SFCG Feature Story: Sierra Leone

Fall 2007

Lining up to vote

Despite torrential rains that drenched the country and left roads virtually impassable, Sierra Leoneans lined up to vote in their first election since UN peacekeepers left two years ago. In a process hailed as 'free, fair and credible' and cited as an example to the rest of Africa, the people elected opposition leader Ernest Koroma to the Presidency, marking the first time power has changed hands since the end of the brutal civil war. Five years after the end of one of Africa's most deadly conflicts that killed tens of thousands and displaced millions from their homes, Sierra Leone remains one of the poorest and least developed nations in the world. Most people earn less than a dollar a day and lack basic amenities. Nevertheless, against these formidable challenges, the people of Sierra Leone succeeded in delivering successful and peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections.

At his swearing in, Koroma said,

"Let us begin the process of healing the wounds and endeavor to reconcile ourselves as one nation under God. Let us view this not as a victory for any particular group or political party or region... but as a victory for all Sierra Leoneans."

Search for Common Ground opened Talking Drum Studio in Freetown in 2000, and since then has played an increasingly visible and significant leadership role in the media landscape and civil society of that country. SFCG has worked to build a national infrastructure that would support credible free democratic elections by leading the creation of the Independent Radio Network (IRN), the development of the National Election Watch (NEW), and strengthening the institutional capacities of both organizations.

SFCG's Role in Sierra Leone's Elections

IRN volunteers gather reports by candlelight after a power failure

SFCG helped to establish IRN in 2002, and has supported its growth into a national network of community radio stations. During the elections, SFCG and IRN strategically placed 420 reporters into high tension difficult to access areas, and in places with little or no broadcast coverage. The reporters had received advance election reporting training enabling them to feed timely and accurate reports to IRN headquarters in Freetown, as well as to their local stations. With many areas being covered by the media for the first time ever, people throughout the country could closely follow the election process, which bolstered confidence in the fairness of the process and its outcome, and significantly helped to reduce tensions.

Search for Common Ground Africa Director, Frances Fortune, had the distinction of being selected Chairperson of the National Election Watch (NEW). Under her leadership NEW has grown into a coalition of more than 375 local and international civil society organizations. NEW's election strategy was to train and then deploy election observers to every polling station throughout the country; implement a rapid reporting mechanism; and conduct a parallel vote count. With almost 6,000 trained Sierra Leonean monitors, this was the most extensive local election monitoring efforts ever undertaken in West Africa.

Other SFCG election activities included:

• Arranging and broadcasting debates between Parliamentary candidates in targetted districts
• A 10-part TV drama series focusing on getting women out to vote and on voter education and rights for young people
• Co-trainings for partner radio stations with the BBC World Trust
• Producing public service announcements

Frances Fortune explained that

"The long term legacy of the 2007 poll will be the confidence building and energy created. This election brought forward a whole new generation of civil society, who are energized, and ready to participate in the development of their country. By fostering new partnerships among these groups and individuals at the local, regional, and national levels, the real impact of SFCG's and NEW's work will be seen over the next few years, as new projects, synergies and idea emerge from the crucible of the 2007 elections."

"It is a great moment. It sends a very strong message that it is possible to hold credible elections in Africa." — Victor Angelo, head of the U.N. mission in Sierra Leone.

"The safety of the country lies in the hands of its citizens. With NEW support and help, the people have been able to achieve a peaceful and transparent election." — Berema Mousa, NEW Poll Observer

Please click here to visit the Search for Common Ground in Sierra Leone webpage.