastic bag and only puts on her high-heeled shoes when entering a party “suffers posh”.
- Spending Le400,000 taking your girlfriend out to an expensive restaurant when your salary is Le 1m is “suffering posh”.
Come to think of it, suffering posh is part of life. How else would you justify trying to outdo each other in having Ashobis for every conceivable occasion, just so that you can all look identical? How else would you justify having six bridesmaids at a wedding, each putting on expensive attire that they can ill afford (and probably asked to pay for it)? Even our learned colleagues in the judiciary “suffer posh” with their wigs under the hot burning sun. And you think we are not exempt from it even in our house design? Most of us live in houses, parts of which remain largely unused. Some people may not even have sat in their second sitting room for months. There was a time in rural areas where festivities were rife immediately after the harvest period when rice consumption and general expenditure of our poor rural folk would soar. Fortunately or unfortunately, the poverty situation has dampened this somehow.
People who lived in Kono several decades ago during the diamond boom period could recount how people used to live it up in diamond areas. I have heard stories of rich people washing their face in the morning with “soda water” soft drink to prove that life was indeed good for them. Those of us who worked in mining areas know how miners behaved when they hit the jackpot. It was not uncommon for them to go to a bar and “spray everybody, pole to pole” – asking the barman to serve everybody in the bar-without exception and often, until they have had enough. Little wonder then that Sierra Leonean businessmen, when things really start getting good leave their business to relatives or surrogates to go “suffer posh” until excessive pilferages bring them to their senses-often too late. How many of us have not got burnt by relatives of friends to whom we have entrusted money and who had decided to “suffer posh” with it?
Even our JCs from overseas “suffer posh” when they come home on holidays. It is easy to identify them from their trainers, water bottles, hats and small towels. There are however things that seem to make “suffering posh” at least with clothes more palatable. The cheap second-hand clothes market with real quality clothes sometimes makes many of us look sophisticated. It makes our ladies look really good. Many of the coats and ties worn by many snappy looking gentlemen come from what we colloquially call “labutu”. But it really does not matter as long as you look good. It is therefore not uncommon for a “coat and tie” man to veer round the corner into his “cookery bafa”-again nothing wrong with that-“suffering posh”.
And who am I to tell you about “suffering posh” when my life history is also full of suffering posh. Whilst at Sierra Rutile, I bought a pair of trendy shoes which I was going to wear at a wedding in Blama at which I was Chairman for the reception ceremony. The only time I tried on the shoes was immediately before the wedding. I found out to my chagrin that I had mistakenly been given a size 13. With no time to get another one (only plastic shoes in Blama), I had to stuff it with newspapers and brave it to Church and the reception, gravely restricting my mobility. “Mr. Chairman” obviously could not entertain any talk of moving around the hall even though he heard complaints about “why dis Chairman tinap one place normo?”. I also recall the case of poor Pa Taylor who fell down in Church in Bo from heat exhaustion, probably because of the thick woolen coat he was wearing. He unsuccessfully tried to fight off helpers who tried to take off his coat even in his predicament. The reason became clear later when we discovered he had a big gaping hole at the back of his Terylene shirt- “suffering posh”. I also recall a friend of mine who took his girlfriend to our Senior staff bar at NDMC Tongo Field whilst working there. The girl, of little sophistication(no wonder she was called Marie goldteeth) became overwhelmed with the variety of hard drinks on display. “What will you have”?, he asked her. Not recognizing any of the drinks which were not in her normal repertoire, she responded-“Anytin way get alcohol!”
Never mind all this “suffering posh”. Living posh can have its positive and negative sides. On the positive side one could argue that it is often nice to feel good and forget about our problems in life. Does this however justify our going to great lengths to “suffer posh”. A country in which schoolgirls want brand name android phones, constantly buy credit, weave their hair in the latest styles and dress expensively from head to toe results should not be surprised if they resort to unsavoury acts just to live it up. It has a ripple effect as the constrained “suppliers” have to also live it up leading to rampant corruption.
It is nice to live it up and feel good. We should however be careful that “living posh” is not temporary. If we want to live posh we should endeavour to sustain the posh life, which may be difficult in this country. But then we have always been used to temporary fits of enjoyment in this country. Why then do people ask rhetorically when they are exhilarated at festivities-“Die day?” and we all respond, “Die nor day”. Anyway go “suffer posh”, ya.
COUNCILOR AVONDOOR MAKES THEM SWEAT
It seemed a fairly innocuous election for councilor in Bonthe. Fairly predictable, it would seem, but not so. An APC Councilor won in Bonthe, the home of the President. Several reasons have been proffered, depending on what side of the political divide one comes from. I don’t intend to delve in these but to dwell a bit on the Councilor’s name. His actions after the victory seem to be a true reflection of his name. Avoondor in Mende means “Let all of you sweat”. Both APC and SLPP have sweated after this victory. It has been an emotional roller coaster for both parties as Avoondor seems to be speaking from both sides of the mouth. No wonder both parties were claiming at one time or another that Avoondor was with them. With his new found fame he has been making the rounds in the media. He has also been photographed with his Excellency the President and there are pictures of him with both SLPP and APC groupings. Deputy speaker Hon. Sengepor Paul Thomas who hails from Bonthe was in buoyant mood when he revealed that Avoondor was SLPP but only got angry temporarily when he was refused the symbol. All was now well and Avoondor had decided to come back home.
APC scribe Cornelius Deveaux had earlier issued a press release stating that Avoondor had not moved to SLPP. Avoondor’s last word on the matter seemed to change from time to time depending on who he last spoke with. The last one (well for now) is that he is still APC. He was only at the SLPP Office with Chairman Prince Harding because he wanted to assure the SLPP that he will work with the government of President Bio but he had not declared for the party. Probably having been advised by his lawyer, Avoondor spoke “lawyerly”-If I declared, why did I not take a party card?, he asked a questioner. Whatever party Avoondor is in at the moment, he has left egg on a lot of faces. For now he seems to be reveling in his new found fame, leaving a lot of people-well true to his name, sweating.
Arise Councilor Avoondor. Let them sweat!
Ponder my thoughts