Webster SoC student Hannah Myers shares her experiences in Webster Leiden
This semester a record number of School of Communications students are studying at our Webster Leiden campus. Among them is also Hannah Myers, who has shared her remarkable experience partaking in a Sierra Leone Memorial Day ceremony. See the full blog post from Hannah at the link here or read it below:
Sierra Leone Memorial Day
Opening Prayers
Photo Credit: Ibrahim Sorie
My name is Hannah Myers and I am a Media Communications major from St. Louis, Missouri studying abroad at Webster University in Leiden, Netherlands. On January 12, 2019, I, along with another Webster student, were asked to join in on a special day of remembrance for Sierra Leoneans affected by the civil war, mudslides, and Ebola epidemic. We were some of the first Americans to have been invited to experience this, and of course, we couldn’t refuse. It is truly an honor to be accepted into another person’s culture and experience their traditions with them.
Why We Remember
The Sierra Leone Civil War started in March of 1991 and lasted until 2002 with a death toll of over 50,000. The conflict was rooted in control of diamond mines, what we know now as “Blood Diamonds.” The country was also affected by an Ebola epidemic in 2014, and then a series of mudslides in 2017, leaving thousands dead and even more homeless.
Usifu Jalloh – Traditional Sierra Leonean Storyteller
Photo Credit: Ibrahim Sorie
The Ceremony
The memorial ceremony was over 3 hours long and included homemade African delicacies, prayer, songs, sermons, flag ceremonies, and a presentation from a famous Sierra Leonian storyteller. Because Sierra Leone is split between Christian and Muslim, both parties were equally represented in prayer, sermon, and other various customs. It really opened my eyes to what it truly means to “coexist” and that peaceful assimilation is possible. After all, we were not there to terrorize each other, but remember the past and the victims of these terrible tragedies. We closed out by eating a traditional African dinner and taking a walk around the city block while chanting and singing songs.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. We cannot solve the problems of Sierra Leone here, however, if you think small is insignificant, try being locked in a room with one mosquito. Then you will understand how significant small is. We might be small here in numbers, but we can make a massive change.
– Ufisu Jalloh
The Healing Path
Flag Ceremony for Sierra Leone and neighboring countries
Photo Credit: Ibraham Sorie
From the Outside Looking In
Despite the ceremony’s length, there are no words to describe how it feels to be completely immersed in a country’s culture that is so different from your own. With most Sierra Leoneans being refugees, their sense of community has been split along with their war-torn country. My hope is that I can educate more people, especially in America, on the tragic events in Sierra Leone, and share about their beautiful culture and traditions since so few outsiders have had the opportunity to experience it. To witness their traditions was extremely impactful and a great privilege that I will not soon forget.