Di mami fo welbodi
Today I finished the Marie Stopes 2012 calendar by photographing at their obstetrics centre in Freetown. I photographed the doctors and nurses in the labour room and – much quieter – some mothers with their new, sleeping babies. The number of women dying during childbirth in Sierra Leone is among the highest in the world. [...]
Royal appointment
This week Her Royal Highness Princess Anne came to Freetown, as part of the 50th Year of Independence celebrations. I was the official photographer so travelled around in the motorcade and photographed HRH visiting various locations including State House (where she met the President), King Tom Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery (where she laid a wreath), [...]
Reaching out
I spent the past two days in Bumbuna and Makeni, in central Sierra Leone, photographing Marie Stopes operations for their 2012 calendar. Marie Stopes is an international organisation providing sexual and reproductive healthcare services. In Bumbuna I travelled around with one of their mobile outreach vehicles which visit areas of the country where there isn’t [...]
Island in the stream
This weekend I escaped Freetown – which is rapidly heating up now rainy season is over – and headed to Tiwai Island, an island in the Moa River in the south-east of the country. The island is on the edge of the Gola Forest, which contains some of the last patches of rainforest in Sierra [...]
From old to Blu
‘Poor quality and over-priced’ is generally what people think of hotels in Freetown. So there is a lot of excitement about the arrival of a Radisson, which is scheduled to open at the start of 2012. The hotel chain has taken over an old hotel, the Mammy Yoko, which was used for a while as [...]
Tree of Life
Today I searched Freetown for moringa products. The moringa plant is known as the ‘miracle tree’ for its very high nutrient content – every part of the tree is said to have beneficial properties. Gram for gram, moringa leaves have 7 times the vitamin C of oranges, 4 times the vitamin A of carrots and [...]
Sparkling conversation
This weekend I was in the district of Kono, in the north of Sierra Leone. The region is known for its diamond mines: both large-scale mechanised operations and small-scale artisinal areas. I photographed some artisinal workers in a mine outside the capital, Koidu. The regional Chief had arranged for this pit to be given to [...]
Beach umbrella
Rainy season is in full force in Sierra Leone, causing flooding in some areas and badly affecting the roads. The beaches are looking bedraggled but once the rains are over they’ll bounce back. Rainy season, which lasts from June – September, is seen by many as something to endure but it also has its positives: [...]
Taking steps
This morning I was photographing for Save the Children UK as they launched their ‘Every One’ campaign in Freetown. The launch began with a march across town before ending with a campaign rally at a conference centre. Hundreds of people took part in the march – many carrying handmade signs. This woman’s sign in Krio [...]
Bridal wave
Today I was the official wedding photographer for Sierra Leone’s biggest musical star - Emmerson – and his bride Augusta. The 15-hour shoot involved all the usual wedding elements: photographing the bride getting ready, the church ceremony, formal portraits and the reception. But it also involved some unexpected elements: crowds of fans lining the roads everywhere we went, [...]
School’s out
As the rains increase, so does the threat of malaria. Mosquitos lay their eggs in stagnant water so more rain equals more puddles: perfect mosquito breeding grounds. This means rainy season is particularly dangerous for people who work outside. Today I was asked to photograph a malaria education class for construction workers on a site near [...]
Float like a butterfly
This morning I was at Freetown’s National Stadium, photographing the Sierra Leone Boxing Team. There are some talented boxers in Sierra Leone with high hopes of competing internationally, if they get the funding. Never having photographed boxing before, I learnt some interesting lessons. Tip No 1: be ready to leap out of the way when [...]
Everyone say bees
A bit of an unusual shoot today: photographing beekeeping with the lovely people from BeeFreed. I had to dress up in a proper beekeeper’s outfit, which made taking photos tricky. I couldn’t really see and could only just work the camera buttons with my big gloves. Quite distracting being covered in bees too – they [...]
Diamond digging
I spent today photographing in an artisanal diamond mine near the city of Kono, in the north east of the country (artisanal mining refers to the digging and sifting through mud or sand with shovels or sieves). This type of diamond mining accounts for 90% of Sierra Leone’s diamond exports and is the country’s second largest [...]
Peanuts + fish = lunch
The UN FAO team and I went into the fields around Bo today to meet with more farmers. The village of Kpowabu, about 20 miles from Bo, made lunch of rice and groundnut soup for us which – as is common – we all ate from one big plate. Groundnuts are peanuts and they’re for [...]
Field work
I arrived in Kenema last night and spent today photographing farmers in the region for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Agriculture is the main livelihood for over two-thirds of the country’s population. Heading to Bo next, then Moyamba, then Masiaka and finally back to Freetown to photograph farmers in the hills around the city.
Room upgrade
I had a look around the empty Cape Sierra hotel today. Once Freetown’s fanciest hotel it has been closed since early last year. It’s in an amazing location: at the top of Lumley beach on a bulge of land sticking out into the ocean. The hotel, owned by the government, was recently the subject of [...]
Vets on Wheels
I spent today in east Freetown with the Sierra Leone Animal Welfare Society (SLAWS). A big part of SLAWS work is it mobile neutering and spaying service, where an animal hospital-on-wheels is driven around to different communities so people can bring their dogs to be sterilised. Over the past two weeks, SLAWS has neutered or [...]
Salone Sunday evening
Made the traditional Sunday evening pilgrimage to Roy’s bar on Lumley beach. A very popular way to end the weekend. The best bit is heading there down the beach road on the back of a motorcycle as the sun sets over the ocean … very Top Gun.
A hill with a view
Headed up Leicester Peak to watch the sunset this evening. The hill has a great view of the city but it also overlooks the enormous US embassy (the big concrete building in the centre of the photo above). The sunset … didn’t really happen. Instead, Freetown became strangely dark and foggy.
Mami & pikin
Today I was photographing mothers and babies at Lumley Hospital in Freetown. Fatmata Mansaray, pictured above, was washing in the stream near her house this morning when she went into labour. She walked to the hospital and was told the baby was going to be a breech birth. But the doctor was able to deliver [...]
Free welbodi biznes
Today was the 6-month anniversary of the free healthcare initiative that was launched in Sierra Leone on Independence Day: April 27th. From that date onwards, healthcare has been free for children under 5 and pregnant and nursing mothers. This was a pretty big step, considering Sierra Leone is frequently referred to as ‘the worst place [...]
Legacy of Wilberforce
I went on a little expedition this afternoon to Wilberforce village, named after William Wilberforce, a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. The village, hidden away at the top of a hill in the west of Freetown, has a proper community feel. It’s quiet, everyone is lovely and the children really wanted [...]
Cops and robbers
I spent a lot of time at the Congo Cross police station this week after a man broke into my flat and stole various things. A camera being one of them. No photos lost though. The police were all very nice … but I have zero hope that the thief will be caught, especially given [...]
