Podcasts about Freetown

In this compelling episode, I sit down with podcaster and writer Deb Freeman to explore the vibrant history and ongoing evolution of Black foodways in America. Together, we dive into stories of pioneering figures like Lena Richard — the first Black woman to host a cooking show in 1949 New Orleans — and Thomas Downing, the "New York Oyster King," who elevated oysters in fine dining while advocating for abolition. We also discuss James Hemings, the first American-trained chef in France who rose from slavery to culinary prominence and currently trending Edna Lewis. Beyond history, the conversation covers how Black food culture continues to inspire America today, from grassroots efforts like how oysters and lobster were for poor people and prisoners, to reflections on Juneteenth — what Deb calls the “most American holiday.” We talk about the celebraton of legends like Edna Lewis who Deb Freeman produced "Finding Edna Lewis".  Tune in for a thoughtful, flavorful journey through history, culture, and the powerful stories behind the food that brings us together.      

La Sierra Leone est l'un des pays les plus exposés à l'érosion côtière au monde. Près de 2 millions de personnes établies le long des côtes encourent aujourd'hui le risque de perdre leur habitation et leurs moyens de subsistance. De nombreuses familles ont par exemple déjà dû quitter l'île Plantain, située à plusieurs heures de bateau de la capitale, Freetown. L'île, qui comptait autrefois 5 000 habitants, s'est dépeuplée face à la montée rapide du niveau de la mer. Les plus pauvres n'ont de toute façon nulle part où aller. L'histoire de l'île Plantain, en Sierra Leone, semble sur le point d'être effacée. Une partie des vestiges de cet ancien comptoir commercial portugais a déjà été engloutie par l'océan. « Je dirais qu'à peu près deux tiers de l'île ont disparu. Dans les années 1970, les gens cultivaient la terre ici, mais ces champs n'existent plus. À l'époque, ils pouvaient aussi chasser les gros rongeurs, mais ces animaux ont, eux aussi, disparus », se souvient Charles Barlay, officier de la marine sierra-leonaise. Il vit à Shengue, la bourgade qui fait face à l'île de plantain, sur la côte. « Je dirais que presque 200 maisons ont disparu dans la mer. Il y avait trois mosquées ici, mais il n'en reste qu'une seule. La FAO avait fait construire des bandas pour sécher le poisson. Ça aussi, c'est parti », se remémore-t-il. Difficile de dire combien d'habitants vivent encore ici. Quelques milliers, peut-être même seulement quelques centaines. À la pointe de l'île Plantain, une fine langue de sable permet de rejoindre les grandes huttes dans lesquelles le poisson est fumé. Hafsatu dort dans l'un de ces bandas depuis qu'elle a perdu sa maison. « Il était minuit, toute la famille dormait, quinze personnes en tout, quand une grosse vague est entrée d'un coup dans notre maison et a tout emporté. Nous aimerions partir d'ici, car la terre rétrécit et nous avons peur. Si j'avais de l'argent, je le ferais, mais je n'ai aucune économie. Sinon j'aimerais m'installer à Tombo, le gros port de pêche sur le continent », raconte-t-elle. Malgré le déclin de l'île, la plupart des jeunes continuent à devenir pêcheurs comme leurs pères, faute d'alternative. C'est le cas de Mohammed Dangoa : « J'ai étudié jusqu'au lycée, mais maintenant, je vais en mer. Pourtant, il y a moins de poissons, car certains pêcheurs ont raclé les fonds avec leurs filets jusqu'à ce qu'il ne reste plus rien. Donc, nous sommes obligés d'aller très loin pour trouver du poisson ! Certains de mes amis qui le pouvaient sont partis, pour essayer de trouver un meilleur travail ailleurs dans le pays, parce qu'ici, il n'y a rien. » Et les effets du changement climatique sur la vie quotidienne des pêcheurs ne sont pas toujours visibles à l'œil nu, rappelle Henry David Bayo, qui travaille pour l'Agence de protection de l'environnement. « Avec l'érosion, l'eau salée s'est infiltrée et s'est mélangée à l'eau des nappes phréatiques. Même trouver de l'eau potable sur l'île est devenu difficile. Ce qui a des implications sur la santé des habitants. On observe aussi des changements dans les courants marins, ce qui a des conséquences sur la pêche. Et puis le plancton par exemple ne survit pas à la hausse de la température de l'eau », explique-t-il. Un projet de restauration des mangroves est notamment à l'étude pour tenter de sauver ce qui reste de l'île plantain, avant que l'océan ne l'avale entièrement. À lire aussiSierra Leone: le désarroi des habitants de l'île Plantain, menacée par la montée des eaux [1/2]

Come along for the strange tale of pointy things. Because Triangles are pointy.   Check out all of our wonderful links on the linktree: https://linktr.ee/allts   The Bridgewater Triangle is an approximately 200-square-mile area in southeastern Massachusetts, known for a high concentration of alleged paranormal phenomena. The term was coined by cryptozoologist Loren Coleman in the 1970s. Within this "triangle," defined by the towns of Abington, Freetown, and Rehoboth, a wide array of strange occurrences have been reported, including: UFOs and anomalous lights: Sightings of unidentified flying objects, often described as balls of light or unusual aircraft. Cryptid sightings: Reports of creatures not typically found in the region, such as Bigfoot-like humanoids, giant snakes, and "Thunderbirds" (large, bird-like creatures). Ghosts and poltergeists: Accounts of hauntings, apparitions, and other spectral phenomena in various locations, including Bridgewater State University and the Taunton State Hospital. Cult activity and animal mutilations: Incidents of animal sacrifices and ritualistic mutilations have been reported, particularly in the Freetown-Fall River State Forest, which is also associated with a history of gangland murders and suicides. Native American legends: Many of the reported phenomena are tied to the region's Native American history, particularly the Wampanoag people. The Hockomock Swamp, a central feature of the triangle, translates to "place where spirits dwell" in Algonquin and is believed to be a sacred burial ground. Some legends suggest that the area is cursed due to conflicts with colonial settlers or the loss of a revered Wampanoag wampum belt. Another creature from Algonquian folklore, the Pukwudgie, a mischievous "little people", is also said to inhabit the area. Key hotspots within the Bridgewater Triangle include the vast Hockomock Swamp and the Freetown-Fall River State Forest. While many of the stories are folklore, the sheer volume and diversity of alleged paranormal events have made the Bridgewater Triangle a well-known location for paranormal enthusiasts and researchers.

La Sierra Leone est l'un des pays au monde les plus exposés à l'érosion côtière. Près de deux millions de personnes établies le long des côtes encourraient le risque de perdre leur habitation et leurs moyens de subsistance. La montée des eaux est particulièrement inquiétante pour ceux qui vivent sur les îles au large des côtes sierra-leonaises. Ainsi, sur l'île Plantain, située au sud de la capitale Freetown, des dizaines de bâtiments ont déjà disparu, la terre se réduisant chaque jour un peu plus. La terre sablonneuse semble avoir fondu à force d'être léchée par les vagues. Le rivage s'enfonce maintenant à pic dans l'océan. L'érosion de la côte a déjà emporté une partie de l'école de Plantain Island, en Sierra Leone. L'extrémité du bâtiment est détruite et frôle le vide. Le professeur Ibrahim Tarawally se remémore son arrivée sur place, il y a presque vingt ans : « Beaucoup d'entre nous sont venus ici depuis le nord, pendant la guerre civile. Maintenant, cette île est en train de disparaître, à cause de l'érosion et des intempéries. Oui, j'ai peur ! Regardez cette école... une salle de classe et le bureau du principal sont tombés dans la mer. Graduellement, l'île rétrécit de plus en plus. Et quand elle disparaîtra, il faudra bien partir. » La population était initialement de plus de 5 000 personnes, il n'en resterait que quelques centaines. En contrebas, les vagues turquoises viennent se briser à quelques mètres seulement d'une petite mosquée bleue. Autrefois, ce bâtiment se trouvait au centre du village. « Une partie des murs s'est déjà effondrée, donc les gens viennent encore prier, mais ils ont peur. Alors quand la marée est haute, les fidèles prient vite, vite, le plus vite possible avant de repartir », témoigne l'imam Djibril Alhaji Kamara, qui continue d'y diriger la prière. Une voisine s'approche. Kadiatou Diallo porte un long voile noir qui recouvre son corps sec. La vieille femme originaire de Côte d'Ivoire pointe la surface lisse qui a fait disparaître de nombreuses maisons. « Avant, on pouvait marcher jusqu'à la petite île, tout là-bas. Il y avait une route, des maisons et une autre mosquée, mais tout a disparu. Juste là, c'était ma maison. Nous vivions de manière très confortable. En fait, on ne pouvait même pas entendre les vagues quand on dormait. Il y a des années, on ne pouvait même pas deviner qu'on vivait sur une île quand on se tenait ici ! On ne voyait même pas la mer », se souvient-elle. L'agence pour la protection de l'environnement en Sierra Leone et l'Organisation internationale pour les migrations ont mené récemment une étude pour voir comment améliorer la vie des habitants sur place. « Pour ceux qui veulent rester sur l'île, il y a un besoin de prendre des mesures de protection. Par exemple, on réfléchit à la manière dont on pourrait restaurer les mangroves qui entourent l'île, car cette végétation permet de ralentir l'érosion et de protéger la côte », explique Henry David Bayo, consultant pour l'agence gouvernementale. Une bonne partie des habitants de l'île Plantain n'ont tout simple nulle part d'autre où aller, ni même les moyens de quitter leur habitat en plein déclin. À écouter aussi8 milliards de voisins: les villes côtières du continent face à l'érosion

