This December, I got confirmation that I’m a bonafide star loved and admired across Sierra Leone by people from all walks of life. Whether it was through gifts, both in cash and kind, everywhere I went, I had meaningful and nourishing conservations.

If I had political power ambitions, not only would people vote for me as an independent candidate, they would donate to a campaign. Alas, my dream has not changed. I want to prove that it is possible to build a business that makes Sierra Leone’s people famous. My ambition is to uplift those of us who had our lives touched by war and to inspire those who, as a result of all that we have lost, feel trapped in a place that offers little by way of opportunities. I have no interest in political power; I’m content with being the queen of hearts.

My friends, who haven’t been to town in a while, ask, “Aw Salone?” And I feel it is worse than ever, but what has changed and keeps me inspired and invested are all the young people who are defying the odds and making something out of nothing. That has changed. And the more of them that rise and succeed, it will have a ripple effect. I count myself as one of them.

I spent most of my time in Freetown at our family’s home in Murray Town. I’ve been trying to complete an unfinished building my grandmother started in 2005. December 2022 is four years since we started. It is still a work in progress, but I have spent every penny on what was once the derelict eyesore. I used to feel shame about the entire compound. I didn’t feel like it was good enough for me, for us, for our family. And it wasn’t because we couldn’t afford to.

Long story short, I decided to finish my grandma’s building, which is 90% complete today. All that’s left is furnishing. Second to my son, this building is my crowning achievement. We have all had that dream of someone somewhere coming to make things better. I stopped waiting. I decided I was the investor I was waiting for and got on with it. Those who are defying the odds in SL share the same spirit.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen the thread I did about Freetown, the seat of the national government; it is nothing but chaos. Freetown is filthy, noisy, and chaotic. It feels like no one is in charge (except if they need to block traffic for a convoy). Roundabouts appear and disappear overnight. Lumley beach and the ocean front littered with single-use plastics. Garbage bins spilling over. Street traders sprawl out well beyond the market. Beyond Freetown on the peninsular, the continued destruction of the Western Area National Park with unplanned housing developments between Baw Baw and Number 2. Like the nouveau riche of 2005-2010 did to IMATT, the same goes for their 2018-2022 cohort.

With all this chaos still, Freetown life goes on. I spent some time in Central at Fullah Town, and it made me nostalgic for the community I grew up in. The one where there were elders and order. There is something about the bod os in that area that made me feel all is not lost. Yes, they have open gutters, but it felt peaceful. Maybe it’s that most of the people there have been there for multiple generations.

I left Freetown fulfilled. Maybe it’s because, like most of my friends who’ve made their home in SL, I too have found my corner. I’ve created an oasis in the chaos. Thanks to the values that I project and the stories I tell, the people who gravitate toward me are equally full of light. If we connected this December, know that you made my time at home special, and its big love.

Thank you. See you in the country formerly known as Swit Salone soon.