Please allow me to dream and share the dream with all who love Sierra Leone.
In my dream, I see all the roads paved, from the motorways down to the small villages.
I see all the towns and villages with street lighting and the streets clearly named. I see houses in these villages well constructed with proper drainage, electricity and water. I see most of the villagers watching national TV with Isha Sessay presenting the National News. I then switch to local news and hear that Gbangbatoke eleven will be playing a home match aginst Brookfields Warriors for a place in the quarter finals for the Presidents Cup right here on Saturday.
I see myself, an old grey man, in one of the nations inter city coaches going at a steady 60 mph from to the Capital, Freetown. The ride is smooth and the scenery beautifully tropical. Did I not just see monkeys playing in the trees? Must have been dreaming. I must have fallen asleep because now we are on a three lane road with a lot of traffic. We come to traffic lights and stop. The shop to my left is an electronics shop with the doors closed; air conditioned shop I suppose. The sign board says they deal in all sorts of TV’s from 60 inch plasma TV’s down to the regular 14 inch ones etc.
The lights have changed to green and we start to move on. We are now at the Cotton Tree Interchange and the coach veers left following the sign to Brookfields Coach Terminal. Just then a chap behind me asks out loud in Krio “Bo do yah, we don pass Wellington?” We all burst out laughing. An old lady replies “How bah, na bus sweet you so? Boh Boh, we don pass Wellington long tem. You get for take taxi go back.”
We arrive at the Coach Station and I take a blue taxi home. Blue taxi because I know the chap owns the business, he is a very good friend of mine.
I get to beautiful Madungo Town and home. Tom, my black Labrador is there to greet me with his tail wagging so furiously I am afraid it might snap off.
After my shower I ask my Darling to get me some supper, jollof rice.
I hear a deafning blast and wake up instantly. The taxi had just had a blow out right there at the junction of Aberdeen Ferry and Wilkinson Road and in front of a stinking garbage mountain.
Please let me dream for only in my dream can Sierra Leone be like that or am I wrong?
The Dreaming Sierra Leonean
Kobina Hunter
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