Only one British
soldier was killed in the action that followed to release the nine.
Most of the rebels in this western area were later killed by British
soldiers. It was probably this decisive action which did most to restore
the authority of the United Nations and convince the rebels that they
were engaged in a war they could not win.
This was reinforced by the determined but diplomatic action of Indian
forces in the east where rebels gradually surrendered their weapons.
The village had not recovered from the destruction caused by the rebels
and the people were living in makeshift huts with very flimsy grass
roofs.
In this village and the one we visited the next day, which was a similar
distance from the city, FIOH had been helping the people by supplying
seed and agricultural advice.
An FIOH Womens
Credit Union Co-operative Network.
After a discussion with Edward, I introduced the women to the
idea of setting up a Sierra Leone wide womens credit union cooperative
network.
Altogether we put this idea to ten womens groups from Freetown in
the south to Makeni in the north and beyond. There was a 100% positive
response in all the villages we were to visit.
I had already introduced the idea to women in Kenya and the Cameroon
following discussions with my FIOH friends, Rom Wandera and Ndzerem
Stephen. My reasoning for doing this was, in the first instance based
on the belief that any form of sustainable development must involve
the empowerment of women. But how were women to gain economic and
political power in an exploitative neo-liberal economic climate and
in the face of possible opposition from men?
However much I advocated an end to economic growth, the development
of community currencies, organic methods of growing crops, etc I also
had to be pragmatic and acknowledge that women had to understand how
they could operate the present system to their own advantage. How
could they possibly secure the capital required to benefit from the
system? Clearly the only way women could secure the capital they required
was to come together in large numbers and combine their savings. It
took only a few simple calculations to show that the potential for
developing a powerful womens economic unit in Sierra Leone was great.
I explained the advantages by showing that the women could afford
to buy their own lorry within a relatively short space of time. In
the local context they could afford to repair the local rice mill.
The idea is to
have a network of village credit unions linked to district co-operatives.
The co-operatives would in turn be served by a central executive with
a central bank account. All the members would put a percentage of
their savings into their local co-operative and also into the central
national account. Loans would only be given from savings at the local
level where there would be a social pressure to repay loans and also
take account of difficulties individuals might have at certain times
in repaying.
Edward will now carry out a more detailed consultation with the women
and then organise the training required to operate the Network.
Shall we go
to the UK ?
Although I knew very well that the support of the Community Fund
had been an important element in the food relief programmes that developed
in the Yonibana area, this visit made me realise that its importance
was even greater than I imagined. The fact that FIOH was to play a
major role in bringing relief to people well beyond the original project
area is a testimony to the quality of leadership of Edward and his
staff. The support of the World Food Programme, CARE and other charities
and, more recently, the Department for International Development UK
(DFID), were also significant factors. Over the next few days I was
to witness the surprising extent of FIOH activities in the country.
Just two weeks before my visit, Edward had received a land rover from
the World Food Programme in recognition of the value of the work FIOH
was doing. Edward wanted to ensure that it was in the best of condition
before it was put on the road and had placed it in a garage for cleaning,
minor repairs and painting with the FIOH logo. This was to be our
mode of travel for the rest of my visit.
As we sped along one of the few metalled roads in the country towards
Mile 91 and Yonibana with some of his staff, Edward remarked "Ladies
and gentlemen, shall we go to the UK?"
He then switched on the air conditioning and suddenly the discomfort
of Africa disappeared in a waft of cool air. This expression was to
be repeated many times over the remaining days with subtle variations.
However, on one occasion when we gave a villager a lift she complained
of the cold.
"They are not rebels - we call them ex-combatants!"
A well constructed FIOH training centre, workshop and office is
located at Mile 91 where young people come to learn a trade and engage
in income generating activities. The complex is combined with a shop
to sell the products made. The activities include tailoring, dressmaking,
gara dyeing, carpentry, ironmongery and literacy training. This was
the place where I had to undergo some reassessment of previous held
views about the former rebels.
