Fear Monger

I remember my first few days in Freetown. When in public: I had my money in my underwear; wouldn’t dare take my camera with me or pull out my cell phone; had a death grip on my backpack; watched for any sketchy potential thieves; all the while ensuring I was in an advantageous position to run for my life! Although my organization reinforced Salone’s good level of safety, they still gave us survival training and warned about theft and other potential dangers. There were also stories to harvest paranoia.

Now I’m walking around town like it’s my backyard. I’m so lackadaisical that people don’t have to steal things from me; I just give it to them. I left a bag of groceries in a taxi the other day. And the day before I left my motorbike on the outside of the compound, unlocked for hours. AND with the key in the ignition! (Photo: Beware! My hired bike guards. Killer (bottom) and the unnamed kitty.)

Security is relative. And he’s a relative of mine. I’ve worked in the industry for years and have extensive enforcement training and experience with outlaws. I also know how fear mongering works - I watch CNN when there’s nothing else on. People are scared of the unknown. For many on our side of the world, Africa is unknown.

To reassure some of my friends and family before I left for the unknown, I recommended they lookup the official Canadian travel advisories for Sierra Leone, Italy and Costa Rica. Check it out. You may be surprised. Italy reads like a gangster police file and Costa Rica’s profile may make you think twice about going there to catch some waves. When actor Ewan McGregor planned his trip around the world on a motorbike, his army of advisors charted the U.S.A. as the most dangerous part of the journey. Not the Road of Bones in Russia. Not mafia infested Kazakhstan. The U.S.A. And, by the way, what happened on that Greyhound bus in Manitoba? (Photo: Snap time on the football pitch)

I’m not saying that Freetown is Disney Land. But one must put things into perspective. It is not anarchy. Nonetheless one is subject to similar dynamics as in most cities such as theft. Many people I know have been pick-pocketed (a la Rome style). But I would go as far as saying that Freetown is exceptionally safe. Things that are commonplace in other towns I’ve lived in - bar fights (The Canadian in the Soo), random street fights with weapons (how about downtown Windsor?), arguing with police (too many to count) – are rare here. I’ve walked alone at 2 am in Freetown, many times. No problems. I’ve driven my bike around the peninsula. Nothing. (Except a couple young boys put up a roadblock demanding money. They had war paint on their faces. The small one was holding a spear. It was so cute!) (Photo: My buddies pose after a hard fought game of football when we spent most of the time wiping dog or goat poop off of Ibrahim's sandals)

The other night I was locked out of my house, forced to roam the streets of Freetown; shouting at my friend’s house from the road “Kev-on Nea-lon! Let me in!” Even though I tried to look cool, any would-be attacker could have identified be as easy prey. But I do wonder how long this will last. I don’t know what Sierra Leone was like before the war, but there has to be a boiling point, when the gap between the rich and the poor keeps expanding. The more developed, the more evident the gap? The more trouble?