Sierra Leone
I am a journalist, editor and communications professional. As a journalist, I cover gender, human rights, culture, and feminism. My articles have been featured on platforms such as Inter Press Service, Culture Trip, and Women's Media Center. My fiction and poetry have been published in Brittle Paper and Afreada.
I am also the founder and editor of Poda-Poda Stories, a digital platform sharing Sierra Leonean literature. I am currently doing my Masters at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
For decades, Doctors Without Borders has been admired for bringing desperately needed medical care to crises around the globe and pioneering modern-day humanitarian aid. It's an organization with radical roots, promising to do whatever it takes to deliver lifesaving care to people in need. But now, it's struggling to address institutional racism.
n Sierra Leone, theatre has always been a tool for education, resistance, and nation building. To celebrate 60 years after gaining independence, Poda-Poda Stories in collaboration with 3rd Culture Kid Productions and Ice Photography, interviewed Charlie Haffner, legendary Sierra Leonean playwright, founder of Freetong Players, and creator of popular radio drama Atunda Ayenda. Charlie Haffner talked about the use of theatre arts over the years, and what Sierra Leoneans should reflect on...
Maria Bradford has built a table for herself in the UK fine dining space by merging afro-fusion cooking and digital storytelling. With over 27,000 Instagram followers, Bradford is creatively building an attentive audience by sharing stories of her Sweet Salone, one gourmet dish at a time.
I collaborated with two other creatives from Sierra Leone to write and produce a film for International Women's Day.
Ishmael Beah is a Sierra Leonean novelist and human rights activist. His memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier , details his journey from a child soldier during Sierra Leone's brutal civil war, to a new life in the United States.
I interviewed Professor Osman Sankoh (Mallam O) at the Sierra Leone Arts and Culture Festival (SLACfest), organised by The Young Sierra Leonean. Professor Sankoh is the founder and publisher of the Sierra Leone Writers Series, and one pioneer of Sierra Leonean publishing. The interview included discussions on how schools can include more Sierra Leonean books in the curriculum, and tips for anyone who is interested in opening a publishing company in Africa.
Oumar Farouk Sesay is a published poet, novelist, and playwright. He was resident playwright of Bai Bureh Theatre in the '80s, and he has written several plays.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects globally, crippling economies and exposing fragile health systems, with women and girls being some of the most vulnerable. In Sierra Leone, cases have risen over the past few months, since the first confirmed case in March this year.
Siana Bangura is a writer, producer, performer, and community organiser hailing from South East London, now living, working, and creating between London and the West Midlands. Siana is originally from Sierra Leone and moved to London with her mother when she was two years old. Her creative
The next generation of feminists are being nurtured in Sierra Leone, and Moiyattu Banya-Keister, a Sierra Leonean educator and feminist, has created a safe space for this to happen. Along with a small group of volunteers, Banya-Keister founded Girls Empowerment Sierra Leone (GESL), a feminist organization that helps girls become leaders and make positive changes in their communities, in Freetown, the nation's capital.