I was of the view that any process of reconciliation should involve
a facility that would enable former rebels to make restitution for
the atrocities they had committed.
Edward disagreed. "We do not call them rebels - they are ex-combatants
- they are our brothers. We have to integrate them back into society
without expecting any kind of restitution". He pointed out that
many of these young people were genuinely sorry for what they had
done whilst a few still tried to justify their actions. Some people
were telling me that many had gone mad because they could not come
to terms with their actions. Ironically, many were begging, along
with their victims, on the streets of Freetown. I had to remember
that it was not just the rebels who had committed atrocities.
I asked Edward
how he went about convincing people towards his point of view (and
remember that he and his family suffered as much as anyone else in
this pointless war). He told me that he reminded people that many
had said that war was the only way they could get rid of corruption
in the country. They got what they wanted even though it did not turn
out how they expected. Now everyone wanted peace there was no option
but to accept 'ex-combatants' back into society. Although I still
felt that it would be impossible for many people to forgive, I had
to admit that what he said was right. Some of the young men in the
workshop were ex-combatants and I spent a day working with them. The
experience not only helped me to come to terms with my new awareness
but also realise the extreme difficulty they had working with bent
saws made from poor quality steel. I was very surprised that such
high quality furniture was being produced in such circumstances.
The welcome we
received at Yonibana and indeed in all the communities we visited,
was almost overwhelming and what pleased me most was the high regard
people had for Edward and all his staff. In all meetings tribal chiefs,
elders and community workers were very anxious to inform me about
the way Edward and his staff had helped them while they were living
in the bush. Nine FIOH members had in fact been killed while carrying
out humanitarian work providing food and shelter. At one stage he
bought a car with some of the money I had sent and set up a taxi service
to provide for his family. When he first drove into the bush at the
height of the conflict people fled from the vehicle because they thought
it was the rebels who had come. He had to shout out to them to come
back. I was told about the way Edward had persuaded people to leave
the bush and start growing crops with the seed he was able to provide.
I heard gratitude for the emergency supplies provided by Swindon's
school children. The books and pencils donated were used to start
a school of about 200 pupils.
We were able to see only a fraction of the agricultural projects started
by FIOH, but all of these were very impressive. Groundnuts, maize,
rice, cassava, sweet potatoes and a wide variety of vegetables were
being grown extensively throughout the areas of Mile 91, Yonibana
and Rochen Junction (The Yoni Chiefdom). Some of these agricultural
plots extended for about a mile. One area I visited in 1993 had been
covered in trees. This area had been denuded of trees because people
displaced by the fighting had been forced to cut them down for fuelwood.
This area was now covered with acacia saplings provided by FIOH for
agro-forestry.
At the time of
my visit in 1993 Edward was working as manager of the local rice mill.
This was no longer working as parts of it had been removed by the
rebels. The building was now being used for storing food aid imported
from the USA. There was of course a desperate need to repair this
and other rice mills throughout the country because there was still
too much reliance on imports. Edward and his staff were trying to
convince farmers to grow more maize (sweet corn) because of its higher
nutritional value.
I stayed with some of the travelling staff at a 'hotel' in Mile 91.
This was a building with 8 bedrooms and a single toilet - a concrete
slab with a 150mm square hole over an earth pit - about 50 metres
from the building. The greatest pleasure in the evening was to stand
on a concrete slab outside the building and pour containers of water
over my head whilst looking up into a cloudless sky lit up like a
gigantic Christmas tree bedecked with stars and satellites. I suddenly
realised that I was looking at many of them for the very first time.
The FIOH 'embassy'
Our next visit was to Makeni, a large town 60 miles further north
situated approximately at the centre of the country. We were passed
several times by truck loads of smiling Bangladeshi soldiers whose
current peacekeeping role was to reinstate the country's major road
network.
