My journey on Silversea’s Silver Wind up the West Coast of Africa continued on from Ghana, and the thought-provoking, eye-opening, and generally overwhelming nature of this “adventure cruise” has only become more so.
The next port of call was Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). I had no idea what to expect, but whatever might have been in the far reaches of my mind, this wasn’t it. There was a “smack you in the face” kind of poverty coupled with a general feeling of hopelessness. One of the main reasons for the hopelessness became painfully apparent near the end of the day.
The full day Abidjan and Grand Bassam tour’s description, “Explore the dynamic contrasts between modern Abidjan and the historical charm of Grand Bassam” was about as understated as possible. The day started with the now-expected police escorted caravan of tour buses to Grand Bassam, the former capital. Without the escort, getting anywhere would literally be impossible. (I stopped taking photographs of the impoverished villages, but the poverty here was markedly worse than any of my prior experiences.)
What then happened would be an omen that has unfortunately poisoned the experience of many onboard the ship. While I will be writing a separate article on the horrible APEX Travel hosts and its 80 clients – because they are so self-absorbed, rude, condescending, and…well, you get the picture…we weren’t a half-hour off the ship and one of “them” demanded our bus (you know, the one in the police escorted caravan) had to stop because she had to pee. After the entire procession stopped for this one lady, we continued.
We arrived at a dark, dreary, indoor craft market of sorts. Many of the new guests had money burning a hole in their pockets, so it was fine. We then traveled through the streets with nary a smile from the locals and arrived at the National Costume Museum, which had some interesting historical artifacts.
However, the ones that I found most interesting…and curious…were all the abandoned and decrepit buildings from colonial times. I cannot find a reason for their not being used for decades, but the moving of the capital, lack of governmental support or private investment, etc., all have led to what is one of the most questionable UNESCO Heritage sites I have visited.
After our visit, we headed to Assouan Beach for a nice lunch. (Silversea has consistently more than impressed with the lunches on tours.) And that is when APEX clients really started to show their anti-social, cult-like ways. A woman sat next to me and started to tell me how she has been everywhere and done everything…and been everywhere I had been, but far better. Ugh. (This would quickly become a theme that many of the non-APEX, actual Silversea guests would repeatedly be subjected to.) Well, the food was good, the beer was cold, and the beach breeze was nice.
After we left the beach and the rundown Grand Bassam, we headed back to Abidjan. While the police escort was not nearly as entertaining as our previous ones, it was good enough to keep us entertained. And then it hit me…
We headed across a bridge in Abidjan, and things changed immediately. No shanty towns, no roadside stands selling palm wine, no litter. A fantastic bridge and highway system that would be impressive in New York City, down to the manicured landscapes along with the upscale cars using them.
In the distance appeared an even more impressive bridge and a building under construction that is claimed to be the tallest on the African continent, surrounded by modern office buildings and hotels.
Oh, the world of grotesque corruption hit me in the face. (Being from New Jersey, I know that hiding payoffs in such unnecessary projects is easy.) So much poverty and hopelessness literally forced to stay on the other side with no hope of ever tasting even a morsel of something good…no less a chance of advancing.
We then visited St. Paul’s Cathedral, another impressive modern building with wonderful stained glass fusing religious themes with African culture. But for me, I couldn’t even pick my camera for a single photo. All I kept thinking about was the millions of dollars poured into building this church rather than the literal thousand or so families that might have benefited from a morsel. (Or even have a chance at praying in this place of worship.)
From there, it was a “Busker in Barcelona” dance show and then a visit to the Cava Market, which did have a few artisans, but was mostly reeking of a conglomerate owning most of the stalls, stocking them with more souvenirs than you could find in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. I wanted out of there. But some really enjoyed it…and good for them.
It was hard for me to decompress from the day, but the next two days in Sierra Leone gave me even more to think about.
