January was a quiet month in Sierra Leone. The excitement of elections moved seamlessly into Christmas and New Year celebrations and left the country with a communal hangover. The result was an uncharacteristically quiet start to the year. The culmination of the 'national hangover' was one of the worst fuel...

'There will be no violence', Ibrahim our local carpenter told us weeks ago. 'And a run off?' (where neither party achieves 55% majority). 'No, no run off' he told us confidently. Yet the international community braced itself for the worst. Offices were closed, staff pulled back from the field and...

In Sierra Leone, politics means a good excuse for a party. There is no space for the stuffiness usually associated with the subject. With one candidate using the slogan 'When the music's nice, play it twice', you know there will be some fun. Over the past fortnight, each party has...

I am usually keen to be at home during major tournaments, for fear of being out the country that one time England lift the trophy. But this year, I am more than happy to watch the games in football crazy Sierra Leone.

In my nine months here, I have never...

'Aporto, aporto' is the cry of Makeni's children whenever a white person is spotted. This comes from the Timni word for the early Portuguese settlers. But by 12 o'clock on Saturday the children's voices were hoarse. Never had they seen so many 'Aportos' on the streets of Makeni. Sierra Leone's...

On Thursday the world awaited the verdict of Charles Taylor. It was a historic day, a first of its kind and the culmination of years of hard work. But when the verdict was heard across Freetown, life went on as normal.

I was spending the morning with my friend Sam...

Friday marks the 51st year of Sierra Leone's independence from British rule, a day when Sierra Leoneans get together and party hard. Lumley beach, in the west of Freetown will be packed with the city's young, dancing to Salone's biggest hits. If partying was an Olympic sport, I think the...