I was surprised at the size of the FIOH headquarters and the height
of the rooms. My first remark on entering was 'So this is the FIOH
embassy'. The building was rented from a man who did not want to charge
for the use of the building. Edward had helped this man during the
war and he wanted to show his gratitude in this way. However, Edward
insisted on paying a small rental. A large meeting had been arranged
for our visit and this was attended by the representatives of 15 non-government
organisations (N.G.Os). FIOH was the very first NGO to start development
work in the area and provided a valuable advisory service to other
NGOs especially with regard to the aid programmes operated by DFID
and the World Food Programme. One representative remarked to me "You
can call on FIOH staff at any time of the day or night and they will
always find time to listen and advise you".
I often noticed this about Edward. No matter what our plans, if someone
turned up to speak to him just before we were to leave for a meeting
he would always deal with the caller first rather than ask that person
to call again at another time. This way of working had clearly rubbed
off on his staff. I was very impressed by the way he consulted his
staff about important matters and tried resolve any disputes by consensus.
But when a decision was to be made there was no doubt as to who was
the boss. He was tolerant and understanding but there was no doubt
about his authority and he had the respect of his staff whether they
were paid or voluntary. He had 16 paid staff and 15 who were volunteers.
I asked him how he had come to attract such good quality staff and
why so few of them were women. He told me that the fact that most
of his staff were men was not his choice. Originally he had advertised
for voluntary staff and it was men who applied. He felt that it would
only be those who were most committed to helping the less fortunate
that would apply to help on a voluntary basis. However, despite the
shortage of women on his staff, I did notice on several occasions
how much Edward respected women and sought the advice of those with
special qualifications.
He drew heavily on the knowledge of his agricultural technical adviser,
Alfred Collier. He would often remark on his own lack of education
and his wish to improve his knowledge of English. I acknowledged his
desire for more education but doubted whether it would add anything
to his qualities as a communicator, motivator and leader.
Seed multiplication
When we visited just a few of the vast agricultural areas established
with the help of FIOH, Alfred explained to me the FIOH seed multiplication
programme. He told me about the time they had asked people who were
able to grow crops to save some of their seed for use in those areas
where rebels had destroyed crops. This was the start of the seed multiplication
programme which involved shifting seed from crop growing areas to
areas of destruction and need. New areas had been penetrated in both
the Makeni and Yonibana areas through the construction of roads through
scrub land with the help of the World Food Programme's 'food for work'.
The roads were of a high quality because FIOH insisted that the beneficial
communities take responsibility for ongoing maintenance.
Too many widows
FIOH had developed a policy of accessing remote villages that
had not been reached by other agencies. We visited one of these which
was 45 miles from Makeni and close to the border with Guinea.
Rarely were we able to travel at a speed of more than 4 m.p.h. One
road, which had not been maintained for more than 7 years, had one
metre depressions and the appearance of a very rough sea.
In this village we were shown a soap making process using a mixture
of palm nut oil and caustic soda which had been introduced to many
villages by FIOH.
Houses in the area were very makeshift and had mud wattle walls and
grass roofs. I was told of the particular dangers that would face
these communities with the onset of the seasonal winds 'the Hamattan'.
Even the slightest spark from an open fire could set the roofs of
all the village houses alight in just a few devastating minutes.
During the meeting at the village we were told of the hardships suffered
during the rebel occupation and shelling from the Guinean side of
the border. Whenever the shelling started the rebels would go searching
for men hiding in the bush and then slit their throats. When the Paramount
Chief asked women who were widows to put up their hands about 70%
did so.
Radio interviews
I was asked for interviews at radio stations at Yonibana and Makeni.
The recordings were made on simple cassettes and both stations were
run on generators. I was reasonably satisfied with both interviews
and the questions I had been asked. What surprised me was that anyone
should have the enterprise and courage to set up these stations in
such remote areas so soon after the war.
