Trip to Bunce Island:

We went to Bunce Island with Joseph Opala. The trip was made from Aberdeen on a rented boat with two outboard motors and included human portage on both ends of the trip.

The island is located upriver from Freetown in the estuary that separates Freetown from Lungi (where the airport is located) formed by the Rokel River and Port Loko Creek. It was the site of a British Slave castle that was abandoned around 1840.

 The vegetation inside and out has grow since the heyday of the castle.

  Joseph Opala and wife Fatima.

Some random photos from the trip:

Tony and Konrad coordinated clothing each morning.

Two members of the Weezy Bangs crew.

One of the hills above Freetown

Dogs everywhere, often napping

Thatch roofed house under construction.

Ghibril and Idriss enjoy a mango.

Taziff Koroma in action. 

Taziff (center frame, glasses on head) finds a clue here about Lomboko...

...which led to this spot where the intrepid explorers went off in dugout canoes close to sunset. Ghibril is pointing to a float of crocodiles that set off after them.

Rice is an important crop and staple in Sierra Leone.

A schoolhouse

The original Snuggle-wrap

Self-portrait

One of the interview sessions that we did upon our return to Freetown was at the home of Arthur Abraham. Dr. Abraham is Chair, Professor of History and Eminent Scholar in the History and Philosophy Department at Virginia State University.

Marcus Rediker and Arthur Abraham

 Konrad Tuchscherer and Philip Misevich on the right.

The hammock looked quite comfortable. Dr. Abraham had a meal prepared for the end of the interview - cassava leaves and rice - which was eaten family style on the patio.

 These two young girls wanted me to take a "snap."

The one on the right resisted my urge to smile at first.

The United Nations figures for Sierra Leone's population in 2010 had 43% aged 15 and under. We certainly saw a lot of young people on the trip.

Idriss and Ghibril wanted to stop on the return to Freetown to buy some provisions for home. Ghibril  passed on the bushmeat because the price was too high, most likely due to the seller spotting Tony Jan and me in the car and quoting a Freetown price. The mangos were a deal. This is Idriss making his selection.

Our group used Flash Vehicle rentals http://flashvehicles.com/rentals/about-flash/
There were two Toyota Land Cruisers, driven by two top flight drivers, Ghibril and Cherno.

The roads are in poor repair for the most part, with the exception of the highway from Waterloo to Bo. After Bo the roads were dirt or gravel, with the exception of some new construction near Kenema. These two gentlemen had to be constantly alert for the road, pedestrians, animals, etc. An incredibly hard job that they did exceptionally well.

We spent a good deal of time in the vehicles. It is amazing that one can doze off while at the same time have their kidneys rattled travelling over cratered roads.