Toute cette semaine, la ville de Nice dans le sud de la France accueille la troisième conférence des Nations unies sur l'océan. L'océan, qui occupe 70 % de notre planète, est sous pression du changement climatique et malmené par l'activité humaine. Au point, parfois, de ne plus offrir aux populations des littoraux les ressources nécessaires. C'est le cas en Afrique de l'Ouest, où les communautés de pêcheurs ont été très fragilisées ces dernières années. Plusieurs reporters de RFI sont allés à leur rencontre en Guinée, en Sierra Leone, au Ghana et au Sénégal.  La lourde embarcation, poussée, tirée, glisse sur cette plage. Les cris des pêcheurs en plein effort percent le grondement des vagues. Les pirogues qui partent et reviennent ont cousu ensemble, au fil des siècles, l'histoire de la communauté Lébou et l'océan. L'océan est tellement au cœur de la vie Lébou qu'une confrérie soufie, tournée vers les flots, est née ici : les Layènes.Yoff. Une commune de Dakar, Sénégal. Le vendredi, un haut-parleur diffuse dans les rues, à 100 mètres de la plage, la prière du vendredi. Face à l'océan, Seydina Diop, un érudit layène, évoque l'histoire du fondateur de la confrérie, Seydina Limamou Laye (1843-1909). Et son lien avec la mer. « C'est, explique-t-il, comme si l'océan avait signé un pacte avec Seydina Limamou Laye et sa famille. Tôt après la prière du matin, il s'est dirigé vers la mer en compagnie de ceux qui priaient derrière lui. Arrivé à la mer, il lui intime l'ordre de reculer. Et la mer recule comme une natte sur plusieurs dizaines de mètres. Il a dit, "j'espère que ça suffit ici pour installer ma maison ici". Et s'adressant à ses compagnons : "Vous, vous ne me connaissez pas, mais la mer me connaît, connaît ma dimension et respectera mes ordres". » Depuis l'époque du fondateur, les vagues ont épargné le sanctuaire Layène. Mais Seydina Diop en convient, ailleurs dans le pays, l'océan n'est plus tout à fait le même. « C'est comme si effectivement la mer était en colère. Cette côte va passer par le village de Kayar, une zone poissonneuse, et les gens sont très inquiets. Vous continuez à Thiaroye c'est la même situation, vous continuez à Mbao c'est la même situation. Donc pourquoi ? »De plus en plus loin pour trouver du poissonKayar, aux eaux réputées poissonneuses… Le quai de pêche est bondé de monde, mais la localité, située à une soixantaine de kilomètres de Dakar, se nourrit de plus en plus difficilement de l'océan. Les sécheuses de poisson se plaignent d'attendre de plus en plus longtemps l'arrivée de la matière première : « Comme vous le voyez, nous sommes assises ici à discuter, explique l'une d'elles, Khoudia Touré, installée sous un parasol. Cela veut dire qu'il n'y a pas de poissons ; il arrive parfois que nous passons des journées entières sans aucune activité parce qu'il n'y a pas de poisson, alors que c'est notre matière première et qu'on a des commandes à honorer. Quand les pêcheurs partent en mer, ils restent plusieurs jours d'affilée, car il n'y plus rien. »À lire aussiDix choses à savoir sur la surpêche, fléau des océans au fil des sièclesLes conséquences se font également sentir au Ghana, à Tema, le plus gros marché de pêche artisanale du pays. Une femme, vendeuse depuis 28 ans, regrette les bacs de poisson qu'elle vendait par le passé : « Quand j'ai commencé à travailler, dit-elle, les revenus étaient bons, mais aujourd'hui ce n'est plus le cas. On ne reçoit plus beaucoup de poissons. Quand on recevait beaucoup de poissons, nous avions de l'argent pour mettre nos enfants à l'école. Maintenant, vu que les pêcheurs n'en ramènent plus, nous n'avons plus grand-chose à vendre. Nous n'avons plus d'argent, nous sommes fatigués. »Même chose en Sierra Leone. Tombo, à une cinquantaine de la capitale, Freetown, était autrefois un port de pêche prospère. La ville est aujourd'hui en déclin. Les pêcheurs y sont de plus en plus nombreux, les poissons de plus en plus rares, et les conditions de travail de plus en plus difficiles. « Nous avons beaucoup de soucis aujourd'hui, confie Chernor Bah, le capitaine du port de Tombo. Mais surtout, il n'y a plus de poisson et nous avons du mal à survivre. Maintenant, pour trouver du poisson, on est obligé de brûler beaucoup d'essence. On part tôt le matin, mais ce n'est pas avant 10 heures ou 11 heures qu'on arrive à trouver un endroit avec du poisson... Autrefois, on dépensait peut-être 20 litres, 30 litres d'essence pour aller attraper du poisson... C'était possible de faire des affaires. Mais aujourd'hui, il faut peut-être utiliser 100 litres... 150 litres de carburant pour arriver au même résultat. » La raréfaction du poisson menace, selon certaines études, la sécurité alimentaire de la Sierra Leone. Les produits de la mer représentent en effet 80 % des apports en protéines dans le pays.Toute la région est concernée par l'épuisement de la ressource. Boulbinet est l'un des principaux ports de pêche artisanale de Conakry, la capitale guinéenne. Les prises sont versées à même le sol, sur des bâches tendues sur la digue. Les pêcheurs guinéens doivent, eux aussi, aller de plus en plus loin. Prendre de plus en plus de risques pour trouver le poisson. « Vous savez que cette pêche-là, ça représente un danger, indique Abdoulaye Camara, membre de l'Union des pêcheurs artisanaux, parce que, vous savez, la mer a sa façon de faire. Même le temps où il n'y a pas de pluie, la mer peut s'agiter elle-même. Au fur et à mesure que l'embarcation va très loin, c'est là qu'elle se retrouve en danger. Parce que la mer, c'est la mer. Cette méthode d'aller pêcher loin, c'est pas parce qu'ils veulent aller loin, mais le poisson est un peu éloigné maintenant. »Soumah Seny, alias « Tozo », a une cinquantaine d'années. Il est responsable de l'association des doradiers de Boulbinet. Avec la chute des prises, il explique que de nombreux pêcheurs connaissent une situation financière difficile : « Si vous sortez faire quatre à cinq, six jours, sixième jour vous rentrez. Si vous enlevez la dépense, tu peux te retrouver avec 50 000 dans ta main. Ça permet difficilement de pourvoir aux dépenses de la maison ! Les pêcheurs ne gagnent pas beaucoup d'argent. On peut faire un an sans acheter de viande, parce qu'on n'a pas d'argent pour en acheter. Le prix d'un sac de riz, quand tu reviens de la mer, des fois, tu ne peux même pas gagner ça. » À lire aussiConférence de l'ONU sur l'océan 2025 : l'Afrique particulièrement concernée par ses enjeuxEffondrement de la ressourceCette raréfaction de la ressource, constatée en mer par les pêcheurs, a été documentée par des recherches de l'IRD, l'Institut de recherche pour le développement. « On a étudié un peu les quantités débarquées dans chaque pays au fil des années, explique Timothée Brochiet, chercheur à l'IRD. On s'est rendus compte que pour le Sénégal, les quantités maximales qui ont été débarquées étaient tombées en 2011. Et on s'est rendus compte qu'à partir de 2019, on tombe en dessous de 10 % de cette quantité-là. Et selon une définition qui a été donnée en halieutique, on peut parler d'un stock "écroulé" quand, après quatre années d'affilée, les quantités débarquées sont inférieures à 10 % du maximum. » La situation est à ce point alarmante qu'une mobilisation se met en place pour propager la voix des communautés menacées.Ce jour-là, à Ngor au Sénégal, il s'agit de faire entendre le cœur de l'océan aux jeunes générations, grâce à un enregistrement sous-marin, réalisé avec un hydrophone. Fabrice Monteiro, photographe engagé, participe ce jour-là à l'animation. « Ça m'évoque le pouls de la planète, qu'on partage tous un monde commun et que même sous l'eau, il y a toute une vie, il y a des échanges, il y a des tas de choses auxquelles on pense pas parce qu'on nous a expliqué qu'on pouvait disposer de tout et que finalement la vie comptait pour très peu si ce n'est la nôtre. » Pour cet artiste, l'humanité doit « changer de logiciel ». Et le photographe dit vouloir utiliser ses images pour participer à cette conversation.Comment expliquer ces difficultés croissantes à trouver du poisson ? Les pêcheurs artisanaux mettent régulièrement en cause la pêche industrielle. Une critique partagée par le chercheur sierra-léonais Salieu Kabba Sankho : « Quand nous avons commencé la lutte contre la pêche illégale, de nombreux navires sont venus s'enregistrer. Mais cela a fait augmenter de manière conséquente le nombre de bateaux de pêche industriels. Ces navires achètent un permis qui correspond à la taille du bateau, pas au nombre de poissons qu'ils pêchent. Cela va peut-être couter 15 ou 20 000 euros par an, pour un permis qui permet de pêcher 365 jours sur une année et autant de poissons que vous pouvez en attraper. C'est comme un chèque en blanc pour les industriels. Il y a un gros risque de surpêche et d'effondrement des réserves de poissons. »À lire aussiConférence sur l'Océan : « L'Afrique s'attend à » avoir « plus de poids dans la discussion », dit Foga AgbetossouTrop de bateaux de pêche ?Mais le problème semble aller au-delà de la pêche industrielle : trop de bateaux cherchent désormais à puiser les ressources de l'océan. Cette surexploitation a conduit à une véritable bataille du poisson entre pêcheurs industriels et artisanaux, mais aussi entre pêcheurs artisanaux de nationalités différentes. « Les pêcheurs industriels, comme les pêcheurs artisanaux, sont coresponsables de la baisse des réserves de poissons, indique Thomas Turay, le président d'un syndicat de pêcheurs sierra-léonais qui essaie de promouvoir des pratiques plus respectueuses de l'océan. Il y a vingt ans, ici même, dans ce bureau, on avait 75 000 pêcheurs enregistrés et maintenant, on compte 150 000 personnes qui dépendent de la pêche... Il y a beaucoup de chômage, donc les gens viennent ici pour devenir pêcheurs. La fermeture des mines a aussi joué un rôle. Avant, on voyait des "mango fish", c'est-à-dire des espèces de poissons qui apparaissaient au début de la saison des mangues, qui précède la saison des pluies. Mais aujourd'hui, on ne voit plus ça. C'est quand il pleut seulement qu'on comprend que c'est le début de la saison des pluies. »Dans ce contexte de compétition, les règles sont de moins en moins respectées. « Il y a le problème des chalutiers, poursuit Thomas Turay, qui viennent pêcher jusque dans la Zone d'exclusion côtière, qui nous est réservée, plutôt que d'aller au large, dans la Zone économique exclusive où ils sont autorisés à pêcher. Et puis, il y a des braconniers ! Et notre marine n'est pas équipée pour surveiller la mer pendant toute une journée. Donc, dès que la marine s'en va, les braconniers viennent depuis la Guinée ou le Sénégal. À cela s'ajoute la corruption. Des étrangers viennent et enregistrent leurs bateaux comme s'ils étaient des Sierra-Léonais. Ils paient une commission, c'est tout. »À cette compétition pour la ressource s'ajoute le dérèglement climatique, qui provoque le réchauffement des océans. Ces changements de températures provoquent la migration de certaines espèces vers des eaux plus froides. Le chercheur ghanéen John Kusimi, professeur associé de géographie physique au département de géographie et développement des ressources à l'Université du Ghana, a travaillé sur le phénomène. « Au cours des dernières décennies, indique-t-il, la température à la surface de la mer dans le golfe de Guinée a augmenté de 0,2 à 0,4 degré Celsius. Cette augmentation de la température a poussé les petits poissons pélagiques, ceux que pêchent les pêcheurs artisanaux, à migrer des eaux tropicales vers des mers plus tempérées, où l'eau est plus froide. Cela a également eu pour effet de pousser ces poissons, qui ont le sang-froid, à plonger dans les profondeurs des mers tropicales pour réguler leur chaleur corporelle, les rendant souvent inaccessibles aux pêcheurs traditionnels. Donc tout cela, en ajoutant d'autres facteurs humains, a provoqué un déclin de 60 à 80 % de la population de poissons pélagiques depuis les années 90 jusqu'à aujourd'hui. »Un phénomène chimique menace également la biodiversité de l'océan : son acidification, le fait que sa composition chimique devienne de plus en plus acide. Les premières mesures ont été faites au large des côtes californiennes, mais le professeur Malick Diouf, de biologie animale à l'université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, craint que le phénomène n'en vienne à se répandre : « S'il y a acidité, ça veut dire que tous ceux qui ont une coquille calcaire ont leur vie qui va être hypothéquée, parce que le calcaire est attaqué par l'acide. Et si on regarde les animaux qui ont un test calcaire, aussi bien unicellulaires que pluricellulaires, il y en a des masses. On va vers une perte drastique de la biodiversité. »À écouter aussiSommet des océans à Nice : l'acidification de l'eau menace la biodiversité marineMieux contrôler qui pêche quoiQue faire face à l'effondrement en cours et aux menaces futures ? Depuis ses bureaux de Dakar, l'ONG Greenpeace appelle les autorités à mieux contrôler qui pêche quoi… Le Dr Aliou Ba est responsable de la campagne « Océans » pour Greenpeace Afrique. « La majeure partie de nos pêcheries sont en situation d'accès libre. L'accès libre conduit à la surpêche, à la surexploitation des ressources. Donc, pour parer à cela, il faudrait que l'on contrôle la capacité de pêche dans ces pêcheries, mais aussi accentuer la surveillance pour baisser vraiment ce qu'on appelle la pêche INLA. » Greenpeace essaie aussi d'obtenir une régulation des usines de farine de poisson qui sont à terre et qui sont en concurrence avec le marché local.Reprendre le contrôle ? Les gouvernements de la région disent qu'ils ne cherchent pas autre chose. Le ministère des Ressources maritimes et de la Pêche sierra-léonais est installé au Youyi building, le grand immeuble gouvernemental de la capitale, Freetown. Sheku Sei reçoit à la sortie d'un entretien avec la ministre. Il est responsable de l'aquaculture et de la pêche artisanale au ministère : « Nous avons en tant que pays commencé à mettre en place un système de "saison fermée", durant laquelle les pêcheurs artisanaux ne peuvent plus aller en mer – et au mois d'avril, nous faisons la même chose pour la pêche industrielle. L'idée, c'est qu'il y ait une période de repos biologique pour que les poissons puissent grossir et que la population cesse de décliner, comme ça, on aura plus de poissons dans nos eaux et on pourra produire plus de nourriture. Car un des objectifs, c'est de garantir la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition. Donc, la fermeture saisonnière de la pêche, les aires marines protégées, mais aussi, nous aimerions avoir plus de fonds pour opérer des patrouilles de surveillance de nos côtes. Donc, nous allons prendre des contacts pendant la conférence de Nice. Nous allons aussi voir si l'on peut améliorer notre système de surveillance à distance, le moderniser, pour pouvoir suivre les opérations des navires en mer, sans avoir à nous déplacer. »À écouter aussiPourquoi les forêts de mangrove sont importantes pour la biodiversité ? Certaines solutions dorment également aux portes de l'océan, dans ces zones charnière que constituent les mangroves. Malmenées par les exploitants miniers, surexploitées par les communautés locales, elles sont pourtant essentielles. En Guinée, des associations s'activent pour les défendre, comme Guinée écologie. Aboubacar Soumah, l'un de ses cadres, guide le visiteur sur un débarcadère de Dubreka. Ici, les communautés pratiquent la pêche artisanale, mais également la riziculture, et elles mènent des activités de reboisement de la mangrove.Aboubacar Soumah longe la digue d'une aire de riziculture abandonnée. À gauche, des terres en friche. À droite, les terres en cours de restauration. Les jeunes pousses de mangrove pointent déjà vers le ciel et le militant écologiste espère que, d'ici à quelques années, cet espace redeviendra propice pour la reproduction des poissons. À marée basse, l'eau s'engouffre dans un petit chenal. Quand la marée monte, l'océan inonde la mangrove et emmène avec lui les poissons, qui y trouvent un milieu favorable pour se reproduire. « Restaurer la mangrove, dit Aboubacar Soumah, ça a beaucoup d'avantages. C'est un espace vital pour les poissons juvéniles. C'est dans ces milieux, dans les zones de mangrove, les zones ombragées, que les gros poissons viennent pondre les œufs. C'est dans cet espace aussi que les juvéniles grandissent jusqu'à atteindre un certain stade de maturité avant de migrer en mer. »Les mangroves grouillent encore de vie, de crabes et d'insectes, dans des sols riches de nutriments et de minéraux charriés depuis l'amont, un écosystème fixé par les racines des palétuviers. Les mangroves sont de véritables incubateurs de vie marine. Leur restauration, explique Aboubacar Soumah, est indispensable pour protéger l'avenir des communautés de pêcheurs.À écouter aussiEn Gambie, des pêcheurs dans une mauvaise passe