This was not the first time I had been impressed by the enterprise
and improvisation of Africans in difficult circumstances. I had also
witnessed this in Kenya and the Cameroon.
The end of
wildlife?
Maybe I am worrying unnecessarily, but seeing the amount of bush
meat being sold by the roadside on the way back from Makeni to Freetown
made me wonder if the extinction of many species of wildlife in the
country was imminent. Not that the sale of bush meat was so surprising
in the light of the killing and sale of domestic animals by the rebels.
I have the feeling that any kind of conservation programme for the
country will have to be coupled with a huge programme for the reintroduction
of domestic animals.
Fuelwood for
education
"Why were so many children (boys and girls) carrying large
bundles of wood on their heads?" My question must have seemed
strange to Edward because for him the answer must have been so obvious.
"They are carrying the wood to sell".
"But what if they do not sell any?"
"Well then either they will not have enough for their school
fees tomorrow or they may not have enough money for food". Simple
really!!!
A displaced camp
When many people fled from the rural areas they drifted into displaced
camps in Freetown. We visited one of these where thousands of people
had not yet been resettled back in their home communities. The camp
consisted of rows of tents housing men, women and children. We spoke
to two women who told us of the hardships they suffered when they
first entered the camp where they initially had to live without any
form of shelter and little food.
Mrs Thompson
Before I left I felt I had to pay another visit to the old lady,
Mrs Thompson, who had referred to me as her 'boyfriend'. She had helped
Osman Conteh oust the corrupt elements in the Forah Bay FIOH group
and I was grateful for this. During this second visit she told me
about her own experience with the rebels. At the time of rebel occupation
she was living in Calabatown. The rebels entered her house because
they had heard that she possessed dollars. One of the rebels caught
hold of her arm and raised his machete to cut it off. However, he
was distracted as he brought down the weapon and cut his own leg instead.
At that moment ECOMOG forces entered the area and killed most of the
rebels there.
The meeting
under the mango tree
I asked Edward if there could be a meeting of all the groups with
which I had been associated in the past. This was arranged for the
day before I left and fourteen of us, representatives of FIOH, FOE
and the FKDA, sat together under a mango tree to discuss ways in which
we could all work together in the future under the banner of FIOH.
This was a last attempt at an alliance.
There was a very positive and hopeful outcome to the meeting at which
Edward was confirmed as the general co-ordinator with respect to all
matters relating to the use of the FIOH name. There was also an agreement
to share information and to jointly agree on the appointment of independent
monitors for projects funded by FIOH UK. There were also discussions
about a joint resource centre but there was a difference in approach
between Edward and Momodu and no decision was made. After the meeting
a leaving party had been arranged and a large number of people gathered
at the house to listen to the disco and to some short speeches of
farewell.
My last day was
also the end of Ramadan, the Islamic Holy Month, a time of fasting
and prayer. Islam is the main religious faith in Sierra Leone. For
the past two weeks I had little tinges of guilt whenever guests refused
food 'because they were fasting'.
In the morning thousands of people gathered in a field near the house
and I went along with one of the children from the house to witness
some of the prayers.
Later I met Edward's
family at his house about a mile away and there his children asked
me to give them some lessons. In just a few moments chairs were arranged
in front of a desk and a blackboard erected at the front the veranda.
The 'lessons' went on for about an hour until we broke off for lunch
and prepared for the journey to the airport.
The heliport was closed and the ferry had to be used to make the crossing
to the airport. We arrived at the quay only to see the ferry leaving
an hour earlier than scheduled. "Oh no - Africa time was still
being practised, but this time in reverse!"
We were told that the next one would be at 5.30 p.m. but we decided
to arrive at 4.30. It was just as well we did because the ferry was
just about to leave. Had we missed this ferry the alternative journey
by road would have meant a circuitous route of 100 miles. The crossing
took about 45 minutes and there was a half hour drive to the airport
on the other side.
