Two Feet in Sierra Leone

Sunrise Over Monrovia
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Well, so much for my trip to Sierra Leone! Last Thursday turned out to be a long, frustrating day. The night before, I had packed a 2-day suitcase in preparation to leave for Freetown by about 1pm on the 9th. Negbalee and Emmanuel picked me up early that morning, so we could get some things done at the office before the entire staff headed back to the APC for a workshop we were hosting there. I was chagrined to find that Bailey’s Bakery was closed, and remember thinking that this was NOT the day to be skipping breakfast. I left the office with Konah at about 10:30am, to set-up for the seminar, which began at 11am. It was a training of sorts for small-scale miners and lumberjacks, or “pit-sawers” (“sawers” is pronounced like Tom Sawyer’s last name), meant to instruct them on how to navigate their respective templates for reporting tax payments to LEITI. Luckily for me, the convent had prepared a light breakfast for the attendees. Shortbread - ain’t nothin’ wrong with that! After about half of the presentation was over, Negbalee motioned for me to go upstairs and get my things. I did so, gave my room a good spray for roaches, and left with Edward to catch up with Negbalee at the Noor Cafe - my favourite sandwich-spot to date!

Broad Street, Right Outside the Ministry of Finance Building (LEITI's Offices are on the 4th Floor)
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We grabbed some food for the road and headed to Sierra Leone. We drove through Bomi (also called “The President’s”) County, as well as Grand Cape Mount County. On account of the heavy rains, several parts of Bomi County were completely flooded - a sad sight to see. One thing I was not expecting on this drive were roads that were in better condition than those in downtown Monrovia! Negbalee explained to me that the road we were driving on was constructed as a gift to Liberia from a former president of Nigeria. Emmanuel added that, since the rural areas were not significant targets during the war, most of the road had remained intact. After about an hour and a half, we reached the Sierra Leone border.

The View from My Other Window (at the Convent)
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Negbalee and I went into the immigration office, and then the fun began. In his haste to squeeze this trip into our already busy schedule, Negbalee hadn’t considered that I might need a visa to get across the border. He argued with the immigration officials for at least 2 hours, calling important people in both countries, to no avail. So, I drove with him across the border to meet his next driver, got out of the car for a moment (to be able to say that I stood in Sierra Leone), and then went back to Monrovia with Emmanuel. On the way back into the city, we hit HORRIFIC traffic in Duala, a heavy shopping district. I finally made it back to the convent around 7:30pm, and was grateful that I still had some leftover pasta in the fridge!

Emmanuel
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The next day, July 10th, was a red-letter day for LEITI. That morning, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf signed the LEITI Act into law! Now, it is mandatory for all extractive companies working in the forestry, oil, mining, and rubber sectors to report their payments to the government to LEITI for reconciliation with the government’s records, under the supervision of civil society. This is a HUGE step, as Liberia is the second country in the world to take legislative action to promote transparency and accountability in natural resource extraction industries. W00T! Today, I helped write our press releases about this.

Our Chariot, Pulling Up on Broad Street
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I spent most of the weekend at the Cape Hotel, continuing to try to take care of as many internet activities as possible. I’m thrilled to say that I finally got a chance to talk with my Dad, as well as to get this blog up and running! Thanks to everyone who has emailed or chatted with me to let me know they got the link! I’m hoping to bring things up-to-date in the near future.

On Sunday, Jana joined me for some computer time at the “Cape,” at which time she told me that she got into a year-long certificate program at Harvard!  We decided to stay at the Hotel to eat dinner and celebrate, and were soon joined by Juleen, a Masters student at Columbia University. It was nice to get to know her, and take advantage of the opportunity to just “hang out.” Also, I was thrilled to get a call from Secret, a friend of mine from Widener, while we were at the restaurant - I’ll get back to you soon, girl! After dinner and tea (or, in Jana’s case, coffee - and a beer!),  I called Emmanuel to come pick us up, and I was back at the convent well before curfew.

Negbalee Working a Deadline
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I am looking forward to welcoming Bobbie, the LEITI intern from Valparaiso University, to Monrovia on Friday. Today, I went to see Sister Mary with Konah to put down the money for the rest of my stay and most of hers. It’s hard to believe I just have a month left! When I hit Bailey’s this morning, I noticed that someone was selling tickets for a music festival at the Sports Complex this weekend. I think the whole office is going to go! I’m hoping that the jet lag doesn’t hit Bobbie too hard, so she can enjoy this rare opportunity to go outside the city on the weekend. I am very excited to hear and see Friday, the Cell Phone Man, with his traditional dancers!

Buildings Adjacent to the APC
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Well, I think that’s about it for now. I finally did some wash this evening in the tubs outside - I’m hoping that my things will dry (at least most of the way) soon. Hooray for Ultrathon, the insect repellent that makes even African mosquitoes think twice!