This gallery contains 7 photos.
Sunrise and Sunset in Sierra Leone
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Two Naming Ceremonies
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This gallery contains 16 photos.
Sierra Leone is a remarkable country in many ways but specifically notable is the high level of religious tolerance. Muslims and Christians inter-marry, share each other’s holidays and festivals, and the constitution protects religious freedoms. Estimates vary but the population … Continue reading
Wiltshire
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This gallery contains 8 photos.
Mohamed Bangura’s Real African Awareness Bridge
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Mohamed Bangura lives with his family inside a bridge in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
During the civil war, Mohamed was forced to shelter in the bridge to avoid the fighting. He has stayed there ever since. He now offers the bridge as a refuge to the unemployed youth of Freetown.
Plastic Shores
If you’ve ever wondered what happens to the 3 million tonnes of plastic the UK throws away each year, La Mode Verte’s new film Plastic Shores has the answer.
While acknowledging the useful role plastics play in our society, Plastic Shores examines the harmful effects that prolific waste is having on our marine ecosystems. Today, there is not a single beach or sea in the world that is not affected by plastic pollution and the problem is only increasing.
Since doing some filming on this project with the director Ed Scott-Clarke and after watching the final film, it is evident we need to change how we use and dispose of plastics. If you would like to see the film, you can download it here.
Artisan Fishing, Lumley Beach, Sierra Leone
Fishing in West Africa is a complicated business involving foreign trawlers (both legal and illegal), quotas, subsidies, industrial and artisanal fishing, and corruption. It all leads to the depletion of West African fishing stocks and the exploitation of a valuable economic resource, resulting in hunger and poverty for the local people. There are lots of good films and articles which cover these topics (see list below).
This video shows how the Sierra Leonean fishermen on Lumley Beach use traditional artisanal fishing methods to catch fish that are then sold to the local population. Unfortunately, on this day their catch was not a good one.
West African fishing films and articles:
Al-Jazerra, ‘Pirate Fishing’: http://aje.me/xJuLfo
Reuters, ‘Illegal fishing plunders and strains West Africa’:http://reut.rs/AkGSsi
Guardian, ‘UK steps in to help West Africa in fight to overturn EU fishing abuses’:http://bit.ly/wwWE1Z
Women of the Future
Isata sits in the classroom of the Girls’ Safe House in Maronka, in Northern Sierra Leone, and examines the scars on her legs. ‘The marks are starting to fade,’ she says quietly, looking up at the toys the primary school children have left scattered across the floor. ‘It is difficult being a woman in Sierra Leone and getting an education is hard. There are a lot of constraints.’
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