We explore an innovative pay-to-grow scheme that is helping to encourage tree growth in Sierra Leone’s capital city. Plus, Stockholm’s Battle of the Elms and making a greener Denver.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, AJ Sharp is joined by the incredible Maria Bradford – chef, cookbook author, and founder of Shwen Shwen, the newly opened Sierra Leonean restaurant in Sevenoaks. Maria shares her journey from growing up in Freetown to becoming one of the UK's most exciting voices in food. Together, they dive into the flavours of West Africa, the cultural significance of ingredients like sustainable palm oil, and the power of fusion cooking using Kentish produce. Maria talks candidly about representation in the food industry, her cookbook Sweet Salone, and why West African cuisine is so much more than just heat – it's about umami, balance, and deep-rooted tradition. If you love food with a story, this one's for you.

Previously Editor-in-Chief for GQ Middle East and currently for Dazed MENA, Ahmed Swaid has had an extensive career in media. He joins us to talk about his multicultural upbringing, from the UK, Syria and Lebanon, to Sierra Leone, and explores how his diverse background helps shape his unique vantage points in the media landscape. We discuss the challenges and insights of working in different media settings, the importance of representing various voices in the region, and Swaid's personal journey in creative industries. With engaging anecdotes and thoughtful reflections, this episode dives into the intricacies of cultural perspectives, identity, and the evolving content game in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). 00:00 Introduction00:33 Swaid's Multicultural Background03:58 Early Influences and Pop Culture09:08 Career Beginnings and Media Journey12:02 Content Creation in Different Regions16:53 Challenges in Media and Storytelling24:11 Creativity in the Age of Chaos31:43 Exploring the Meaning of "Dazed" 32:26 Cultural Significance and Global Reach36:10 Casting and Featuring Diverse Talent39:00 Challenges and Strategies in Media Representation45:12 Pop Culture in the Arab World52:56 Rapid Fire QuestionsAhmad Swaid is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Dazed MENA and previously EIC of GQ Middle East. He has led content for Dazed, AnOther Magazine, and Nowness, championing underrepresented voices and regional talent. Raised across London, Beirut, Freetown, and Aleppo, he brings a global perspective to his work, focusing on authentic storytelling from the Middle East and North Africa. He co-founded Creatives for Lebanon to support artists after the 2020 Beirut explosion and mentors young designers through the QASIMI RISING Talent Incubator. Connect with Swaid

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Corie Sheppard Podcast, we sit  with Muhammad Muwakil — poet, performer, and frontman of Freetown Collective.From his early childhood in Carenage to growing up at the Jamaat al-Muslimeen compound on Mucurapo Road, Muhammad shares a deeply personal account of life before, during, and after the 1990 attempted coup. He opens up about community, and what justice really meant to him as a child watching the world shift.We explore how Freetown's music became a vehicle for honesty, healing, and cultural reflection — and why soca, storytelling, and spiritual vulnerability matter more than ever today. He breaks down the band's creative process, the importance of balance in  music, and the origin stories behind songs like Feel the Love, Take Me Home, and Space for a Heart.This episode is a reflection on identity, intention, and legacy — and a must-listen for anyone invested in the future of our culture.

