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There is a great place to shop in Freetown called 'Big Market' on Wallace Johnson Street ( a famouse Salonean who not only has the street named after him but a statue too, which is a bit of a funny colour). Downstairs there are baskets, paintings, etc and upstairs batik, gara, jewellery and ornaments. Its a major tourist attraction.
So I am major 'nesting' mode and I'm buying ceramic candleholders downstairs when there is a commotion and some men, dressed up, start marching through the middle of the market right past me and in their midst, there is a man totally covered in blood, naked from the waist up with traditional dress and his face partly bandaged and something large and bloody stuck on the outside of his left eye. He was less than a metre from me and I looked right at him and thought what the hell is this, how scary...damn good fancy dress. I was immediately told that the thing on his face was his eyeball and this was part of a secret society ritual from upcountry. The local people kept apologising. I went outside to get air in case I was sick. Apparently they put the eyeball back in its socket later and use traditional medicine to heal it. I could you tell more gruesome stories relayed to me by both locals and NGO workers, but I wont!
Animals dont fair much better and are regularly beaten and often have chewed ears that attract flies....that morning I saw 2 new born puppies in the sewer in the alley by my house on my way to town. They were crying and trying not to drown. I asked the local carpenters to either look after them or kill them. They weren't there later that day.
That evening I went to Faye's leaving party at her neighbours house. This place was seriously posh. The car park easily held 20 cars. It had a huge bar area and pool. The Salonean owner is the CEO of a big company here. There was free food (inlcuding a whole pig and a massive grouper) and drink all night. I left after 3am and the bar was still flowing with all kinds of alcohol. I even had a glass or two of champagne. I have never been to a party like it, great music, amazing food and full of beautiful people of many nationalities.
So that was my first Saturday in July. Life, death (?), suffering, local customs, poverty and wealth. I am still wondering what to make of it all. I spent Sunday recovering physically and emotionally and yes I did have a big hangover, which isnt very surprising!
So I am major 'nesting' mode and I'm buying ceramic candleholders downstairs when there is a commotion and some men, dressed up, start marching through the middle of the market right past me and in their midst, there is a man totally covered in blood, naked from the waist up with traditional dress and his face partly bandaged and something large and bloody stuck on the outside of his left eye. He was less than a metre from me and I looked right at him and thought what the hell is this, how scary...damn good fancy dress. I was immediately told that the thing on his face was his eyeball and this was part of a secret society ritual from upcountry. The local people kept apologising. I went outside to get air in case I was sick. Apparently they put the eyeball back in its socket later and use traditional medicine to heal it. I could you tell more gruesome stories relayed to me by both locals and NGO workers, but I wont!
Animals dont fair much better and are regularly beaten and often have chewed ears that attract flies....that morning I saw 2 new born puppies in the sewer in the alley by my house on my way to town. They were crying and trying not to drown. I asked the local carpenters to either look after them or kill them. They weren't there later that day.
That evening I went to Faye's leaving party at her neighbours house. This place was seriously posh. The car park easily held 20 cars. It had a huge bar area and pool. The Salonean owner is the CEO of a big company here. There was free food (inlcuding a whole pig and a massive grouper) and drink all night. I left after 3am and the bar was still flowing with all kinds of alcohol. I even had a glass or two of champagne. I have never been to a party like it, great music, amazing food and full of beautiful people of many nationalities.
So that was my first Saturday in July. Life, death (?), suffering, local customs, poverty and wealth. I am still wondering what to make of it all. I spent Sunday recovering physically and emotionally and yes I did have a big hangover, which isnt very surprising!
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