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Music and Youth Culture in Sierra Leone

From Freetown to Bo; Makeni to Kabala; the sounds of 50 Cent, Pupa Bajah, Emmerson and P Square can be heard blasting from radios, stereos and television sets. The youth lethargically amble through the streets strolling to the rhythm of the music; bopping their heads from side to side while binding friends they pass in congested city roads.  Young men wear their pants real low, their T-shirts extra baggy, emulating the swagger of their favorite artists while remaining authentically Sierra Leonean with their “culture” jewelry roped around their necks. It is hard to believe that this is the same place that was embroiled in a brutal eleven year civil war said to be one of the most heinous conflicts in human history. However, the physical and emotional scares still remain, emboldened by the sweltering heat, untouched by foolhardy humanitarian workers with their neat policy packages that seem oddly out of place in this ever evolving country. Sierra Leoneans are a people of great resilience. Swagger so phenomenal and audacious that in the face of great adversity they have chosen to survive and persevere. The rapacious grip of abject poverty means nothing to these people. You can still see the young folks on Friday nights ironing their Sean John shirts and Roca Wear jeans while texting, flashing and chatting with friends about a night of adventure at popular night clubs like Paddys and Old Skool. The youth rock to a different beat, their pace always a little slower, a little more stylized as they unconsciously hum the tunes of rap artists such as 50 Cent and the Game. On Sunday evenings, the young men perusing Lumley Beach can be heard serenading young ladies with P-Square’s No One Like You and the more romantic often opt for 2 Faces Idibia’s African Queen. Music is the language of the youth because it represents their struggles, desires, needs, love stories and aspirations. It is amazing to watch a young boy who has no formal education spout the lyrics of Tupac in perfect English as though the frustrations of this American rap idol resonate within his very soul. Music in Sierra Leone defines a post war generation obsessed with this new brand of hip hop culture that transcends time and space. Rappers from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, UK and the USA tell the stories of Sierra Leonean youth who find themselves jobless and frustrated in cities where they are seen as a constant threat to security. These are the “volatile” youth that academics write about in policy memos where they feign understanding of what the youth need but in reality they have never truly listened to what the youth are saying. Pick up an Emmerson or Papazyua album and you will hear what young men and women in Freetown, Maisaka and Kambia are feeling and thinking.

Music is a medium of expression in a country that has had a history of government repression and violence. It has been one of the most therapeutic ways for the youth to express their mounting frustrations against injustice and lack of access. With an education system that leaves much to be desired, you find that the youth are getting educated and socialized on the streets through the music that they listen to. The power of words are often underestimated, but a quick glimpse in Sierra Leone’s past reveals how music was capitalized upon by the rebels to unleash unprecedented terror during the civil war. Child soldiers with guns slung low, Bob Marley T-shirts loosely clinging to their small frames,

and minds clouded by drugs committed the most atrocious crimes while listening to the sounds of Tupac and other gangster rappers that have become iconic figures for youth all over the world. Music is an essential part of the youth story in a post-conflict Sierra Leone. If the aim of the government and international aid agencies is to meaningfully address the youth problem, then I suggest they concentrate on capacity building and policy framing using a medium that the youth will readily understand and accept music. It is imperative that citizens, humanitarians and policy makers ask themselves about how music has influenced Sierra Leone’s youth culture and how to positively harness music to promote peace and prosperity in this very fragile, but potential-filled country. Picture Credit; Video Credit