The Texture of Change: Dress, Self-Fashioning, and History in Western Africa, 1700 – 1850 (Ohio UP, 2024) examines historical change across a broad region of western Africa—from Saint Louis, Senegal, to Freetown, Sierra Leone—through the development of textile commerce, consumption, and dress. Indigo-dyed and printed cotton, wool, linen, and silk cloths constituted major trade items that linked African producers and consumers to exchange networks that were both regional and global. While much of the historiography of commerce in Africa in the eighteenth century has focused on the Atlantic slave trade and its impact, this study follows the global cloth trade to account for the broad extent and multiple modes of western Africa's engagement with Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Jody Benjamin analyzes a range of archival, visual, oral, and material sources drawn from three continents to illuminate entanglements between local textile industries and global commerce and between the politics of Islamic reform and encroaching European colonial power. The study highlights the roles of a diverse range of historical actors mentioned only glancingly in core-periphery or Atlantic-centered framings: women indigo dyers, maroon cotton farmers, petty traveling merchants, caravan guides, and African Diaspora settlers. It argues that their combined choices within a set of ecological, political, and economic constraints structured networks connecting the Atlantic and Indian Ocean perimeters. Jody Benjamin is a social and cultural historian of western Africa with expertise in the period between 1650 and 1850. His research is informed by a methodological concern to center the diverse experiences and perspectives of Africans in ways that transcend the limitations of the colonial archive. In broad terms, Prof. Benjamin's scholarship interrogates the multiple connections between west African, African diaspora and global histories through the lens of material culture, technology, labor, gender and race to reshape how historians think about western Africa's role in the history of global capitalism and its connections to contemporary questions of global inequality. Dr. Benjamin's work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the University of California Regents, University of California Humanities Research Initiative (UCHRI), the Hellman Fellows Fund, and the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. From 2022-2023, he was the Principal Investigator for a Mellon Sawyer Seminar, “Unarchiving Blackness,” exploring archival practices in African and African Diaspora Studies. Prior to Howard University, Dr. Benjamin taught at the University of California, Riverside. You can learn more about his work here. Afua Baafi Quarshie is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on mothering and childhood in post-independence Ghana. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Preached at the Healing Jesus Campaign, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Day 5, 3rd May 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Campaign, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Day 1, 29th April 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Pastors Conference, Freetown, Sierra Leone Day 2, 30th April 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Pastors Conference, Freetown, Sierra Leone Day 3, 1st May 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Campaign, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Day 3, 1st May 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Pastors Conference, Freetown, Sierra Leone Day 4, 2nd May 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Campaign, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Day 4, 2nd May 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Campaign, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Day 2, 30th April 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Pastors Conference, Freetown, Sierra Leone Day 3, 1st May 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Campaign, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Day 4, 2nd May 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Campaign, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Day 1, 29th April 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Pastors Conference, Freetown, Sierra Leone Day 2, 30th April 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Campaign, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Day 2, 30th April 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Campaign, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Day 3, 1st May 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Pastors Conference, Freetown, Sierra Leone Day 4, 2nd May 2025.

Preached at the Healing Jesus Campaign, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Day 5, 3rd May 2025.

The Texture of Change: Dress, Self-Fashioning, and History in Western Africa, 1700 – 1850 (Ohio UP, 2024) examines historical change across a broad region of western Africa—from Saint Louis, Senegal, to Freetown, Sierra Leone—through the development of textile commerce, consumption, and dress. Indigo-dyed and printed cotton, wool, linen, and silk cloths constituted major trade items that linked African producers and consumers to exchange networks that were both regional and global. While much of the historiography of commerce in Africa in the eighteenth century has focused on the Atlantic slave trade and its impact, this study follows the global cloth trade to account for the broad extent and multiple modes of western Africa's engagement with Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Jody Benjamin analyzes a range of archival, visual, oral, and material sources drawn from three continents to illuminate entanglements between local textile industries and global commerce and between the politics of Islamic reform and encroaching European colonial power. The study highlights the roles of a diverse range of historical actors mentioned only glancingly in core-periphery or Atlantic-centered framings: women indigo dyers, maroon cotton farmers, petty traveling merchants, caravan guides, and African Diaspora settlers. It argues that their combined choices within a set of ecological, political, and economic constraints structured networks connecting the Atlantic and Indian Ocean perimeters. Jody Benjamin is a social and cultural historian of western Africa with expertise in the period between 1650 and 1850. His research is informed by a methodological concern to center the diverse experiences and perspectives of Africans in ways that transcend the limitations of the colonial archive. In broad terms, Prof. Benjamin's scholarship interrogates the multiple connections between west African, African diaspora and global histories through the lens of material culture, technology, labor, gender and race to reshape how historians think about western Africa's role in the history of global capitalism and its connections to contemporary questions of global inequality. Dr. Benjamin's work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the University of California Regents, University of California Humanities Research Initiative (UCHRI), the Hellman Fellows Fund, and the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. From 2022-2023, he was the Principal Investigator for a Mellon Sawyer Seminar, “Unarchiving Blackness,” exploring archival practices in African and African Diaspora Studies. Prior to Howard University, Dr. Benjamin taught at the University of California, Riverside. You can learn more about his work here. Afua Baafi Quarshie is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on mothering and childhood in post-independence Ghana. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Texture of Change: Dress, Self-Fashioning, and History in Western Africa, 1700 – 1850 (Ohio UP, 2024) examines historical change across a broad region of western Africa—from Saint Louis, Senegal, to Freetown, Sierra Leone—through the development of textile commerce, consumption, and dress. Indigo-dyed and printed cotton, wool, linen, and silk cloths constituted major trade items that linked African producers and consumers to exchange networks that were both regional and global. While much of the historiography of commerce in Africa in the eighteenth century has focused on the Atlantic slave trade and its impact, this study follows the global cloth trade to account for the broad extent and multiple modes of western Africa's engagement with Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Jody Benjamin analyzes a range of archival, visual, oral, and material sources drawn from three continents to illuminate entanglements between local textile industries and global commerce and between the politics of Islamic reform and encroaching European colonial power. The study highlights the roles of a diverse range of historical actors mentioned only glancingly in core-periphery or Atlantic-centered framings: women indigo dyers, maroon cotton farmers, petty traveling merchants, caravan guides, and African Diaspora settlers. It argues that their combined choices within a set of ecological, political, and economic constraints structured networks connecting the Atlantic and Indian Ocean perimeters. Jody Benjamin is a social and cultural historian of western Africa with expertise in the period between 1650 and 1850. His research is informed by a methodological concern to center the diverse experiences and perspectives of Africans in ways that transcend the limitations of the colonial archive. In broad terms, Prof. Benjamin's scholarship interrogates the multiple connections between west African, African diaspora and global histories through the lens of material culture, technology, labor, gender and race to reshape how historians think about western Africa's role in the history of global capitalism and its connections to contemporary questions of global inequality. Dr. Benjamin's work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the University of California Regents, University of California Humanities Research Initiative (UCHRI), the Hellman Fellows Fund, and the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. From 2022-2023, he was the Principal Investigator for a Mellon Sawyer Seminar, “Unarchiving Blackness,” exploring archival practices in African and African Diaspora Studies. Prior to Howard University, Dr. Benjamin taught at the University of California, Riverside. You can learn more about his work here. Afua Baafi Quarshie is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on mothering and childhood in post-independence Ghana. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The Texture of Change: Dress, Self-Fashioning, and History in Western Africa, 1700 – 1850 (Ohio UP, 2024) examines historical change across a broad region of western Africa—from Saint Louis, Senegal, to Freetown, Sierra Leone—through the development of textile commerce, consumption, and dress. Indigo-dyed and printed cotton, wool, linen, and silk cloths constituted major trade items that linked African producers and consumers to exchange networks that were both regional and global. While much of the historiography of commerce in Africa in the eighteenth century has focused on the Atlantic slave trade and its impact, this study follows the global cloth trade to account for the broad extent and multiple modes of western Africa's engagement with Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Jody Benjamin analyzes a range of archival, visual, oral, and material sources drawn from three continents to illuminate entanglements between local textile industries and global commerce and between the politics of Islamic reform and encroaching European colonial power. The study highlights the roles of a diverse range of historical actors mentioned only glancingly in core-periphery or Atlantic-centered framings: women indigo dyers, maroon cotton farmers, petty traveling merchants, caravan guides, and African Diaspora settlers. It argues that their combined choices within a set of ecological, political, and economic constraints structured networks connecting the Atlantic and Indian Ocean perimeters. Jody Benjamin is a social and cultural historian of western Africa with expertise in the period between 1650 and 1850. His research is informed by a methodological concern to center the diverse experiences and perspectives of Africans in ways that transcend the limitations of the colonial archive. In broad terms, Prof. Benjamin's scholarship interrogates the multiple connections between west African, African diaspora and global histories through the lens of material culture, technology, labor, gender and race to reshape how historians think about western Africa's role in the history of global capitalism and its connections to contemporary questions of global inequality. Dr. Benjamin's work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the University of California Regents, University of California Humanities Research Initiative (UCHRI), the Hellman Fellows Fund, and the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. From 2022-2023, he was the Principal Investigator for a Mellon Sawyer Seminar, “Unarchiving Blackness,” exploring archival practices in African and African Diaspora Studies. Prior to Howard University, Dr. Benjamin taught at the University of California, Riverside. You can learn more about his work here. Afua Baafi Quarshie is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on mothering and childhood in post-independence Ghana. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-studies

