BONFIRE MOYAMBA & AN ADVENTURE

SIERRA LEONE, 2014

As I was waiting in Kabala for the next bonfire to take place in Koinadugu, I received a call telling me the bonfire will be postponed for a week and, if a car was sent, will I want to go to Moyamba to witness one there?  Did that question even need to be asked?????

Since I will be gone for only one night, I kept my room in Kabala as I will stay in the village in Moyamba.  Early (6:30) that morning Desmond arrived knocking on my door and calling out Grandma Sara, I’m here!!!  He had left Freetown before dawn.  I told him to go get some sleep because we really didn’t need to leave until around noon.

As I have stated before, I wait until the bonfire is starting to sneak in very quietly.  We left at noon and arrived at the Moyamba district office at about 4:30PM.  We will need to leave the office about 6 because of the very rough road that Desmond wishes to drive while there is as much light as possible.

Here’s where the adventure part begins.  It was my understanding someone from the district office will meet us to show us the way to the village.  Desmond speaks with one of the district staff who gives him instructions how to get there, but first we must stop to see the paramount chief.  No one will be meeting us at the office.

There is a Secret Society ceremony taking place between where we are and where we need to go.  The transit area falls in another chiefdom thus the stop.  The paramount chief of the bonfire chiefdom phones (oh, the modern era of cell towers) the other paramount chief to make sure we will not be “molested” if we drive through that area.  He is assured it is “safe” for us to travel, so on we go.

Until we reach a tree across the road.  A biker comes along and Desmond asks if there is a road around this obstruction.  He points to little wider than a single vehicle lane to the left of the fallen tree (called a stick in Krio).  It is now about 6:45.  The village we want is only 18 miles or less than an hour (bad roads, remember) away.

Desmond skillfully navigates the “cow path” which continues to narrow to the point where we wonder if we will be able to get through.  The vegetation boarding the edge of the road soars above our vehicle on both sides effectively putting us in a narrow open topped winding tunnel.  We finally “pop” out the end at a T in the road.  We have been told to make a right at that T by the biker.

Stopping at regular intervals to ask directions we finally make it to the round-a-bout we need.  Traveling about 15 minutes further we ask directions again.  This time the person asked points back to where we just came!  Another man gets involved who seems to have a different opinion.  To make matters more interesting the network coverage in the area is spotty and keeps going in and out when I try to reach one of the staff.

We finally get through long enough to have a conversation and are told to meet him at the tree down across the road!!!!  The same tree where we started our detour.  It is now 8:30.  No problem, we found our way here we should be able to easily find our way back, right?  NOT!!!

At 9:15 we finally meet up with our staff member and are told the tree is there ON PURPOSE!!!!!  There is a bridge out just past the village where we are going and the tree is to stop traffic from using the road.  Is there a sign on or around the tree to this effect, did the paramount chief tell us, did the district staff tell us? -NO.  Desmond was furious at this point at the waste of gasoline, the trauma of driving unknown, dark, lonely back roads, and the lack of communication.

How, you ask, did we get to the village with the “stick” blocking the road?  We plowed through the brush at the right end of the tree.  Gotta’ love those Toyota Land Cruisers with the “bush bars” attached to the front.  We arrived at the bonfire at about 9:45, over 3 hours after we left the office!!!

The adventure continues.  As I have stated I am to keep in the background at the bonfires.  This one will be the exception.  When I arrive I am told special food has been prepared just for me, so off I go to a house nearby to enjoy a delicious goat stew.

After eating I sneak back to sit in a seat by the car at the back of the bonfire.  There were benches of people in front of me.  Little by little the benches were moved so soon I was part of the bonfire circle!  During a dance break in testimonies, the male dance troop hired to entertain stopped in front of me to perform.  I turned to Theresa from FT district staff and told her we needed to put the benches back and take the focus off of me. 

However, the women had other ideas coming over to insist I dance with them around the bonfire.  At this point it would be rude to refuse, so dance I did.  One by one the village men in the audience came out to dance with me, as one faded away another took his place.  

I ended up doing a crazy leg dance with one of the dance troop which prompted the women to hustle me back to my chair.  Theresa told me my moves were the same the secret society devil uses when he dances!!!  

The testimonies resumed with even more enthusiasm than before and I was able to fade into the background again staying there until we all went to bed at 3AM.  The most interesting testimony involved two men.  One man was asking the forgiveness of the other because of stealing from him during the war.  The other man said he felt as responsible for the man’s actions and that they were both equally perpetrators and victims to each other!!!  They linked arms and forgave each other.

Desmond and I left at 5AM so we could pick up Ibrahim and Rev Emmanuel and take them back to Kabala with us.  They had attended a workshop in Freetown and were able to get only partway back.

Much Love To You All,

Mom/Grandma Syrup/Sara

PS No pictures for this one.  :-(