The plane was due to leave at 10.35 p.m. but was an hour late leaving
because of five security checks including one on the plane itself
(The extra security was most likely related to the recent terrorist
attack on a hotel in Mombasa). Edward insisted on staying until I
checked in at customs - attentive to the very last.
It was ironical that I had an upset stomach as a result of eating
fish on the plane. A Lebanese man with whom I had built up a friendship
on the journey suffered the same food problem along with others who
were queuing at the toilet shortly before we landed. Later I contracted
bronchitis waiting in the cold for a bus at Gatwick Airport. During
all my time in Sierra Leone I had no trouble with the food or in any
other way.
Quiet reflections
Being more or less housebound for two weeks has left me with some
valuable time for reflection. Was it possible to make any sense of
the ten years of mayhem in Sierra Leone and did the experience have
any lessons for us in the UK?
In trying to make sense of what has happened I find that I am merely
asking more questions. But then perhaps the questions are themselves
important if they prompt new ways of thinking about possible ways
of addressing a wide series of impending crises in the UK and internationally.
Perhaps the manner in which the conflict in Sierra Leone developed
could have been predicted from an examination of the tribal divisions
and occult beliefs ingrained in African culture (perhaps they are
in fact little different from those of the occult society to which
Hitler and his cohorts belonged).
I am reminded of an incident that happened when I visited Yonibana
in 1993. A secret society meeting of men and two women (honorary
men) was taking place in one of the villages. The men were dancing
in a circle and one of the witch doctors came over to me. I was expected
to give him some money. He looked me in the eyes and I remember thinking
at the time that the look was both menacing and a way of telling me
that his power was much greater than mine. If that was indeed the
intention, he need not have bothered. I was told that bad things could
happen at the secret meetings in the forests but was not given any
details.
Two young men had accompanied Edward and myself and the witch doctor
pointed to them and asked them why they were not taking part in the
ceremony. They were about to be dragged into the gathering when Edward
pointed out that they were practising Muslims and therefor exempt.
I found the experience
unnerving and the news that some westerners had joined the society
in the past, even more disturbing. But in trying to rationalise the
reasons why human beings can be so cruel I find myself asking if the
answers might also be found in perhaps the jingoism of the 'Last Night
of the Proms' and the popular tabloids? Perhaps they could be found
in Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim or other religious fundamentalism,
selfish and profligate consumerism and a media which mocks moral values
and promotes gambling, violence and competitive behaviour?
However, no matter how much I try to rationalise what has happened
in terms of cultural superstitions or fundamentalism I keep returning
to the belief that most of the problems we face are related to economics
and economic growth.
How can an ultimate good come from a global economic system which
creates extreme inequality and justifies and allows that the great
majority of humanity live in poverty?
I am also confirmed in my belief that any solutions to these problems
have to be set within a framework of human values such as sharing,
co-operation, fellowship, compassion and truth.
During my latest
visit Edward reminded me that I had asked him to include as many tribes
as possible in his development programmes right from the start. Our
programme involved visits to the Mende, Timini, Lokko, Temne, Fulah
and Krio (descendants of ex slaves) villages.
[Similarly when Glenys and I visited the Cameroon, my friend Ndzerem
Stephen reminded me that I had advised him to grow as many species
of tree as possible in the nurseries funded by the FIOH Fund. I asked
him to put aside the idea that only a few would be of value].
At this point in time I believe that the solutions to human problems
must involve a willingness of groups of people with different belief
systems to work for common goals which will enable everyone to have
a good quality of life. Our ability to survive as a species must also
involve a proper understanding of the importance of biological diversity
and our willingness to protect it for the benefit of generations to
come.
Despite these
current beliefs, I also try to keep in mind the concept of the 'Unfinished'
as described in Erik Dammann's 'Revolution in the Affluent Society'.
