Kenema Life Mini Magazine

Life magazine was very popular when I was growing up, a leader in photojournalism in the 40's, 50's and 60's.  What follows is a mini-version of the magazine. I am letting the photos lead the story.   (Yes, we think we have finally ironed out the technical difficulties of getting photos posted.  More photos to come in the future.).  Perhaps the pictures will boost declining readership numbers.  Hopefully, your computers will not be overly taxed by the extra bits of information.  (Ann is the photographer with her iPhone - she makes no claim to any expertise at photography - it's a quick point and click only). 

Fuzzy Wuzzy.  Here is the long-promised photo of my barber, Jaspect, and me after my trip to his barber shop (Keeping Up Appearances).  We are standing in front of the shop.  You can understand now why I walked right by it.  On the outside it appears just like many small businesses places in Kenema, rusted metal roofing included.  Inside is a different story, pretty much a regular place to get your hair cut.  When we accumulate enough savings, I will get my own Africana shirt.

Potholes.  This is a more dramatic photo of one of the well-traveled streets in our city.  You can see why motorbikes have a distinct advantage over four-wheeled vehicles in getting around town.  We seldom see taxis used as transportation inside city limits because the okada are more efficient. A typical ride costs 15 or 30 cents depending on distance.  Once, I saw a Mercedes sedan on this very same street stranded with its front and back wheels immersed in potholes causing the undercarriage to come to rest on the isthmus between them. In Wisconsin and Minnesota, they say there are two seasons: winter and road repair.  In Kenema if the potholes are formed during the rainy season, perhaps they will be repaired in the dry.  Maybe the fabled harmattan winds which carry Sahara sand all the way here will magically fill in any voids.  One can only hope.

Diamond City.  Kenema, I have read, was a sleepy little town nestled up against the Kambui Hills, until in 1931 two large diamonds were discovered nearby.  Then, the rush was on and the town boomed into a city. Here is an example of diamond buying advertising. 

House Sheep.  These sheep are staying close to home, but most of the time sheep and goats can be seen grazing on empty lots around the city.  Nature's lawn mowers, they are brought to a place and tethered to a stake until the job is done.  Dogs, chickens, and few ducks roam the streets freely.  The people of Salone must not be great cat-lovers, as we don't see many around, and when we do, they are likely to be kittens. 

Sleeping Dog. Dogs are everywhere, and they are mostly of the variety seen in the photo.  For the most part, they don't seem to have owners.  They roam the streets looking for any scraps of food that they can find or plop themselves down in the shade for most of the day. Many of them are afflicted with mange and injuries. When we walk to town, we usually have to step over this guy sleeping at the side of Combema Road.  Throughout the night I hear the dogs howling.  That is their time to rule.