By Hassan I. Conteh: Editor
There was low rate of people who traveled to upcountry to celebrate Christmas festive last year.
Texaco Lorry Park in Freetown attracted few number of travellers. The number of lorries was small at the main highway along Shell and Texaco.
Unlike other Christmas holidays, some say, the year 2022, is rated as the worst as the hardship knocked hard on Sierra Leoneans in recent past years.
Things were and are still not seem to be happening as were in the past.
Between 2004 and 2017, Sierra Leoneans used to enjoy many facilities.
The cost on transportation in those days was very minimal as compared today.
People used to travel in large number to enjoy festive season at their respective homelands.
Provincial townships used to fill with crowds of holiday-makers and enjoyers of Christmas and New Years.
Rice, which is Sierra Leoneans’ staple food , used to be plentiful as residents in upcountry harvest new rice.
Christmas and New Years, in those days, used to be celebrated at every corner in Sierra Leone. Christmas in December is the period in which rice is harvested and kept in bans.
Villagers and descendants of holiday-makers would organise inter-community football competitions. There used to be more merriments during this period as rice was in abundance.
The new rice usually would meet the old one. As such, holiday-spenders ( village descendants) ate a lot and would bring more in the city.
Those glories days are over as hardship currently strikes the whole nation, Sierra Leone. Football competitions and athletics were not common on the eve of last year’s Christmas and this year New Year’s holiday.
This media travelled to many communities around Waterloo and elsewhere and saw empty playing grounds.
Most prominent fields which used to attract hundreds of residents in Waterloo have been rendered ghost sites.
Basa Town Field, Kankaylay Field, Four Mile mini-stadium, Kissy Town Playing ground became empty places.
Once known for their busy and crowded nature during Christmas and New Year’s holidays, they were empty with people.
The number of activities that used to attract people there was not organised last year as usual.
Almost every part of Sierra Leone faced with the same sad reality.
Communities where sporting and fotball competitions are usually held were turned as ghost communities.
As the world economic recession blows, the fever is felt by Sierra Leoneans.
However, other countries are boosting their economics as coronavirus bids farewell.
Yet, Sierra Leone is retrogressing every single day.