49th independence day of sierra leone

[bubudi]

it is now 49 years since sierra leone gained independence from more than 150 years of british colonial rule. it has been a tough ride for citizens who suffered 11 years of civil war with total anarchy and senseless destruction of life.

today president ernest bai koroma announced that free health care will be given to all pregnant women, lactating mothers and children aged 5 and under. he said he hoped to one day give all sierra leoneans free health care.

in freetown the lantern parade is the main celebration during this holiday. the lantern parade begins on the eve of the independence day and includes the countdown at midnight which corresponds with the first unfurling of the green, white and blue flag of sierra leone. this festival was banned during the civil war, but is now going strong. this year there were 33 lanterns, all competing for the best lantern prize. 20 of them were designed to showcase free health care. the soundtrack to this chaos is a mix of traditional music genres including bubu and gumbay.

at approximately 2am, rap sensation akon turned up at the law court to give a speech. the crowd went wild. akon is also holding a concert tonight.

[e2c]

The "lantern parade" part is interesting, if only because I know of other places (mostly in East and South Asia) where lantern parades are held - but I'm sure the lanterns in Sierra Leone look nothing like the ones used in the other places.

Might be a good subject for one of those photo projects where contributions are taken from people all over the world...