TRACE: Only In Salone! More Political Will In Devils Parade Part 1

By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay

Hi! How are my beloved readers doing? TRACE has been looking for ways to take a leave of Freetown during the long holidays of recent times in our land but something held TRACE back.

TRACE took the opportunity to move around the city during those holidays to see what is going on in the city. One thing that TRACE first discovered was that of the Freetown filth. The filth continues to raise its ugly head in the city and the politicians are doing nothing about it despite several suggestions by the experts. But this is not where TRACE wants to go today.

From January to date, TRACE has been monitoring the way Sierra Leone politicians are handling issues of the state and TRACE has now realized that the politicians of the country have their loyalties.

The rate of masquerade (devils) parade in the city is gradually becoming daily activity in Freetown. Almost every day you must see one set of masquerades in the city, which some diplomats described as one that tells how backward the country is.

TRACE learnt that Sierra Leone’s religious tolerance is one of the greatest favours from God to the nation, where Muslims and Christians could be seen living and working together in peace and harmony for national development.

Also history told TRACE that Sierra Leone is officially a secular state with Muslim majority and a significant Christian minority.

According to a 2010 estimates by the Pew Research Center, 78% of Sierra Leone’s populations are Muslims, mostly adherent to the Sunni doctrine; 20.9% are Christians, mostly Evangelical Protestants; and 1% belongs to Traditional African Religion or other beliefs.

The Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone estimated that 77% of Sierra Leone’s populations are Muslims; 21% are Christians; and 2% are followers of traditional African religion. Most of Sierra Leone’s ethnic groups are Muslim majority, including the country’s two largest ethnic groups, the Mende and Temne.

From the above statement it is a clear indication that the country is highly religious and the followers of those two religions and the books they are following condemn mask devil in all forms.

Therefore, if their books and their God have condemned it why are they practicing it? Forget the word it is our culture! There are better cultures than that of masquerade.

These people have made themselves so powerful that nobody can stop them because most of the so called politicians are part of the system. They have even turned their HOLY days (Christian holidays: Christmas, Boxing Day, Good Friday and Easter. Islamic holidays: Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Maulid-un-Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad)) as days to showcase themselves in the streets.

Why don’t the nation observe those days peacefully, thanking their God for such event and for them to reflect about the important of such days to their religions?

Most of the time these masquerades come out, they are committing lot of atrocities such as stealing, smoking of cannabis sativa and drinking which will eventually lead to riotous conduct and disorderly behaviour.

Most of those riots caused massive destruction to properties; the Kissy Road incident was a clear justification. Nothing was done about that.

A police officer was wounded at Circular Road Model Junction while she was walking peacefully home.

TRACE remember when pupils after a sporting event took to the streets, demanding for the price of fuel to go down, the following day the politicians imposed a ban on all sporting activities, depriving their pupils of their rights, but when they devils are doing such, they will empower them with more drugs and money for them to do more.

We saw how most of the government officials took to the streets in and out of Freetown rally around the devils instead of finding solutions to the economic crisis the country is going through.

It also a big surprise for TRACE to notice that the religious body, Sierra Leone Inter-Religious Council, which is made up of both Christian and Muslim religious leaders can’t make any statement condemning such acts.

TRACE was expecting them to correct the ills of the society by telling the politicians about the significant of their holidays and how they should observe with no masquerade. Devils are the visible manifestation of the secret society and its leaders. We have seen other countries celebrating their festivals, where people can see and enjoy cultural activities for a week but in Sierra Leone people do things as they feel and want, as if the government has lost control of the state.  A state that should be free from poverty, where it citizens should have lived in a conducive environment with good health care, education and stable economy but Sierra Leone doesn’t export anything except devil, they good at dancing devil in United State, the Gambia and London among other countries. What a country?