| First Days in Freetown |
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| Written by Joy Collins - SV Amistad - Deckhand | |
| Thursday, 31 January 2008 | |
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I arrived to the ship at 2:00 in the morning on Monday, January 28. I talked to some nice men at the Navy Pier as we waited for the small boat to pick us up and bring us to Amistad. They taught me to say “Couchet, how da body?” (Creole for “how are you?”). We took the small boat out to Amistad and I saw Johnny, Ben and Paul for the first time in months. I was excited to practice my Creole with Johnny. On to familiar Amistad; there were a few Sierra Leoneans onboard who I would eventually come to know. We went to sleep. After about an hour trying to sleep below decks I joined a few of the crew on deck, hidden under a mosquito net, trying to find relief from the heat. I awoke at dawn to the beautiful sound of the call for prayer at a Mosque we could see from anchor. For the next four days my only knowledge of Sierra Leone was the view from anchor and the sounds I could hear in the distance. Today I went to the market. My eyes almost welled up as I talked to Lydia, a 12 ear old daughter of an EU employee. I was finally standing on the soil of Sierra Leone, Africa. This bright, beautiful little girl was about the same age as Margru and Kali (two of the child captives on the original Amistad). She told me the things she loved about Sierra Leone (her friends were at the top of her list). We turned right as we left Navy Pier. Both sides of the narrow dirt road were flanked by people selling clothes (lots of suits and bras). I smiled at a young child. The yellow building of the indoor market opened before us. We stepped over a large gap between the road and the building (presumably a ditch that would fill up with water during the rainy season), and entered the market. I was instantly overwhelmed with the buzz of people offering to sell me items- woven baskets, drums, fans, natural sponges and numerous other breathtaking items. I took a picture. A few minutes later a beautiful little girl was at my feet saying, “snap, snap.” Her mother told me she wanted me to take her picture. I did. I took many other pictures, trying to remember what will never be fully illustrated in photographs. We walked upstairs. A captivating lady asked me to come to her shop. Some other women put me in a dress made of fabric adorned with an amazing pattern. There were lots of young children around, all friendly and spirited. I passed so many beautiful women wearing gorgeous dresses. Vendors sold carvings and jewelry. I took a picture of Nancy and her sister, then her mother asked me to buy something. Sia helped me negotiate prices and change money. “When you are offered a price,” I was told, “you are to counter offer with half. Or just start with 5.” (5 being 5,000 Leones; one US dollar is roughly 2,900 Leones). It felt very odd and a bit unsettling to bargain over dollars with people who have so much less (monetarily speaking) than you. Back on the boat that night I spoke with Josephine (Director of the museum in Freetown) and her friend. Again I became a bit emotional thinking about how long I and many others involved with Amistad have planned on taking the ship to Sierra Leone. Now we were finally here, the country of the Amistad Africans, where Sengbe Pieh is remembered as a national hero. The country they longed to return to as they waited for two years, defending their rights in the U.S. courts. Comments
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