Fr. Louis BIRA sx
On March 24; 2021 at 6 p.m., a fire decimated more than 500 homes in one of the poorest locations in Freetown. It's at Suzanne's bay. There lived several families in makeshift houses. They are usually people who do not have an official residence. Many of them had come to Freetown fleeing their villages during the years of the war. To survive and support their children, they were doing small business. As if this misery were not enough, the fire came to put an end to the little hope that remained to them.
The story of the young Ibrahim Sorie
Today with one of our students Samuel, I went there to see what had actually happened and which is not talked about too much because of the fight against the Corona virus that occupies all minds. On our arrival, we met the young Ibrahim Sorie, one of the victims of the fire. He was born in Suzanne's bay. With his small business, he managed to build a place to sleep. "With the fire, he had lost everything," he told us. According to his account, the fire broke out at 6pm in the evening while people were still at the market. Thanks be to God, he said, if it were while they were sleeping, they would all have been engulfed by the fire. Being still daylight, people were able to save themselves. So far, until now no person is reported to have died. People have just lost all their homes and all their belongings.
Good Samaritans are not lacking
Accompanied by Ibrahim Sorie, we were able to enter and see with our eyes this tragedy. When you enter Suzanne's bay, you are struck by the number of people who are left homeless, without food and without water. However, to relieve their pain, some good Samaritans are present. A Turkish charity and another charity from Japan provided the tents to the victims. So they can at least find where to sleep at sunset. Caritas Freetown is also present. With joy, we found Rosetta Kanu, a young girl well know by us, very involved in the movement of Catholic Youth association (CYO) of the Archdiocese of Freetown. With her friends, she told us, and with the help of Caritas Freetown, they prepare meals for people. A light meal is served twice a day; just a little rice and a peanut sauce. Asked how many people were receiving such assistance, Rosetta told us that Caritas had only the means to feed at least 3,000 people a day.
The fear in the days ahead
After the tragedy, the Sierra Leonean government and humanitarian organizations provided support to the victims. But according to our companion Ibrahim Sorie, the worst is to be feared in the days to come. In fact, the first rains have already been announced in Freetown. Therefore there is the fear of malaria and cholera outbreak. With neither clean drinking water nor toilets, there is a risk that unsanitary conditions and famine will kill more people than the fire itself. This requires emergency assistance for the thousands of people in Suzanne's bay.
There is speculation in Freetown about the origin of the incident. Some people suspect a criminal act; alleging that there are people who would be better off having Suzanne’s bay freed up to make way for the construction of large stores of goods from Guinea by the sea. These are just rumors. But as Pope Francis says in Fratteli Tutti, in front of a victim lying on the road, there is no point in wasting time questioning the identity of the robber. Faced with the distressing situation of man on the ground, says the pope (...), there are simply two types of people: those who take care of pain and those who override; those who bend down by recognizing the man on the ground and those who look away and accelerate the steps (Fratelli Tutti, n. 70). At this very moment, what matters at Suzanne’s bay is acting like the Good Samaritan of the Gospel. That is to seek to lessen the suffering of the victims as much as possible. The victims of Souzanne's bay are in urgent need of clean water, food and clothing; in the hope that a more sustainable solution will be found later by Sierra Leonean political authorities.
On March 24; 2021 at 6 p.m., a fire decimated more than 500 homes in one of the poorest locations in Freetown. It's at Suzanne's bay. There lived several families in makeshift houses. They are usually people who do not have an official residence. Many of them had come to Freetown fleeing their villages during the years of the war. To survive and support their children, they were doing small business. As if this misery were not enough, the fire came to put an end to the little hope that remained to them.
The story of the young Ibrahim Sorie
Today with one of our students Samuel, I went there to see what had actually happened and which is not talked about too much because of the fight against the Corona virus that occupies all minds. On our arrival, we met the young Ibrahim Sorie, one of the victims of the fire. He was born in Suzanne's bay. With his small business, he managed to build a place to sleep. "With the fire, he had lost everything," he told us. According to his account, the fire broke out at 6pm in the evening while people were still at the market. Thanks be to God, he said, if it were while they were sleeping, they would all have been engulfed by the fire. Being still daylight, people were able to save themselves. So far, until now no person is reported to have died. People have just lost all their homes and all their belongings.
Good Samaritans are not lacking
Accompanied by Ibrahim Sorie, we were able to enter and see with our eyes this tragedy. When you enter Suzanne's bay, you are struck by the number of people who are left homeless, without food and without water. However, to relieve their pain, some good Samaritans are present. A Turkish charity and another charity from Japan provided the tents to the victims. So they can at least find where to sleep at sunset. Caritas Freetown is also present. With joy, we found Rosetta Kanu, a young girl well know by us, very involved in the movement of Catholic Youth association (CYO) of the Archdiocese of Freetown. With her friends, she told us, and with the help of Caritas Freetown, they prepare meals for people. A light meal is served twice a day; just a little rice and a peanut sauce. Asked how many people were receiving such assistance, Rosetta told us that Caritas had only the means to feed at least 3,000 people a day.
The fear in the days ahead
After the tragedy, the Sierra Leonean government and humanitarian organizations provided support to the victims. But according to our companion Ibrahim Sorie, the worst is to be feared in the days to come. In fact, the first rains have already been announced in Freetown. Therefore there is the fear of malaria and cholera outbreak. With neither clean drinking water nor toilets, there is a risk that unsanitary conditions and famine will kill more people than the fire itself. This requires emergency assistance for the thousands of people in Suzanne's bay.
There is speculation in Freetown about the origin of the incident. Some people suspect a criminal act; alleging that there are people who would be better off having Suzanne’s bay freed up to make way for the construction of large stores of goods from Guinea by the sea. These are just rumors. But as Pope Francis says in Fratteli Tutti, in front of a victim lying on the road, there is no point in wasting time questioning the identity of the robber. Faced with the distressing situation of man on the ground, says the pope (...), there are simply two types of people: those who take care of pain and those who override; those who bend down by recognizing the man on the ground and those who look away and accelerate the steps (Fratelli Tutti, n. 70). At this very moment, what matters at Suzanne’s bay is acting like the Good Samaritan of the Gospel. That is to seek to lessen the suffering of the victims as much as possible. The victims of Souzanne's bay are in urgent need of clean water, food and clothing; in the hope that a more sustainable solution will be found later by Sierra Leonean political authorities.