Cycling across town feels much like Sri Lanka. A lot of smiling faces, people shouting for a little attention or just a simple answer to "Your name?" or "How are you?" The most heard catchphrase while cruising around is "Opotto, opotto" referring to the Portuguese discoverers that invaded Sierra Leone, more than five centuries ago. The attention from groups of children and strangers passing-by is pleasant, although at times I miss the 'escaping' in the crowd. The feeling you get when you go to a proper rave, making your way to the DJ booth or hidden stage. Speaking about going to a rave. That is probably one of the activities I miss the most. The nightlife is lively, with weekly shows of local performers, dancers, afro pop-artists and even comedians. The venues are very creatively set-up with small festival-like areas - sometimes aside a junction - being fenced and colourfully decorated. Inside there is a stage, of course a dancefloor, chairs for the elderly seeing their grandchildren rock, and a lot of little joints hosted by local business-seekers with cool boxes selling drinks and snacks. The music is what I define as afro-EDM: A beat above 130 BPM, rapping vocals which are sometimes a bit screamy, and high beeps and swinging drums. The whole cocktail creates a truly happy, ‘hands-in-the-air’, danceable sound and that is also what I do most of the time. However it is just not 'my' type of music, so mostly I do not make it through the next morning…
Then a thing that consumes my thoughts a lot these days: the positive discrimination that comes with being an "Opotto". Children are so much indoctrinated by the idea that white people are a 'special' kind, that walking around can be quite awkward and embarrassing. To me it creates a big despair on how to behave and respond to the continuous greeting and staring. Of course, all comes from good intensions, but actively saluting or responding nicely triggers more of the same anti-discriminating behaviour. On the other hand, who am I to think I can change a mind-set that has been around since the Golden Age, by walking around like an asshole and ignoring friendly greetings and eye-contact? And then lastly: How I dare, with all my privileges and conveniences that come with my place of birth, to be disturbed by such innocence. Let's say I have the next months to find my way...
The rest of the last weeks where occupied by the design and construction our new warehouse, preparing for the move of our medical stock to the new location, donating some of our overstock, and doing on-the-job training of the basics and intermediates of Excel. Some can already work with formulas, others never worked with a computer before: "This is the keyboard, it consists of all letters of the alphabet and numbers from zero to nine. These are the arrow keys to toggle through your worksheet. To activate a formula start with the is-equal sign." Leisure activities varied from playing football, watching a match between the local Kalidu F.C. and the next village’s squad. Going to the river for a weekly splash. Being fascinated by kids playing bare-hand tennis on the street. Schoolboys imitating the Fostbury-flop to jump over a wooden stock held up by two individuals. Visiting Burah beach for a relaxing weekend off-the-compound. Staring into the beautiful sun, creating a magnificent light over the fields that surround Magburaka.