For hundreds of years, people have been pondering the power of information. In this past season of Cities 1.5, we've seen examples of cities from around the world who are using data and the lived experiences of their inhabitants to create policies that support healthier lives for people and planet: from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to Tokyo, Japan, to Princeton, Canada. But while history - and our own conversations on this podcast - prove that knowledge is powerful…it isn't always easy to come by. For the final episode of Cities 1.5 season 5, David meets two knowledge and dissemination specialists who speak with him about the importance of data and information for climate action and what other ingredients are key to effective communications about global heating. Featured guests:Katie Walsh, Head of Climate Finance for Cities, States, and Regions at CDPAndrea Learned, climate influence catalyst and strategistLinks:Leviathan by Thomas HobbesCities are responsible for over 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions - World BankGlobal Covenant of MayorsEarth Positive Action - CDPCities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance ForumGlobal Snapshot Report 2024 - CDPParis Climate AgreementCHAMP - C40Andrea Learned's Green Biz article on the five Ls of Twitter leadershipLiving Change podcastBike Talk podcastBowinn MA, Canadian politician elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 2017Album: Joy as an act of resistanceSustainable Development Goal 11 - United NationsIf you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/ Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and Cities 1.5 is supported by C40 Cities and the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. You can sign up to the Centre newsletter here. https://thecentre.substack.com/ Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield. Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/ Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

This week on The Sound Kitchen you'll hear the answer to the question about Marine Le Pen's full embezzlement sentence. There's “The Listener's Corner” with Paul Myers, Ollia Horton's “Happy Moment”, and Erwan Rome's “Music from Erwan” – all that, and the new quiz and bonus questions too, so click the “Play” button above and enjoy!  Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll hear the winners' names announced and the week's quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you've grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!Facebook: Be sure to send your photos to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner!More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write “RFI English” in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”. According to your score, you'll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you'll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!In addition to the news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.There's Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, The International Report, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We also have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our journalists. You never know what we'll surprise you with!To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you'll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that's how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it's a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald's free books, click here.Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!This week's quiz: On 3 April I asked you a question about Marine Le Pen, the president of the far-right French party the National Rally (RN). She, along with eight other RN Parliament members, was judged guilty of embezzling 4.4 million euros in European Union funds to pay France-based RN party staff who worked only for the RN and not on EU issues.Le Pen and her fellow lawmakers have been banned from running for office for five years. This ban, which had previously been a rare sentence, has become commonplace since the Sapin 2 law was adopted in 2016, which made it the standard sentence for cases involving the embezzlement of public funds and was roundly supported by RN lawmakers – until now.You were to re-read our article “RN leader Le Pen battles for political future after embezzlement conviction”, and send in the answer to this question: Aside from the ban on running for office, what else was included in Le Pen's sentence?The answer is, to quote our article: “Le Pen was also sentenced to four years' imprisonment, two of which will be served under an electronic bracelet, and a fine of 100,000 euros.”In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by the late Muhammad Shamim who lived in Kerala State, India: "Would you rather be rich but not famous, or famous but not rich?"   Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us! The winners are: RFI English listener Lata Akhter Jahan, the co-president of the Sonali Badhan Female Listeners Club in Bogura, Bangladesh. Lata is also the winner of this week's bonus question. Congratulations, Lata, on your double win.Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Shaira Hosen Mo from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh; Nasyr Muhammad from Katsina State, Nigeria; John Yemi Sanday Turay from Freetown, Sierra Leone, and last but not least, Saleha, who is also a member of the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan.Congratulations, winners!Here's the music you heard on this week's programme:  “Les Jardins de L'Alhambra” by Gérard Torikian; “Stacatto” by René Aubry; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children's Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Aýa döndi” by Nuri Halmamedov and Mahtumkuli, performed by baritone Atageldi Garýagdyýew.Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.frThis week's question ... you must listen to the show to participate. After you've listened to the show, re-read our article “How French women won, and used, their right to vote in 1945”, which will help you with the answer.You have until 2 June to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 5 June podcast. When you enter, be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.Send your answers to:english.service@rfi.frorSusan OwensbyRFI – The Sound Kitchen80, rue Camille Desmoulins92130 Issy-les-MoulineauxFranceClick here to learn how to win a special Sound Kitchen prize.Click here to find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club.   

Moral and Carl take a deep dive into Finding Edna Lewis, a beautifully crafted documentary that uncovers the extraordinary life of Edna Lewis — the Unionville, VA native who became one of the most influential voices in American cooking. More than just a chef, Lewis was a cultural icon who celebrated Southern foodways, Black heritage, and the power of seasonal, farm-to-table cooking long before it was a trend. Listen as the team reflects on how the film honors her legacy and explores the deeper themes of memory, food, land, and identity that rise to the surface. Shoutout to community leader Duron Chavis for continuing the work of preserving Black agricultural and food traditions in Richmond and beyond. Edna Lewis's most beloved books include: The Taste of Country Cooking In Pursuit of Flavor The Edna Lewis Cookbook The Gift of Southern Cooking (with Scott Peacock)

Welcome to the April edition of the AviaDev Insight Africa Connectivity update for 2025, hosted by Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa. This month's guests are:  Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH SEAN Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH BEHRAMJEE  Topics covered this month: Ethiopian Airlines to launch to Sharjah 4 x week and go double daily to Lagos from July.  Qantas is rumoured to be launching Perth-Johannesburg in December 3 x week Etihad to increase flights from Nairobi to double daily in December Deep dive into the London-Africa dynamic and how London Gatwick has improved it's share of African traffic Air Sierra Leone launching to London Gatwick from Freetown in June with one of our commentators heavily involved Condor expanding services to Cape Town and Johannesburg from November Africa World Airlines launching flights to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from 3 June Kenya Airways summer schedule changes and west Africa operation Listen to Sean's commentary on SAA here 

Vuoi conoscere i protagonisti di News dal pianeta Terra? Vieni a LifeGate Live: martedì 15 e marcoledì 16 aprile all'Auditorium San Fedele di MilanoDopo una giornata di annunci di contro-dazi da parte dell'Unione europea e della Cina, ieri in serata il presidente statunitense Donald Trump ha annunciato la sospensione dei dazi verso gli storici alleati per 90 giorni – e un aumento fino al 125% di quelli verso la Cina. Caterina Sarfatti, esperta di azione climatica inclusiva, ci racconta di Freetown, capitale della Sierra Leone, e delle innovative strategie di adattamento alla crisi climatica Puoi scriverci a podcast@lifegate.it e trovare tutte le notizie su www.lifegate.it. 

Send us a textSixteen-year-old Musu Sangu faced a devastating diagnosis in Sierra Leone—a life-threatening heart condition requiring specialized surgery unavailable anywhere in her country. With her heart functioning at just 20% capacity and given only a 40% chance of survival, Musu's future looked grim. But what followed was an extraordinary demonstration of global compassion that would save her life.The journey began at Mercy Hospital in Sierra Leone, where Dr. Aruna Stevens identified Musu's condition using a newly acquired EKG machine. Through the Child Reintegration Center's family strengthening program, Musu already had access to medical care and a dedicated case manager who advocated tirelessly for her. When it became clear that she needed surgery unavailable in Sierra Leone, an incredible network of support mobilized across three continents.Gary and Mary Ann Gilkyson, who had met Musu during a mission trip, rallied their church in South Carolina to raise funds. The Sick Pickin Foundation connected her with surgical care in India. Staff members at multiple organizations coordinated passports, visas, medical clearance, and financial support. After a grueling journey from Freetown through multiple countries, Musu arrived in New Delhi where surgeons performed her high-risk aortic valve replacement.Against tremendous odds, Musu made a remarkable recovery. Within a month, she returned home to her family in Sierra Leone. Today, she's back in school, even playing Mary in the CRC Christmas play, while her mother builds stability through a microfinance program.This powerful story reminds us that when compassion knows no borders, extraordinary things happen. People who had never met Musu—and many who never will—worked together to give her a future. Consider joining this village of support through the Emergency Medical Health Fund, established to help more children like Musu access life-saving care when local resources aren't enough. Your contribution could be part of the next miracle.Maternal Health impacts child and family wellbeing, and is an indicator of societal wellbeing as well. If you want to support this work, please give to the HCW Maternal Health Mission - Maternal Health Matters!Support the showHelpingchildrenworldwide.org

