Ohsalone

19/03/2023

Sierra Leone must effectively use information and communication technology (ICT) to realise its musical potential. Most of us are aware of the importance of ICT over the years and how it has shaped the music industry. Consider how digital recording software and internet-based online streaming have largely replaced the record player and analogue tape devices. In Sierra Leone, this has not been widely adopted.

Sierra Leone had 2.39 million internet users in January 2021, according to DataReportal 2021, out of an estimated population of 8.06 million. 43.2% of its population lives in urban areas, while 56.8% lives in rural areas, which have been technologically underdeveloped for many years, and most people in rural areas have not adopted communication technology into their daily lives, and thus, the power of musicians inciting their music into those regions is rarely practised.

Many people in Sierra Leone, particularly in rural areas, do not have the financial means to purchase such business technology capabilities (computers, tablets, and smartphones) because many technologies are capital intensive.

According to numerous studies, approximately 60% of Sierra Leoneans live on less than £1.00 per day, and only 40% of the population is literate. As a result, paying for ICT training, equipment, and services is considered exclusive to educated and financially privileged city dwellers.

However, the main reasons for such failure in Sierra Leone in my opinion are primarily the energy problem, a failure to make public investments in appropriate research and infrastructure, a lack of a pool of scientists and researchers in specific areas, a lack of adequate specialists, corruption and nepotism, and a lack of adequate specialists.

~ Ohsalone

29/12/2022

Nyamakoro Silla, a political socialist and health professional, shared this video on Twitter. The hospital in the video is believed to be run by Chinese nationals in Freetown's East End.

She understands that the hospital is extremely dangerous and unfit for human medical treatment.

If this is a hospital, I completely agree with her assessment of the hospital's state in the video.

Furthermore, does Sierra Leone have an independent health and social care regulator, a governing body that can monitor, inspect, and regulate health care providers to ensure they meet fundamental quality and safety standards, ensuring the best possible care for patients and service users?

What are your thoughts on the current state of this hospital?

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29/10/2022

According to reports from the Fourth Estate, shows the Auditor-reports General's for 2019 and 2020, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) spent more than 6.5 billion Leones without supporting documents.

In 2020, the Auditor-General revealed that the same ministry was unable to produce receipts and vouchers totaling 9.40 billion Leones ($1 million) paid to institutions and for various purposes.

According to the report, the MBSSE's headquarters in the provincial town of Kailahun received a similar shady payment of 69 million Leones (equivalent to $8,600).

As part of the FQE's school feeding component, the Chinese government donated 30,000 bags of rice to the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education in 2019. However, only 3,000 of the 30,000 bags were distributed. 90% of the rice had vanished.

According to the 2019 and 2020 Auditor-reports, General's over U$234 million disappeared between 2019 and 2020 in what appears to be an illegal string of payments all geared toward a tactical form of embezzlement of state resources within the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE).

Source - The Fourth Estate

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18/10/2022

The Court of Appeal Hon. Justice Komba Kamanda, presiding over cases at the Sexual Offenses Model Court in Freetown, has sentenced 30-year-old Labourer Moseray Kamara to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually penetrating a 7-year-old child.

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06/09/2022

The Great Scarcies River, also known as the Kolenté River, is a river in western Africa that begins 25 miles (40 kilometres) north of Kindia in the Fouta Djallon highlands of Western Guinea.

The river constitutes a piece of the two countries' international border. It marks the Guinea and Sierra Leone border for 63 miles (101 kilometres) before entering Sierra Leone to complete its 160-mile (257-kilometre) journey to the Atlantic Ocean (britannica.com)

The region's mangroves account for 7.6% of Sierra Leone's total. The mangroves here extend up to 15 kilometres inland along the rivers. Avecinnia germinans is the most dominant mangrove species in the Scarcies.

Between 1990 and 2016, this region lost 46% of its mangrove cover at a depletion rate of 1.8% per year.

Rice farming is popular in the Scarcies region, where mangrove forests have been destroyed to create a way for farms (USAID, 2016).

31/08/2022

It was thoughtful of President Bio and First Lady Fatima Maada Bio to pay a visit to those affected by the mudslide and floods.

But, based on some of their words, was this a campaign or a sympathetic visit to the victims?

Please do not attack me; I am merely a reasonable Sierra Leonean who wishes the best for both you and me.

Aside from that, I am not a member of any political party.

