Thursday, May 5, 1977, 7:00 pm, Day 464

Finally, the president agreed to a new election. I don't think that the president is to be voted on. I think that the election is for the House of Parliment only. The members come from about 90 to 100 different areas in the country, one elected from each area. The Ministers, who will be in charge of the different Ministries of the government are then chosen from the members of the House of Parliament.

Announcing that there was going to be a new election seemed to have quieted the people because the riots stopped. People were enthusiastic that there was going to be a new election and they were all out getting involved with choosing their canditates. There were meetings and rallies with the candidates trying to show the people that they were better. There are 3 or 4 official political parties in Sierra Leone, and at this point the candidates were out campaigning, trying to get their party's support. This was like an unofficial primary election.

About 3 weeks ago the candidates, one from each party, and any number of independants, submitted their names for nomination. This made it official because now these people would be the ones on the ballot that the people will vote for. There were quite a few reports of violence on this day, of candidates being kidnapped, of shootings, and just general riot conditions. Anyone with any sense kept to his house that day. Being up in the bush, things went on as normal though, and we were only hearing rumors about what had gone on at the nomination headquarters in Koidu. Some candidates were unopposed in their areas, so that along with the violence, leads one to question just how "free" this election is going to be.

With their candidates names now in nomination, things cooled down, for awhile again. Lately, though, as the election time nears, the violence, or at least the threat of violence, is increasing again.

I went into Koidu today on this, the day before the election. I figured that everything would be shut down tomorrow because of election day, and so I wanted to stock up on supplies today, as it would be my last chance for awhile. Much to my disappointment, and then a bit to my fear, all of the stores in town were closed down. I traveled all of the way into Koidu from Kamiendor only to find that I couldn't do any shopping. I picked up my mail at the MEP office and it was business as usual for them. I mailed a letter at the Post Office and found them to be open also. But every shop, every store in Koidu was closed up tight. The petrol stations were still open though, and some people were at the open market also. There were only a few lorries operating today, much fewer than normal.

The reason for everything being closed down, I was told, and I could understand why, was that there were alot of young men just hanging around on the streets, or riding around in bunches in the backs of trucks. They all display their party emblems, so they are supposed to be doing it in the semblance of campaigning. What they actually do I was told, is that they ride around, and if they see a store that is open, they will go in and clean the place out. I don't see how there could be a free and impartial election with these people hanging around. The threat of violence is felt very strongly.

I heard today, that yesterday in a town on the other side of Koidu (Yamandu), Mr.Kappio, who is the Minister of Energy and Power (my boss), got into some trouble. That area, north Kono, is his area, the one that he was elected from. The people there don't like him too much, and so at this times nomination, he has lost his party label, and has been forced to run as an independant. Yesterday, it seems, he and his bodyguard started shooting, and the other side, in revenge, started a riot. Seven truck loads of men, equipped with knives, cutlasses, axes, and such, were brought in looking for trouble. A few houses were supposedly broken down. I heard that if they met anyone wearing a watch, he gave them the watch, or else. Mr.Kappio's house in Bagbema has been wrecked and everything taken from it. I hear that the section chief from Bagbema has gone into hiding and won't be back until everything blows over. Bagbema is the next town on my list of villages wanting water systems. Nice town!

I was glad when I finally left Koidu again, heading back here to kamiendor. Back here in the bush, things are still peaceful, but there are truck loads of of thugs roaming around looking for trouble. I hope things will settle down after tomorrow and get quickly back to normal. I hope that the people will be satisfied with the results of this election, free or not, and not start demanding a new election again. I don't think the country can take it again.

Saturday, May 7, 1977, 9:00 pm, Day 466

Even up here in Kamiendor things have not been normal. On election Day, yesterday, we were treated to the presence of 20 to 30 or more imported young men. They would sometimes parade through the town, brandishing sticks and knives. Luckily, there was never any actual violence, but the fear was present. They were quite energetic in seeing that all of the people got out to vote. I didn't care for their tone or attitude at all. It seemed like they were insinuating "vote, or else..."

Quite a few of the town's people quietly disappeared for all of yesterday. They went out into the bush to wait until all was back to normal. They all came back last night but today, again, alot of them disappeared to the bush. Some said they won't be back until tomorrow. I can't really blame them. There are probably still at least 10 of these strange men still in town. They didn't carry their sticks and knives around today, though. I guess their job is ended , now that the election is over, and that they are just taking it easy for awhile before they head back home.

In talking to a few of them today, I gather that they are hired thugs, paid by the candidates. Their opinion of politics they expressed was that if a person doesn't see things their way, then they should force him to make him see things their way.

Anyway, tomorrow I think will be a traveling day for all of them, as well as for me. Hopefully, all of the stores will open normally on Monday morning and that the people will not be intimidated by bands of roving thugs.

I was able to get written down two pages of short Kono sentences today. They ought to help alot in my struggle to learn Kono. I want to at least learn enough Kono to be able to get the gist of a normal conversation. I don't expect to be able to get it down-pat enough to be able to hold up my end of a conversation. I've been studying up a bit on the things that I wrote down on my last Kono session on the 22nd of April. I've just now gotten just about all of the parts of the body memorized in Kono. Adding that to the numbers from 1 to 10 putsme far above what I was ever able to pick up in Mende when I was living in Daru.

Listening to Kono, I seem to be able to pick out individual words from the sentences alot better. When I hear a word that I know, it really sticks out. The rest just passes through my head, and I am unable to remember any of it long enough to get embedded in my brain. That is why I try to write it down. Anything that I write down, I will eventually learn because I can go back and study it anytime that I want, and as many times as need be.

A person that liked to talk more would learn alot quicker than me. I don't talk too much and so I don't get too much learning done from all of the mistakes that I would be making and they would be correcting. My knowledge of the parts of the body went public today and I didn't do too badly. I didn't remember them all at that time but I've studied them some more since that time. I had all of the names memorized when I finished, but I will probably have to refresh my memory a bit the next time that I try to say them.