In times of uncertainty, leadership is key...but so is vision. As the climate crisis deepens, and people across the world are facing economic hardship and experiencing the increasing impacts of the climate crisis, mapping out an alternative to neoliberal economics, inequality and unmitigated climate breakdown has never been more vital. In our season opener, we speak to two women who are doing just that. Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr of Freetown is using an innovative, inclusive and data-driven approach to addressing the challenges her city faces, and is a powerful advocate for unlocking urban climate finance. Gaya Herrington is one of the world's leading voices in the wellbeing economics space, using her platform to argue for the transformation of our economic system away from unsustainable growth to one that prioritizes human and planetary wellbeing. Featured guests:Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has served as the Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, since 2018. She is also the Co-Chair of C40 Cities. Gaya Herrington is sustainability researcher, wellbeing economist, thought leader and author of “Five Insights for Avoiding Global Collapse”.Links:What happened at the U20 Summit in Rio? C40 websiteIDB and C40 to Strengthen Partnership for Climate Action - IDB websitePlanting 1 million trees to turn the temperature down - Cities 1.5 podcast episode, featuring Eugenia Kargbo, Freetown Chief Heat OfficerRegenerative Economics - The Regenerative CentreWill the end of economic growth come by design — or disaster? Gaya Herrington, TedTalkThe Limits to Growth model: still prescient 50 years later Gaya Herrington, Club of Rome websiteTurnaround Empowerment & Focus on gender equality Club of Rome websiteWho Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner? A review Women's Budget Group websiteIf you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/ Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and Cities 1.5 is supported by C40 Cities and the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. You can sign up to the Centre newsletter here. https://thecentre.substack.com/ Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield. Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/ Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Denise Giosa: A Journey in Fashion and Events Denise Giosa's journey in the world of fashion and events began while she was still in high school, when she joined the Junior Fashion Board at D.H. Holmes in Baton Rouge. It was during this time that she met Beth Phillips, a wonderful mentor who played a significant role in shaping her career. Recognizing Denise's potential, Beth invited her to be the Youth Coordinator, marking the beginning of her involvement in fashion special events. After college, Denise moved to Lafayette and began traveling for Estée Lauder. It wasn't long before she received a call from the manager of the Lafayette D.H. Holmes store, offering her a job. She accepted and continued working with the company for five years, further establishing herself in the industry. Her career took another turn when Mark Falgout of Warehouse 535 reached out to her. Originally envisioned as a live music venue, Warehouse 535, located at 535 Garfield Street in the Freetown neighborhood near downtown, has evolved into a multi-purpose event space. Over time, it has expanded beyond live music to host a variety of events, and Denise has played a crucial role in that transformation. Guiding Clients in Event Planning Denise takes a structured approach to helping clients determine their event needs. Before a client even books a date, she ensures they go through a detailed planning process. She asks key questions such as the date, type of event, expected size, and any special requirements. She also helps them visualize how the space will be used, ensuring that all elements—such as a photo booth or seating arrangements—are carefully considered. Her meticulous attention to detail means that by the time an event day arrives, she has already coordinated all aspects. She knows every vendor, delivery time, and setup detail, ensuring that clients never have to scramble at the last minute. Her hands-on approach means that every table, chair, and decoration is in place before the event begins, allowing clients to enjoy their special day stress-free. Additional Services and Wedding Planning Warehouse 535 offers comprehensive event services as part of the venue rental. However, additional services, such as hiring a wedding planner, are to be handled by the client. Some clients choose to bring in a planner midway through the process or hire a "day-of" coordinator to handle last-minute details. Denise ensures that clients understand what each wedding planner offers, as different planners provide different levels of service. She also educates clients on the finer details of event planning. For instance, if a couple is handling their own décor, she ensures they have a plan for setup. She also helps them clarify their expectations with vendors, such as ensuring photographers are booked for the right amount of time so they capture key moments, including the end of the event. Catering, Beverages, and Entertainment Warehouse 535 has certain requirements for event vendors. Caterers must be licensed and insured, and all beverages are provided through the venue. Clients can choose from various beverage packages, ranging from domestic beer and wine to premium selections. Entertainment is another major consideration. Some couples prefer DJs over bands because they want to curate their own playlists, while others love the energy of live music. Denise emphasizes that entertainment is key to keeping an event's momentum going, and she ensures that DJs and bands are properly set up and integrated into the event timeline. The Evolution of Warehouse 535 Denise has witnessed the growth of Warehouse 535 firsthand. What started as a music venue has expanded to host diverse events, including weddings, corporate functions, and creative experiences like an Edgar Allan Poe-themed speakeasy. The venue has also served as a filming location for shows like Dateline, with production teams transforming rooms to suit their needs. ...

Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, is experiencing rising temperatures, with extreme heat becoming a major challenge for residents, especially those in crowded neighbourhoods and open-air markets. With limited access to cooling infrastructure, the heat affects daily life, health, food security and the economy.In response, the city recently hosted an ‘Urban Heat Hackathon', where teams developed innovative solutions to tackle the problem.In today's Africa Daily Alan Kasujja speaks to two of the hackathon winners, Tommy Charles and Glory Aminata Turay, to explore how technology and urban greening are helping residents adapt to and mitigate extreme heat.

La Sierra Leone est l'un des pays les plus exposés à l'érosion côtière. Selon un rapport des Nations unies, plus de deux millions de personnes y sont menacées par la montée des eaux. Même la capitale, Freetown, et ses bidonvilles, construits en gagnant du terrain sur la mer, sont au bord du naufrage. Un phénomène dû au réchauffement climatique, mais aussi à la main de l'homme. La submersion est accélérée par la pauvreté extrême du pays qui pousse une partie de la population à détruire son environnement pour gagner de quoi survivre. Reportage de Sarah Sakho, Simon Martin et Saidu Bah.

According to the United Nations, Sierra Leone is one of the countries most exposed to coastal erosion. More than two million people are threatened by rising sea levels. Even the capital, Freetown, and its informal settlements – built by reclaiming land from the sea – are on the brink of sinking. A phenomenon caused by climate change, but exacerbated by human activity. Submersion is accelerated by the country's extreme poverty, which pushes the population to destroy their environment in order to survive. FRANCE 24's Caitlin Kelly, Saidu Bah, Sarah Sakho and Simon Martin report.

Sierra Leone's minister of information says his country is taking all necessary steps to deal with an outbreak of the mpox disease. This, after the country declared a public health emergency this week after confirming two mpox cases in the capital, Freetown. Sierra Leone is the latest country in West Africa to report the disease after neighboring Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, and Guinea. Information Minister Chernor Bah, tells VOA's James Butty, Sierra Leone is prepared from its experience with Ebola

Greetings Glocal Citizens! After spending the new year chasing Aurora Borealis aka the Northern Lights (linkhttps://www.space.com/15139-northern-lights-auroras-earth-facts-sdcmp.html) in the North of Ireland and communing with friends and family there and in the UK, I'm back in NYC grounding and self-caring for a bit. The not so great news is that I just missed seeing the Northern Lights live, but now I'm that much more prepared for the next time. The great news is that I was able to catch up with this week's guest, Ghanaian actor, producer and casting director, Agbeko “Bex” Mortty before he heads to the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival (https://miscifi.com) representing Ghana with The B.A.T.U. Project: ADAM THE FIRST, Ghana's first feature length science fiction film. He has stared in films and series like the Tribeca Film Festival award winning film Children of the Mountain, Shampaign, Men Don't Cry, The Cursed Ones, and the world No. 1 Netflix Original Sci-Fi TV series AWAY, staring Hilary Swank and Josh Charles. His production titles include Children of the Mountain, Amerikafuo and The B.A.T.U Project: ADAM THE FIRST. As casting director his projects include FREETOWN, PARADISE and Children of the Mountain. In addition, he is also an IT consultant and an enstooled chief in Ghana's Volta Region, which Bex tells us all about in this in depth tour of his experiences as a returnee. Where to find Bex? On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/agbeko-bex-mortty-a64638/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thebexstage/?hl=en) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thebexstage/) On YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@bexthethespian9369) What's Bex reading? Producing Independent Feature Films That Make Money (https://a.co/d/6LllH3K) by Rick Jenkins Other topics of Interest? About Tamale (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIdiT-cory2qFeq4pjLV70iWEUiDyj7YN&si=LwI04yRgHKqfaS-O), the Dagomba People (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagomba_people) and Dagbani language (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagbani_language) The Yaa Centre in London (https://www.facebook.com/YAACentreW9/) About Gbledi (https://www.facebook.com/AfadjatoViaGbledi/?locale=da_DK), in Hohoe, Volta Region Ghana (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohoe) Ghana Inaugurates, John Dramani Mahama as President (https://www.youtube.com/live/qSbNx_ZAZwM?si=FmM60e4aD9xLEse9) Africa Cinema Summit (https://africacinemasummit.com) About Filmmaker M. Sayibu (https://www.atfmovie.com/cast-crew#:~:text=Writer%2FDirector-,M.,ultimately%20achieved%20under%20his%20helm.) About Silver Star Tower, Accra (https://www.silverstartowers.com) and their Corporate Run Ghana Initiative (https://thebftonline.com/2024/08/11/14th-global-media-alliance-japan-motors-corporate-run-and-walk-launched/#google_vignette) Where did my Aurora chasing take me in Ireland? (https://youtu.be/S8cFHfOzeEE?si=ODxBM2hix5bq-eFj) Special Guest: Agbeko “Bex” Mortty.

In Freetown, Sierra Leone, we join a group of African-Americans who have all taken a DNA test and discovered their ancestors came from this country on the West Coast of Africa, before they were trafficked to the US and enslaved. Over their two week trip, we explore the bustling city of Freetown, a very different experience to the US. They travel to remote villages where their ancestors may have lived. Here they are each adopted by a local family and given a traditional name according to the ethnic group indicated in their DNA test. There is also a boat trip to Bunce Island, where they find the ruins of a slave fort where men, women and children were held captive in appalling conditions. And we meet other returnees who have come back to Sierra Leone to make a difference.