25/08/2022

Katie Polglase, a CNN correspondent, speaks with a man who claims his friend, Gibrilla Kojo, was shot innocently by Sierra Leone police on August 10, 2022, during an anti-government protest that turned violent between police and protesters.

David stated that his friend was observing the protests from the balcony when he was fatally shot by Sierra Leone police.

He was totally harmless. He was not even part of the protests - said David, a friend of Gibrilla Kojo.

Source - CNN.com

24/08/2022

The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has set a new date for the National Division One Playoffs.

21/08/2022

The Sierra Leone government extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the police officers who died in the line of duty during the Wednesday, August 10, 2022, insurgency across several regions of the country.

According to local media, the government would provide all late police officers with a dignified civic burial and thus would cover all burial expenditures. Funeral cash of Le100 million was promised to each mourning family.

On Tuesday, August 23, 2022, a unique funeral service will be held at the Police Training School (PTS) in Hastings, on the outskirts of Freetown.

Source - Baikamz.com

21/08/2022

Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio says the intensity of last week's anti-government protests caught the police force off guard.

The protests claimed the lives of 25 people, including five police officers.

"We have had challenges with the police force. But we know the nature of the protests definitely took them by surprise," he said.

"We all knew they [protesters] wanted to come out, but we did not have an identifiable group or person leading them," he added.

President Bio once again accused the opposition of attempting to destabilise his administration, a claim disputed by the opposition All People's Congress party.

Original article, from - businessghana.com via BBC Africa

Edited by Baikamz.com

Read More 👉 https://www.baikamz.com/post/protests-in-sierra-leone-caught-the-police-off-guard-president

Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio says the intensity of last week's anti-government protests caught the police force off guard.

21/08/2022

On Saturday, the Sierra Leone Association of Alberta unveiled their new community car in the parking lot outside the Clairview Rec Centre, full of music, smiles, and a ribbon cutting.

“It’s a big deal because we’ve never had a vehicle that would be used for the community,” resident Juliette Jackson said.

‘We are pleased and proud to have this new vehicle,” community member Pamela George added.

According to Abu Conteh, head of the association, there is a tremendous demand for suitable transportation for senior people, those with mobility challenges, and struggling families.

He turned to the provincial and federal governments for assistance in filling the gap.

“I presented the case to them that our community has a burning desire to own our own community vehicle because having this will help us to improve our participation in social and cultural activities,” Conteh said.

Despite the fact that the proposal to purchase the $30,000 15-seater commercial van was authorised during the height of the pandemic, the association kept the van parked owing to gathering constraints.

“Now that we are unveiling the vehicle, we believe that it should alleviate the pain, it should help the people with transportation problems,” Conteh said.

The van will be utilised to transport people of the community to various events, and youth outings, and to assist the elderly with doctor appointments and grocery trips.

“We have a lot of seniors who cannot drive, some who cannot walk to events but they would like to be there,” community member Augustine Marah said.

“It’s been hard because we have to take the cab or we depend on someone else to bring us,” George added.

The van will be driven by volunteers, and gas money will be given by its members.

“I think it will bring the community together,” Jackson said of the vehicle. “I think it will also inspire other communities to see what they can do for their people as well.”

Original article, from; globalnews.ca/news

21/08/2022

CF Montréal striker Kei Kamara scored his 134th goal, moving him into third place all-time in MLS goal scoring.

The former Sierra Leone international broke the deadlock in the 26th minute of their 4-0 victory over the New England Revolution at Stade Saputo on Saturday night.

Kamara made his MLS debut in 2006 with Columbus. His current stint with CF Montréais is his ninth in the league, following stints with the Crew, Sporting Kansas City, and others.

He is the only active player in the top ten of MLS's all-time goals chart, with Chris Wondolowski of the San Jose Earthquakes holding the top slot (171).

Original article from, www.mlssoccer.com

20/08/2022

"Ohsalone" a word used by Sierra Leoneans to express their dissatisfaction with poor governance and immoral practices.

The ultimate goal is to create awareness about what is happening in Sierra Leone (Salone) and to share our diverse cultures.

Salone, a derivative of the original name Sierra Leone, was coined by the country's youths and has since become synonymous with national identity.

Many researchers believe Sierra Leone's first name was (Serra Lyoa), which means "Lion Mountains," and that it was called around 1462 by a Portuguese explorer documented as Pedro de Sintra.



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