More Random: Kinko's and Sierra Leone

I love random conversations with random people about random places. One such conversation involved a seemingly melancholy, weary Kinko's employee who was assisting me with the duplication of my Morocco support letters last night. He happened to notice my letter and asked if I was going to Africa. Given his African accent, I suspected he possessed more than a mild interest in the continent so I asked where he was from and why he was here. He told me that as a refugee of the Sierra Leone civil war "I have no choice but to be here". He smiled sadly as he mentioned that the U.S. has been different than he expected: most suprising- the discrimination he has encountered. We talked for awhile. He smiled again, slightly, as he assured me I would enjoy Africa if I kept an open mind: "After all, there are good people and bad people everywhere."

Of course, that exchange was excuse enough for me to brush up on world culture, history, and geography. Instead of diligently completing my statistics exam today, I did a little investigation on Sierra Leone and the civil war.


Of particular note:
*The name "Sierra Leone" is from the Portuguese Serra Leoa translated "Lion Mountain".

*the UN has listed Sierra Leone as the world's “least livable” country over the past few years, based on its poverty and the poor quality of life endured by its citizens.

*Lifespan is 38 years for men, 42 years for women.

*Competing warlords have destroyed the country in the battle for the nation's remunerative diamond mines. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) traded diamonds directly for arms.

*The film "Blood Diamond" was based on the Sierra Leone civil war. A blood diamond is mined in a war zone and sold, usually clandestinely, in order to finance an insurgent or invading army's war efforts.

*Charles Taylor, ex-president of neighboring Liberia, was charged with "bearing the greatest responsibility" for Sierra Leone's brutal civil war by supporting rebel forces in order to de-stablize Sierra Leone.

*Over one-third of Sierra Leonans were displaced by the vicious 11-year civil war; 50,000 died.

*Atrocities committed by rebel soldiers included hacking off the limbs of civilians, sexual slavery, conscripting child soldiers, and even cannibalism.



Read more about Sierra Leone, the civil war, and blood diamonds.
Sources: Infoplease, Wikipedia, CIA Factbook, U.S. State Department