Edna Lewis was a legendary American chef, a pioneer of Southern cooking and the author of four books, including The Taste of Country Cooking, her memoir cookbook about growing up in Freetown, Virginia, a small farming community of formerly enslaved people and their descendants established in 1866. Before she began writing books, Edna had been a celebrated chef at Cafe Nicholson in New York City in the 1950s where Eleanor Roosevelt, Paul Robeson, Marlon Brando, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Marlene Dietrich all came for her Southern food and legendary chocolate soufflé.The Taste of Country Cooking chronicled the traditions and recipes of the community where she grew up — a rural settlement that celebrated the events and traditions of daily life across each year with special suppers and ritual meals — Emancipation Day Dinner, Early Spring Dinner after Sheep Shearing, Morning After Hog Butchering Breakfast, Christmas Eve Supper and Christmas Dinner to name but a few of the dishes and stories that fill this book.In 1983 The Kitchen Sisters went to talk to Ms. Lewis about her life and the Christmas traditions in the tight-knit Virginia farming community where she came of age.For Christmas, The Kitchen Sisters Present... Edna Lewis: Christmas in Freetown

Every year on Sierra Leone's Independence Day in late April, musicians and revelers descend upon Freetown from throughout the country. Parades and celebrations traverse the city, joining diverse neighborhoods with processional music, including one particular local style called bubu, a trance-inducing sound played by groups of young men blowing interlocking hocketed breath patterns into bamboo tubes. Bubu resonates with other African diasporic horn traditions, rara and gaga especially. It has long been a part of the cultural fabric of Sierra Leone, yet its deeper story has so far eluded scholarly examination. This program, supported by original fieldwork and by interviews with scholars Connie Nuxoll, David Skinner, Michael Gallope and John Nunley, begins a serious exposition and investigation of the intriguing mythology and history that surrounds this unique, hypnotic music, through a focus on musician Ahmed Janka Nabay, widely recognized in Sierra Leone and beyond as “the Bubu King.” Written and produced by Wills Glasspiegel and Drew Alt. Georges Collinet is away on assignment: Our guest host is Sahr Ngajuah, the musician and actor who starred in the Broadway show, Fela!. APWW #690

Il y a dix ans, la Sierra Leone vivait un cauchemar, balayée par l'une des épidémies les plus meurtrières de notre époque. Ebola a fauché plus de 11 000 vies en Afrique de l'Ouest, dont près de 4 000 en Sierra Leone, semant la terreur au-delà des frontières. Si le virus semble endormi, la résurgence de cas en Guinée en 2021 a ravivé les craintes. Aujourd'hui, alors qu'une campagne de vaccination préventive vise à protéger les travailleurs en première ligne, le souvenir de cette tragédie reste vif, porté par des survivants comme Daddy Hassan Kamara et Victoria Yillia, dont les récits résonnent encore. Entre mémoire collective et espoir scientifique, la Sierra Leone cherche à se relever, tout en veillant à ce que l'histoire ne se répète pas. Dans l'arrière-cour d'une petite maison à Masiaka, petite ville nichée à une heure de Freetown, Daddy Hassan Kamara fait défiler les portraits de ses proches disparus. « Voici ma mère, elle a été la première infectée par le virus après un mauvais diagnostic du médecin », raconte ce survivant d'Ebola, le regard perdu dans ses souvenirs. Ignorant qu'elle souffrait d'Ebola, il l'a soignée à mains nues, sans protection, contractant le virus à son tour.« Un jour, des gens sont venus me voir. Ils m'ont dit : "Tu as perdu ton fils, ton père, ta belle-mère et ta femme." Ce mois de novembre, j'ai perdu neuf membres de ma famille. » Ces mots, Daddy Hassan les prononce avec une douleur contenue. Comme lui, des milliers d'autres Sierra-Léonais ont été fauchés par le virus ou ont vu leurs familles décimées.Vaccination préventive : une course contre-la-montre« Ce n'est qu'une question de temps avant que nous enregistrions une nouvelle épidémie d'Ebola », alerte le Dr Desmond Maada Kangbai, chargé de vaccination au sein du ministère de la Santé.Face à cette menace persistante, la Sierra Leone a lancé, le 30 novembre 2024, une campagne de vaccination préventive destinée aux soignants et travailleurs de première ligne. Avec le vaccin Ervebo, administré en une seule dose, les autorités espèrent éviter une répétition de la tragédie de 2014.« Les soignants sont le premier rempart contre Ebola. S'ils ne sont pas protégés, nous risquons de revivre l'enfer d'il y a dix ans », insiste le Dr Kangbai.La campagne, financée par l'Alliance mondiale des vaccins, Gavi, vise à vacciner 20 000 travailleurs de santé et autres acteurs communautaires. Destinée à couvrir les 16 districts du pays, elle bénéficie d'une logistique optimisée : bien qu'exigeant une conservation à -80°C au niveau national, le vaccin peut être stocké entre 2 et 8°C dans les districts, simplifiant ainsi sa distribution.À écouter aussiDix ans après Ebola, la Sierra Leone mise sur la vaccination préventive [1/2]Un hommage aux héros disparus« À Kailahun, j'ai perdu environ 40 de mes collègues », se souvient le Dr James Sylvester Spire, directeur de la surveillance électronique à l'Agence nationale de santé publique, créée après l'épidémie. Cet ancien chef médical régional du district de Kailahun a gardé intact le souvenir des premières heures de l'épidémie.« Lorsque le virus Ebola a commencé à sévir, personne ne voulait aller travailler à Kailahun. L'endroit était extrêmement silencieux ; si on laissait tomber une épingle, on pouvait l'entendre. Tout le monde avait fui les lieux, les gens s'étaient réfugiés dans la brousse ou ailleurs. Moi, j'étais souvent en contact avec les patients, car lors des supervisions, si vous voyez un patient malade, en tant que professionnel de santé, vous devez le soigner. Et c'est ainsi que la plupart des membres du personnel ont été infectés. »Plus loin, à Kenema, troisième plus grande ville de la Sierra-Leone, le docteur Donald Grant se tient devant une grande pierre tombale, sur un terrain poussiéreux. Les noms gravés racontent une tragédie collective : celle des travailleurs de santé tombés au front lors de l'épidémie.« Voici une liste de 40 agents de santé », indique l'ancien responsable médical du district de Kenema, en caressant la pierre du bout des doigts. « Mais ce n'est que pour Kenema. Le bilan national est bien plus lourd. »Sa voix se brise un instant. « Tous, je les connaissais tous. Chaque nom ici représente un collègue, un ami, une perte irréparable. »En 2014, tout commence lorsqu'un individu infecté en Guinée traverse la frontière pour consulter un guérisseur traditionnel en Sierra Leone. La guérisseuse succombe rapidement au virus et ses funérailles, réunissant des centaines de personnes, deviennent un foyer de contagion incontrôlable. À partir de là, la diffusion de la maladie explose.À écouter aussiSierra Leone : reconstruire la santé dix ans après Ebola [2/2]Victoria Yillia : une survivante marquée à jamaisVictoria Yillia est devenue, bien malgré elle, un symbole de la lutte contre Ebola. Elle était le « premier cas confirmé » de la Sierra Leone, diagnostiqué dans le district de Kailahun en 2014.« J'ai attrapé la maladie d'une femme enceinte soignée par la même infirmière qui s'occupait de moi », raconte-t-elle. Transférée à l'hôpital de Kenema, pendant des semaines, Victoria a traversé un véritable calvaire : la fièvre, les douleurs insoutenables et surtout la peur. « Chaque fois qu'on essayait de poser une aiguille pour une perfusion, je saignais abondamment. »Elle a survécu, mais au prix de terribles pertes. « Quand je suis sortie de l'hôpital, mes parents étaient morts. Je ne trouvais que leurs tombes. J'ai perdu environ 21 proches à cause d'Ebola. »Le legs du Dr Sheikh Umar KhanÀ cette époque, la riposte contre Ebola est dirigée par le Dr Sheikh Umar Khan, expert en fièvres hémorragiques et seul virologue du pays.Écartant le diagnostic de la fièvre de Lassa, le Dr Khan met en place des protocoles stricts pour tenter de contenir la maladie. Mais la pression sur le personnel est immense. Beaucoup tombent malades, lui y compris.Le 29 juin 2014, le Dr Khan succombe au virus, laissant un pays en deuil.« C'était comme perdre un général en pleine bataille, se remémore le Dr Donald Grant. Tout le monde était désemparé, pensant que la guerre était déjà perdue. »Une résilience fragileDix ans après, les échos de la tragédie d'Ebola résonnent toujours dans les esprits. Si des progrès ont été réalisés, comme l'établissement de l'Agence nationale de santé publique et la modernisation des infrastructures sanitaires, beaucoup restent à faire.« L'assainissement reste un problème. Les choses les plus basiques n'ont pas encore été réglées. Avoir de l'eau courante relève encore du rêve pour beaucoup. Si vous ne vous attaquez pas à l'assainissement, les maladies comme Ebola continueront d'émerger », avertit le journaliste Umaru Fofana.Pourtant, l'espoir persiste. « Le Dr Khan m'a enseigné à toujours servir l'humanité, quelles que soient les circonstances, conclut le Dr Grant. Nous devons transmettre cette ardeur aux générations futures pour qu'elles poursuivent ce combat. »À écouter aussiEbola : le virus est-il encore une menace ?Ce reportage a été réalisé avec le concours de l'Alliance mondiale des vaccins, Gavi, financée par la fondation Bill and Melinda Gates. 

