Feature news (environment) By Hassan I. Conteh

When you walk up to most Krios’ homes, you see they plant flowers in their compounds.

This is not for the natives, urban residents today.

They’ll just build houses and add up more rooms and rooms in a compound – without space. The lust for rental money overrides nature’s beauty today.

They don’t leave out spaces in their compounds to plant flowers or trees.

It is something that is strange to see in Europe and even in Asia countries.

An experienced traveler, Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil (aka Ghadifa) says a “manzil” which means compound in Arabic will have a garden space left.

“In Arab nations you will see a garden or in Arabic (Hadiqa) in every Arab’s compound in Arabia you may go to.”

“But you don’t see that in Sierra Leone,” he said.

Other travelers like the Islamic scholar Sheikh Ibrahim will explain to you the same out of their experiences in traveling to countries close as Ghana, Senegal and Gambia.

Now this fine practice is not common in Freetown and beyond.

The Krios, however, used to beautify their homes with flowers. Apples sticks were common in Freetown before the war in Sierra Leone.

Flowers make most “civilized” Krios’ compounds good-looking and respected.

For now, this civilization is lost and council or state officers don’t promote this idea to people.

The beautiful Krio practice yesterday to plant beautiful flowers in their compounds and outside is lost in the consciousness of us native Sierra Leoneans.

Make your home flowery now. #LetPlantFlowers. Why can’t you spare up a space in your compound to plant more flowers. It will prevent you from door-stepping or prowling about in other people’s houses where some neat flowers are being planted just to take simple photos for Facebook posts.