We should not have fixed ideas about the goals and objectives we may
feel are necessary to make the world a better place. The goals we
identify, and the objectives we may set to achieve them, may have
to change in the light of changing circumstances and as goals are
achieved, we may need to set our sights on new ones. In a personal
sense I also interpret the concept of 'the unfinished' as a state
of mind that is open to a change of opinion and attitudes in the light
of a new awareness and understanding based on reasoned argument and
discussion.
Erik Dammann also introduced me to another concept which I believe
to be important - 'Counteraction'.
This concept reasons that if the objective is to correct the perceived
source of a problem then the solution should be 'counteractive' i.e.
something totally different from, or indeed opposite to, that perceived
cause. Applying this reasoning to my feelings about economics and
economic growth suggests that the development of a new science that
will in the first instance highlight the many negative outcomes of
economic growth, is required.
I have tried to apply the concept of 'the unfinished' to most of the
work I do by trying to think of obstacles as opportunities to move
in a different direction or to think about problems in a different
way.
Putting practical expression to the concept of 'counteraction' I find
far more challenging. I have some vague ideas about a new science
which I have called which will provide a framework for measuring the
energy used 'from cradle to grave' (i.e. a life cycle analysis) in
all items of production. The true ecological cost (the contribution
of an item's production to pollution and resource depletion) is currently
masked by the huge wage differentials between workers across the world.
Other factors such as slavery, child labour, destruction of tropical
rainforests and other natural resources would also be analysed and
made transparent in assessing the true value of an item.
Although my feelings
about FIOH in Sierra Leone are nearly all positive, I was somewhat
dismayed by a lack of understanding, even among FIOH staff, about
the forces of exploitation causing mal-development in poor countries.
Far too many were smoking and also drinking the nutritionally deficient
products of the Coca-Cola company, for example.
The activities of many multinational companies give me cause for concern.
I have just read in the Independent newspaper that Nestle have been
buying up the milk of Pakistani dairy farmers for less than the price
it costs to produce and then selling it on as 'long life' at a profit
of 200%. The company is also demanding a £3.7 mil payment from
famine stricken Ethiopia as compensation for the nationalisation of
a company which Nestle owns.
The willingness of the UK government to allow, and even encourage,
the penetration of multinational companies into all aspects of our
daily lives is one of the developments I find most disturbing. I see
this, which is leading to the erosion of the power of the nation state
and democratic government, as a very negative development. For example,
the Evening Advertiser , a Swindon newspaper, along with a large number
of other local British newspapers, is owned by a US multinational
company. How will this influence editorial policy at the local level?
We already see a bias towards neo-liberal economic points of view
in most of the national newspapers.
The Archbishop
of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, in his Richard Dimbleby Lecture
highlighted some of the dangers inherent in these new developments,
although I thought his arguments that the Church had an important
role in alerting people to the dangers, rather unconvincing. In fact
I feel that the Church has been slow to alert people to the dangers.
Sadly Dr Williams did not outline any solutions to threats he identified
in the consumer, free market culture.
I would welcome
a dialogue with anyone who reads this report on the 'beginnings of
an idea' I have outlined above.
The motto of FIOH
in Sierra Leone is 'Be afraid to be idle'. There is no doubt that
any solutions to the complex causes of the problems we face, will
need to be equally complex and will require a great deal of hard work
in the face of continuous obstruction and apathy. There are no easy
answers. Just because the value based framework I have outlined is
very simple and easy to understand does not mean to say that the activities
that need to take place for positive change within that framework
should be equally simple. For example, the decision by the Cuban government
to switch to predominantly organic farming methods to meet its food
needs in the face of US embargoes and the collapse of the Soviet Union,
has involved highly technical processes. Meeting the energy needs
of future generations may have to involve processes which are equally
complex. But if we continue to use the old tried and failed economic
growth approaches of the past we continue to condemn the mass of humanity
to grinding poverty.
Michael Thomas
24 - 12 - 2002
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