Few days ago, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an indictment against executives of the Adani Group for orchestrating a massive bribery scheme to secure solar energy contracts worth billions of dollars in India. The indictment specifically states that, between July 2021 and February 2022, the Adanis and their associates promised bribes to Indian government officials to secure agreements with state-run electricity distribution companies, which in turn entered into power supply agreements with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The contracts were expected to generate profits of approximately US$2 billion over the next two decades, according to the petition. However, a year ago in November 2023, Adani (like Milele Energy in Sierra Leone) received US$553 million debt financing from the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to fund the Colombo Port Terminal in Sri Lanka, a project in which the Adani Group held 51% ownership. In Sierra Leone, Milele Energy similarly received over US$400 million in DFC debt financing for a corruptly awarded energy project in Freetown. The contract relating to the Western Area Power Generation Project was never advertised or put on a public tender, and was secretly awarded to Milele Energy executives by Julius Maada Bio following deal arrangements and negotiations brokered in Lebanon, Nairobi, Dubai, and Freetown between 2021 and 2023. In this episode, we ask what are the implications of the Adani Group indictment for Milele Energy's corrupt acquisition of Sierra Leone's Western Area Power Generation Project? Also, what is the relationship between the Adani Group corruption case and our ongoing efforts to scrutinize corrupt acquisition of critical infrastructure and service related contracts by US financed corporations in Sierra Leone, including Milele Energy and the Summa Group? Thus, we point out the need to investigate DFC's operation in Sierra Leone from 2021 to present. This episode is part of the Voice from Exile series of the Africanist Press.

 A rock star, atheist, Marxist, world-class theologian, African missionary, and a Greek Orthodox Bishop all in one lifetime? Hank Hanegraaff is joined by Bishop Themi—a personal hero of his and a beacon of hope and inspiration to millions of Christians around the globe. Bishop Themi earned degrees in theology, languages, and Biblical studies at some of the most prestigious universities in America and became a distinguished scholar—however in the 90s Themi questioned his life's direction. Was he serving Christ best as a top-tier academic? A series of events led him to follow another path, serving the poor in his native Africa. Themi founded the Holy Orthodox Mission in Freetown, Sierra Leone where he has battled Ebola and foes, both earthly and spiritual, to feed, educate and offer the love of Christ to thousands of West African people.opics discussed include: How Bishop Themi's roots as a white man born in Africa formed his nomadic DNA and understanding of not feeling completely welcome (3:15); the impact that the British Invasion and the Beatles had on Bishop Themi becoming a Marxist (9:15); the guru and the cross—Bishop Themi's first steps towards Christianity (19:00); mystical experiences that reveal the reality of Jesus Christ (25:00); how reading the Bible led to Bishop Themi being born again, selling everything and giving it to the poor to follow Christ (29:30); Bishop Themi was a serious academic until he was convicted that he must do missions due to the impact of Mother Teresa (34:00); how Bishop Themi's belief on missions led him to Africa (40:05); the impact of HIV/AIDS on Bishop Themi's first mission in Kenya  (43:15); why Bishop Themi thinks the experience in Sierra Leone with Ebola was worse than HIV/AIDS (45:25); what does it truly mean to live in poverty? (48:30); what is Paradise 4 Kids? (51:25); the methodology of indigenous missions (54:20); the impact of Bishop Themi on the life of Hank Hanegraaff (59:35); what we do with our lives and resources matters for all eternity—we will be judged (1:06:00);  sharing among the poor is not unusual—the poor tend to practice generosity beyond their means (1:10:25); the simple truth is that the more you give the more you will receive (1:12:20); Bishop Themi owns nothing—he has surrendered completely in confidence to God (1:14:20); how can we teach our children how fortunate they are?  (1:16:40); how can people support Bishop Themi's mission? (1:18:40); Christ identified with the suffering and we must follow Christ by imitating Him (1:21:00).  For more information on the life of Bishop Themi, please see the following for your partnering gift, Themi – Apostle To The Hungry with Foreword by Hank Hanegraaff https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-themi-apostle-to-the-hungry-with-foreword-by-hank-hanegraaff/Listen to Hank's podcast and follow Hank off the grid where he is joined by some of the brightest minds discussing topics you care about. Get equipped to be a cultural change agent.Archived episodes are  on our Website and available at the additional channels listed below.You can help spread the word about Hank Unplugged by giving us a rating and review from the other channels we are listed on.​

In a chilling case out of Indiana, court documents reveal that a mother-daughter duo meticulously plotted a fatal poisoning scheme that took five attempts and three different substances to succeed. Harold "Peanut" Allen, 52, succumbed to ethylene glycol poisoning after months of torment at the hands of his wife, Marsha Allen, 52, and her daughter, Ashley Jones, 30. The two are suspected of  trying to gain access to his retirement money and savings What initially appeared as a sudden death on Dec. 20, 2022, was anything but, as law enforcement now alleges the plot began months earlier with failed attempts using ancient, natural poisons such as cerberin from pong pong seeds and water hemlock. The pair allegedly ground up toxic pong pong seeds and laced brownies with the poison, sending Allen to the emergency room in late November. Court documents stated, “It should be noted that Marsha (Allen) sends (Jones) a photo message of what appears to be Harold (Allen) on November 26th. In the photo, there is a half-eaten brownie on a paper plate sitting on Harold's stomach. Harold became sick after eating the brownie and ended up in the emergency room the next day.” In a text message to her daughter, Marsha Allen said, “I am irritated and can't sleep peacefully. I need this to be over … I wish it would reach its climax and be done lol.” Jones allegedly replied: “Agreed.” Undeterred by his survival, they then tried to poison him with water hemlock in various foods, again failing to end his life. However, Harold Allen did not succumb to hemlock poisoning. According to law enforcement, the women received the second toxin on Dec. 8, 2022, and proceeded to administer it over four days. Hemlock was allegedly mixed into a bowl of chili on Dec. 9, a glass of soda on Dec. 10, and a margarita on Dec. 12. Yet, Allen survived each attempt. On Dec. 13, 2022, Jones allegedly turned to ethylene glycol, the primary component in antifreeze, which has a sweet taste but is lethal in sufficient doses. Seven days later, Harold Allen was dead. Prosecutors claim Jones effectively tortured him with every failed poisoning. The month prior, Marsha Allen's home in Freetown—a small community about 40 miles southeast of Bloomington—was targeted in a break-in and burglary. Two men, Steven Andrew White, 29, and Nathaniel Kane Napier, 28, were arrested for the crime. However, authorities allege that the men neither planned nor acted alone; according to Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer, the burglary was carried out “under the direction and with the assistance of Marsha's daughter, Ashley Jones." Marsha told police she suspected her daughter from the start, as the burglars had the combination to her gun safe—a code only Jones was believed to know. White had his own story to share with police: he told investigators that not only did Jones orchestrate the burglary, but she also revealed that her mother had poisoned Harold Allen to death. Marsha Allen denied the accusation and voluntarily handed over her cellphone to law enforcement. However, the device contained crucial evidence—text messages between Marsha and Ashley detailing their plans to murder Harold Allen through poisoning in December 2022, according to Sheriff Meyer. A few weeks after Ashley Jones was arrested in early October 2023, police executed a search warrant at Marsha Allen's home. Later that same day, authorities believe Marsha took her own life. Jones is now facing multiple charges, including murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and is scheduled for trial in January 2025. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com

In a chilling case out of Indiana, court documents reveal that a mother-daughter duo meticulously plotted a fatal poisoning scheme that took five attempts and three different substances to succeed. Harold "Peanut" Allen, 52, succumbed to ethylene glycol poisoning after months of torment at the hands of his wife, Marsha Allen, 52, and her daughter, Ashley Jones, 30. The two are suspected of  trying to gain access to his retirement money and savings What initially appeared as a sudden death on Dec. 20, 2022, was anything but, as law enforcement now alleges the plot began months earlier with failed attempts using ancient, natural poisons such as cerberin from pong pong seeds and water hemlock. The pair allegedly ground up toxic pong pong seeds and laced brownies with the poison, sending Allen to the emergency room in late November. Court documents stated, “It should be noted that Marsha (Allen) sends (Jones) a photo message of what appears to be Harold (Allen) on November 26th. In the photo, there is a half-eaten brownie on a paper plate sitting on Harold's stomach. Harold became sick after eating the brownie and ended up in the emergency room the next day.” In a text message to her daughter, Marsha Allen said, “I am irritated and can't sleep peacefully. I need this to be over … I wish it would reach its climax and be done lol.” Jones allegedly replied: “Agreed.” Undeterred by his survival, they then tried to poison him with water hemlock in various foods, again failing to end his life. However, Harold Allen did not succumb to hemlock poisoning. According to law enforcement, the women received the second toxin on Dec. 8, 2022, and proceeded to administer it over four days. Hemlock was allegedly mixed into a bowl of chili on Dec. 9, a glass of soda on Dec. 10, and a margarita on Dec. 12. Yet, Allen survived each attempt. On Dec. 13, 2022, Jones allegedly turned to ethylene glycol, the primary component in antifreeze, which has a sweet taste but is lethal in sufficient doses. Seven days later, Harold Allen was dead. Prosecutors claim Jones effectively tortured him with every failed poisoning. The month prior, Marsha Allen's home in Freetown—a small community about 40 miles southeast of Bloomington—was targeted in a break-in and burglary. Two men, Steven Andrew White, 29, and Nathaniel Kane Napier, 28, were arrested for the crime. However, authorities allege that the men neither planned nor acted alone; according to Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer, the burglary was carried out “under the direction and with the assistance of Marsha's daughter, Ashley Jones." Marsha told police she suspected her daughter from the start, as the burglars had the combination to her gun safe—a code only Jones was believed to know. White had his own story to share with police: he told investigators that not only did Jones orchestrate the burglary, but she also revealed that her mother had poisoned Harold Allen to death. Marsha Allen denied the accusation and voluntarily handed over her cellphone to law enforcement. However, the device contained crucial evidence—text messages between Marsha and Ashley detailing their plans to murder Harold Allen through poisoning in December 2022, according to Sheriff Meyer. A few weeks after Ashley Jones was arrested in early October 2023, police executed a search warrant at Marsha Allen's home. Later that same day, authorities believe Marsha took her own life. Jones is now facing multiple charges, including murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and is scheduled for trial in January 2025. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com