Over wrong image, Sierra Leoneans protest in China

Hundreds of Sierra Leoneans in China last week Friday May 8^th over the weekly online Sierra Leonean forum registered their frustrations and disappointment over the deliberate embarrassment by the Sierra Leonean team to both H.E Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma and our beloved country in the ongoing EXPO in Shanghai that currently attracts the whole world with 190 countries taking part. (Photo: President Koroma at the Shanghai Expo 2010)

The six months Shanghai EXPO is a forum where various countries in the world are meeting to showcase the good attributes and general prospects of each country; at a ceremony at which Sierra Leone is being purposefully selected to showcase its natural prospects thereby attracting investors.

Sadly though, important as the occasion is, Sierra Leone is among the first African country to be called to present its national day and potentials; but our so-called representatives could not see anything worth selling to the whole world that was watching Sierra Leone on Thursday May 6^th other than a magic stool.

Worse of it has been that throughout Asia and the rest of Europe and the West where they are actually following the Shanghai EXPO, the Sierra Leonean Exposition remained a subject of ridicule. While other countries were busy showing off their natural resources and prospects in political, economic, social and cultural affairs, Sierra Leone dedicated most of its time showcasing a magic stool. All this happened with the presence of H.E our president who flew into Shanghai to grace our National day.

What an embarrassment!

Is it true that Sierra Leone no longer or ever had good and admirable attributes that the world would want to emulate culturally? What about the beautiful cultural artifacts, (kele, talking-drum, sheiburei, drums, raffia, country cloths, Ronko, cotton wool, forests/mountains, rivers, beaches at Lumley, Solima, etc.)?

Economically, what about our national food items like coffee, cocoa, palm oil, mango and orange farms, kola, ginger, cassava, rice farming (upland and swamp)?

What about our natural minerals such as Gold, Bauxite, Iron-ore, etc?

It is a national pride that Sierra Leone was among the first sub-Saharan countries to embrace modernism-education (Athens of W/A), a very successful and triumphant fight against colonial imperialism, a slave history, inter-state trade and economic prosperity thus leading to Sierra Leone’s membership to the Mano River Union, and ECOWAS.

Politically, I was expecting the organizers to have displayed on the public screen our successes in the democratization processes since post 1992, and with special emphasis on post war efforts at peace building and development. Are these not worth showing to the world?

Rather very frustratingly, whilst other countries were displaying their God given and artificial potentials, thereby attracting investors, our team was busy explaining the significance of a magic stool which ensures that you say the truth when you sit on it. It was disgraceful and pitiful to see the less than 22 people behind the Sierra Leone flag on the national day allocated to Sierra Leone. Ironically, there about a one thousand and more Sierra Leoneans in China, but deliberately, the organizers just selected themselves.

The Thursday May 6^th embarrassment is currently on the lips of every Sierra Leonean especially as it contrasts H.E’s re-branding of the country’s image.

Many had suggested that the Sierra Leonean team in Shanghai through our Embassy in Beijing contact the Sierra Leone Student’s Union in China (SLSUC) who are over a hundred to grace the occasion, like other African countries are currently doing, but unconfirmed sources close to the executive of the Student’s Union indicated that the students had actually approached the S/L Embassy in Beijing and made such a request but was never honoured.

We the Sierra Leonean community in Shanghai and Guangzhou, view the May 6^th representation as a misrepresentation of our country and a deliberate ploy to embarrass our President in front of the entire world and totally condemn it.

We equally think the Ministries of Information, Tourism and Culture are a party to the mis-representation and owe Sierra Leoneans a lot of apologies.

We therefore call on H.E to institute a thorough investigation; and the Ministries of Information, Tourism and Culture, we request that you prepare ‘sellable’ images of our country in future and kindly desist from sending cronies and relatives to misrepresent us in future.

By a Sierra Leonean Businessman in Shanghai

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