By Gibril Koroma, Vancouver.
Sierra Leoneans in Vancouver, Canada, had a unique end of year bash last Saturday in a manner never before seen in this sedate city in Western Canada.
The turn out was beyond the expectations of the organizers as Sierra Leoneans from all walks of life and of all ages turned up, hugged each other, joked, laughed and gyrated as DJ Sullay Deen pumped the latest musical sounds from Freetown.One of the tracks from Freetown that sent the crowd wild was Na Udat Wi Go Put Now Ba?,by Baw Waw Society. It’s a piece that expresses the frustrations of the country’s voters with the political elites.The Vancouver dancers stretched their arms forward, palms up,knees bent and swayed from left to right, right to left, in tandem with the fast-paced beat of the track, shouting "na udat wi go put now ba!",na udat wi go put now ba!.The party, which continued till the early hours of the morning, was held at the home of a Sierra Leonean lady called Lovette.
One of the organizers, Margaret Nyama, told me it was all a woman thing " to show you the men that we the women are capable of bringing together our brothers and sisters under one roof".
She indicated that a new Sierra Leonean association will soon be registered as the old association seems to be having some organizational problems. Present at the merry shindig were people like professor Handel Wright(photo) who was all smiles, apparently very happy to be there. Handel, modest and easy going, is Canada Research Chair in Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of British Columbia here in Vancouver.He is one of the role models in this vibrant Sierra Leonean community.
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