As a very brief background, Sierra Leone had a barbaric and otherwise horrifying civil war, with the government and opposition (along with about four other factions) regularly committing atrocities. Besides the rapes and killings, there were grotesque amputations of hands and legs as well as creating child soldiers (aided by indoctrinations assisted by drugging the children with a combination of, for example, cocaine and gun powder.)
The civil war also resulted in the industry that fueled the war on both sides: Blood Diamonds. And that, alas, remains part of the corruption of today’s diamond industry. I would highly recommend watching the movie “Blood Diamonds”. It gives a good bit of perspective to this terrible issue.
Sierra Leone, once again, caused me to face an incongruity that is hard to express, no less understand. The first day was a full ship experience, “A Day in The Place at Tokeh Beach”. Boy, was it a day! We arrived on the beach and were offered a walk through the village.
Our local guide was wonderful, sharing the local social houses, fish smoke house, school (with a poster advising that leprosy is curable), and more, as well as a supplemental walk on a less-traveled “street” to see where the village chief lived and essentially held court for local disputes.
Discussions were had about there being a computer class at the school, but then, what can they do with it when nobody owns a computer? And, of course, if the education is effective, the youth who get it leave the town, leaving those who do not stuck. We also discussed the diaspora and how he was supposedly a second-year medical student and lives “up the hill”.
You are cautioned not to take pictures of the locals without their permission, and I honor that without exception. However…isn’t there always…It was both a Sunday and the day after their Independence Day, so there were celebrations. We came upon a group of women who were dancing and singing in the street, along with a voodoo or other indigenous religion woman in a masquerade costume. I asked the guide if it was OK to photograph them, and he said it was. Wrong! The celebration turned to anger very quickly. Yikes! But once our paths no longer crossed, their celebration restarted. Boy, did I feel bad. (I am not showing the “face” of the masqueraded person.)
Shortly thereafter, we strolled back to the beach and The Place resort. As in Cote d’Ivoire, but without the grotesqueness, on the other side of the gate, there were manicured lawns, beautiful plantings, cottages with air conditioning, etc. It was hard to be a part of this and still troubles me. Between the villagers, our guide, and this, it struck me as there seemingly being three groups in Sierra Leone: Have, Have-Nots, and “Have a Chance”.
And with that, all that was only a few hundred yards away, physically disappeared, but not from my thoughts. While we grabbed two beach chairs and a couple of cocktails, waiters from the resort started to circulate, eventually arriving with Moet & Chandon champagne and proper glasses. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t enjoy my afternoon, but I also know my brain didn’t shut down.
Our afternoon ended with a football (soccer) match between two teams of men who were victims of hand and/or leg amputations during the civil war. They played passionately, and their message was even more so. This was not a “feel sorry for us” show event, but rather a “feel our passion for life” one.
What a rollercoaster of images, lives, passions, conflicts, incongruity, and more!
On my second day in Sierra Leone, we took a boat to Bunce Island, once an infamous slave fort. With its remoteness, crumbling buildings, graveyard (for the Europeans, save for two slaves), and the jungle overgrowing it all, it was bleak and troubling. It was not the “grand” Elmira Castle of Ghana, but in a way equally impactful.
I felt it important to visit, and after our visit the day before, which included the amputees from the civil war, it seemed remarkable to me that despite the turmoil that occurred in Sierra Leone both before and during my lifetime, there is a sense of peace in this country…something it seems everyone wants…though how permanent it is, I do not have a clue. “This is Africa.”
Because we were a bit ahead of schedule, our boat made a detour on the way back to Freetown (obviously named for not only being free from slavery, but a place where many freed slaves returned to live the rest of their lives). It was at a small village on the island of Tasso. It was a short, interesting wander through the village with children holding tight to my hands throughout. That bit of joy was a well-needed and appreciated end to my time in Sierra Leone.
These have been an unforgettable three days and hopefully better express the difference between “traveling” and “cruising”. What can I do, or better, will do, with all of this? I am still processing it all.
Next up: The Bijagos Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau and more.
